The Goldfine family of Wayne, New Jersey, celebrated daughter Melissa’s Bat Mitzvah at Shomrei Torah in Wayne, New Jersey. The reception followed at Smoke Rise Village Inn, Kinnelon, New Jersey.
Melissa loves Broadway and wanted a “Broadway Bash.” As a special surprise much of the decor used for the party is now in her newly decorated bedroom, a perfect production!
Pictured L-R: Mom Hali, Brother Spencer, Bat Mitzvah girl Melissa and Dad Marc.
The photographer was Gary Flom Photography and the rest of the vendor information is at the end of the spotlight.
Melissa’s Torah invitation suite was from Invitation Consultants. The shimmering white invitation featured an illustrated pink Torah motif and it all fit in a shimmering black pocket. Melissa’s name was featured in a scripted font
The custom stamp from Zazzle.com hinted at her theme
The day began with a customized, intimate ceremony that led into a wonderful celebration with Melissa’s closest friends and family. Having a child with special needs, a Bat Mitzvah wasn’t something the family was planning, but a wonderful Hebrew school principal and Rabbi who has known Melissa since birth, made them re-think it. A simpler service, Rosh Chodesh, was presented as an option and one of the available dates turned out to be June 29. The family felt it was beshert, Yiddish for “meant to be,” as June 29th was also mom Hali’s Bat Mitzvah date!
Melissa wanted a beautiful pink tallit and she got it
Rabbi Randall Mark, who also did Melissa’s baby naming, was at her side
The service program
The party could only have a Broadway theme as Melissa lives, loves and breathes all-things stage musicals.
Dad Marc does special effects and graphics for a video company and one of his colleagues created “Melissa’s Broadway Bash” logo. From the stamps, to the centerpieces and the sign-in door, the logo tied the whole theme together.
No table numbers were needed, as each table was one of the shows Melissa saw and loved. The centerpieces, under the art direction of Dad Marc, were created by Party Art. As they made their way into the reception guests picked up their place cards
Playbill inspired place cards
The tables looked awesome
Each table centerpiece was a favorite Broadway show of Melissa’s
The tables were draped in black and accented beautifully with pink napkins
The montage was set to the song “For Good” from Wicked and served as Melissa’s introduction. She then danced onto the dance floor after it ended to the song “You Can’t Stop the Beat” from Hairspray. Melissa was so happy making her entrance
More Than Music with MC Jared, provided great entertainment and the dancers kept guests on the dance floor the whole time! It was a great afternoon and Melissa was all smiles!
Dad Marc and Melissa danced to “Sunrise, Sunset” from Fiddler on the Roof…of course!
A beautiful moment
A cake topper and delicious cupcakes from the Pink Cake Box.
The candle lighting ceremony, in keeping with the theme, was The Tony Awards. “Best Grandma and Grandpa,” “Best Uncle,” etc… Each recipient was given a 5″x 7″ frame with their Tony Award. They sent the “winners” photos of them lighting their candle with Melissa to put in the frame. All the candle lighting songs and intro songs were from Broadway shows.
Melissa and Brother Spencer with all the candles lit
Melissa’s sign-in door is now her “stage door” in her bedroom. Dad Marc re-created the logo out of wood, changing the word “bash” to “room” and made a stand with locking wheels so the door could be transported to the different rooms at Smoke Rise to be signed throughout the day. Guests signed special notes to Melissa on her door
A star-worthy door!
We love how Mom Hali incorporated the room decor from the Bat Mitzvah into Melissa’s bedroom.
This bedroom is worthy of a Tony Award for sure!
For an end of June party the favors were beach towels, perfect for boys and girls. Everything was labeled with a logo’d “Thank you” sticker and name
Beautiful black beach towels with pink and white embroidery
The adults received chocolate comedy/tragedy masks
Looks like there is another performer in the family!
Since the family was not allowed to take photos during Melissa’s Mitzvah project here is part of her very meaningful speech:
So many of you have helped my family and I raise money for the March of Dimes as an Ambassador family for the past 13 years and giving back to others has become second nature for me. I strive to make a difference whenever and wherever I can so for my Mitzvah Project I wanted to do something special. I hope to work with children when I grow up and I enjoy reading to them so I have been spending time at The Wanaque Center where 72 children live because of their fragile medical conditions. Many of them are in wheelchairs and dependent on ventilators like I had when I was born. They don’t get a lot of visitors during the week so they are always happy when they see me. For me, the Mitzvah Project did not seem like a sacrifice and I plan to continue going as long as I can. My parents have taught me to always be grateful for the blessings I have and I will carry this forward long after my Bat Mitzvah day.
Some advice from Mom Hali:
“Don’t over think things. I was told that over and over throughout the year and it was great advice. So many specifics that seemed important during the planning stages really get lost in the noise and excitement of the day. The DJ you choose absolutely sets the tone for your party so make sure you choose one who understands what you are looking for, allowing you to just enjoy the party with your guests. Everyone was up and enjoying themselves from start to finish. More than one guest commented on how no one left early! We made the decision to not have games and lounge furniture that would take the kids away from the dance floor which worked out for our party. We also did not want to incorporate the theme for the service. The day is about your child having this rite of passage and all of the work, Hebrew School, tutoring, etc…, that goes in to that. The reception is than an opportunity to celebrate all that your child has accomplished. One of our greatest takeaways is that more than 99% of our guests were at the synagogue to see Melissa up on the bimah.”
The following vendors helped to make Melissa’s celebration special. If you give any of them a call, please let them know you read about their services on MitzvahMarket.com.
Venue: Randy Polo, Smoke Rise Village Inn, 973-838-7770
Party Planner: Hali Goldfine
Photographer: Gary Flom Photography, 862-684-7077
Music Entertainment: MC Jared Levine, More Than Music, 516-626-9400
Décor/centerpieces: Party Art LLC, 973-216-8067
Montage/Sign-In Board: Dad, Marc Goldfine
Favor person/Candy: Alyson’s Sweet Petites, 973-723-0151
Favor person/Towels: Max Hefter, TowelsOutlet.com, 305-624-1344 x:102
Invitation: Invitation Consultants, Inc, 813-879-3748
Cupcakes: Pink Cake Box, 973-998-4445
Table cards/candle lighting/thematic amenities for restroom, display board: Party Art LLC, 973-216-8067
Pink Tallit: JudaicaWebStore.com
Makeup: Doria Szymanowski, 201-321-4292
Hair: Dace Mende 845-821-0410
