A Magical Bar Mitzvah was the theme for Jack Rosenberg’s celebration. The service was held at Shaare Torah Congregation in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The party was held at Normandie Farm Restaurant, Potomac, Maryland.
Jack is a Harry Potter fan who read and enjoyed all the books and movies, so this was a perfect Bar Mitzvah theme and Jack helped create many of the decor elements.
Pictured above L-R: Dad Michael, older brother Sam, Bar Mitzvah boy Jack and Mom Sheryl.
Andrew Morrell Photography was the photographer and the rest of the vendor information is listed at the end of the spotlight.
The save-the-date cards, created by Rebecca from sweetinvitationco on Etsy, featured an owl, a reference to Hedwig, Harry Potter’s pet owl and the source for delivering mail
Mom Sheryl came up with the concept for the invitation and logo and worked with Jessica Garmise from Out of the Box Creations on the execution. The invite resembled the invitation to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry and the envelope was sealed with a red wax seal just like students received in the book. Each save-the-date and thank you note was sent with a Harry Potter Forever postage stamp
A Havdalah service was chosen because it was Jack’s grandmother’s favorite service. Now deceased, the weekend of Jack’s Bar Mitzvah would have been his grandmother’s 75th birthday. The suede kippot had a graphic design of Harry Potter glasses and the scar in a repeating pattern
Out of the Box Creations also designed the Hogwarts-inspired crest logo that was used throughout the party
Bar Mitzvah boy Jack handmade each place card which was a painted wooden wand with a tag indicating the guests’ table assignment. In the center of the “place card” or “Sorting Table” there was a Sorting Hat on a stool just like the one mentioned in the books and movies
Normandie Farm Restaurant was the perfect location to celebrate, as it gave the feeling of being inside Hogwarts Castle. Each table represented a different place in the Harry Potter series with handmade centerpieces courtesy of Jack and his mom, Sheryl
Hogwarts Year 2: the Chamber of Secrets table centerpiece featuring the Gryffindor sword, Tom Riddle’s Diary, the Basilisk tooth and Colin Creevey’s camera
Borgin & Burkes Dark Magic Shop is known for selling unusual and ancient wizard artifacts. The Hand of Glory was created by Jack
The Forbidden Forest centerpiece
When checking into the hotel, out-of-town guests received goodies in a bag that had a plush owl attached. The owl theme carried through from the save-the-date and invitation to the hotel bags
Dobby’s Sock Drawer held the socks for the guests to wear on the dance floor. In the Harry Potter books and movies, Dobby, the house elf, was given a sock to set him free, thus the sign stating: “Take a pair of socks for dancing and free your inner house elf!”
In keeping with the theme, signage at the bar read: “Underage wizards and witches will not be served alcohol”
Jack’s mom Sheryl designed the New Student Attendance Book using Shutterfly. The cover photo was a picture of Jack when he was younger wearing Harry Potter glasses at the Harry Potter book 7 release event in NYC
The sign-in table had a sign asking all guests to sign the “New Student Attendance Book,” but beware of the Monster Book of Monsters, which was also on the same table. The pens used to sign the book were white quill pens made by Jack’s aunt
MC Chris Schultz of Unique Dreams Entertainment did a great job. Jack entered the room through a doorway that had fabric hanging to look like a brick wall coming through “Platform 9-3/4.” There was a fog machine running that looked like the steam from the train’s engine as people walked through the “brick wall.” Jack was accompanied by one of the DJ’s dancers wearing a Gryffindor scarf and tie to keep in the Harry Potter spirit
A great shot of Jack up in the chair for the Horah, while his dad, Michael helps lift the chair wearing his Professor Dumbledore hat
The photo booth stopped working before the first picture was even taken, but the DJ quickly jumped in and played tons of party games with the children while the adults enjoyed the cocktail hour
The candle lighting was designed by Jack’s mom, Sheryl. There were lights in each of the colored bottles to make the bottles glow and look magical. The candle used to light the others was in a Miller Lite beer bottle, which was a special way to remember Jack’s uncle who passed away before the Bar Mitzvah. Each song used during the candle lighting ceremony was a musical theater song chosen by Jack, to tie in with the “theater cake” to represent Jack’s other love — musical theater
Jack surrounded by his friends
This amazing cake was created by Fancy Cakes by Leslie. It was designed by a family friend and Jack’s brother and included musical theater elements. Each layer of the cake represented a different show that Jack had performed in. The top tier from Honk!; the second tier from Winnie the Pooh; the third tier from Annie; and the bottom layer from Beauty and the Beast
The mason jars each had a homemade chocolate frog in them, just like the ones sold in Honeydukes Sweet Shoppe in Harry Potter. The jars were also used to take home candy from the candy table
The candy table was labeled with a “Honeydukes Sweet Shoppe” sign. Honeydukes Sweet Shoppe is the name of the candy store in the Harry Potter movies and books
The candy buffet was visually beautiful and had magical selections for guests to enjoy
The Rosenberg family wore custom Quidditch jerseys the morning after the celebration for brunch at their house
Jack, Dad Michael and Brother Sam all wore the jerseys that coordinated with the Hogwarts House ties they wore during the Bar Mitzvah service
Some advice from Mom Sheryl:
“Choose a theme that the whole family loves. And have fun and be creative in planning it. The more you like the theme, and the more you know about it, the more creative ideas that you will come up with.”
The following vendors helped to make Jack’s Bar Mitzvah special. If you give any of them a call, let them know you read about their services on MitzvahMarket.com.
Venue: Normandie Farm Restaurant, 301-983-8838
Photographer: Andrew Morrell Photography, 301-529-3410
Party Planner: Mom Sheryl Rosenberg
Invitation/logo concept: Mom Sheryl Rosenberg, [email protected]
Invitation/Logo execution: Jessica Garmise, Out of the Box Creations, 917-518-9389
Printer for invitations/Thank you notes: Rockville Printing, 301-251-0001
Centerpiece Decor: Mom Sheryl Rosenberg
Save-the-date cards: Rebecca from Sweet invitation co on Etsy.com
Party set up: Karen Nelson, Enchanting Affairs, 301-452-4143
Music Entertainment/MC: Chris Schultz, Unique Dreams Entertainment, 301-253-9021
Mug Favors: DiscountMugs.com
Cake: Fancy Cakes by Leslie, 301-652-9300
Sign-in board/book: Shutterfly.com
Kippot: Best Kippah, 800-435-1621
Dresses and suits for family members: Nordstrom
Transportation for kids from service to party: Martin’s Sedan & Limousine Service, 301-260-9393
