A B’nai Mitzvah At An Aquarium

The Goldberg family of Merrick, New York, celebrated twins Gabbie and Charlie’s B’nai Mitzvah on October 22, 2016, at the Merrick Jewish Center. There was an evening party in their honor at the Long Island Aquarium and Exhibition Center in Riverhead, New York. The family has been visiting there for many years so when it came time to pick a venue, that was the obvious choice. Guests were able to enjoy many underwater exhibits and were surprised with a “live” shark dive by Charlie!

Pictured L-R: Mom Jodi, Bar Mitzvah boy Charlie, Bat Mitzvah girl Gabbie. Sister Eden and Dad Michael.

The photographer was White Light Photography and Video and the rest of the vendor information is listed at the end of the spotlight.

The Venue

The Long Island Aquarium and Exhibition Center along with the in-house caterer, Atlantis Banquets & Events, offered a unique venue, great food and a seamless party. 

One of the many tank-filled backdrops

This "Shark Tank" was a lot more fun than the TV show!

At the Koi Pond

 Mitzvah Invitation/Service

A photo taken at the Atlantis Paradise Island resort in the Bahamas was used as a see through overlay to the written part of the invitation

This nautical seal was a nice touch on the front of the envelope

Gabbie and Charlie both did a beautiful job chanting their Torah and Haftorah portions

Mitzvah Style

The family was all smiles ready for the celebration to begin

Gabbie, Eden and Charlie look picture perfect

Mom Jodi and Bat Mtizvah girl Gabbie in shades of blue

Place Cards/Sign-In/Logo

Message in a Bottle place cards set the tone. They were placed in a sand box provided by Atlantis Banquets & Events

Logo'd whale place cards, similar to the Vineyard Vines logo, was used throughout the party

Cute signage: "You can find your Seat Here but your place is on the Dance Floor”

For their sign-in, guests were asked to place a "message in a bottle" using parchment paper and a feathered pen. The sign read, "Place a Message in the Bottle for Gabbie and Charlie to Read, a wish, some kind words, or advice to help them succeed." After their celebration, the twins had fun reading all the words of wisdom

 
Party Decor

The adults dined in the Coliseum Ballroom with painted murals and colorful fish tanks lining the walls

The kids got to dine with the stingrays!

The risers for the DJ set up where guests had a "whale of a good time" on the dance floor

The kids got to hang out in this great lounge area complete with cabanas created by Geo Events

Custom pillows with pictures of the twins looked great on the white lounge furniture

 Mitzvah Wow

There were many amazing “Wow” moments at this celebration. The twins are certified scuba divers and Charlie wanted to use the video version of his shark dive for his entrance. Once he found out he could take a shower in the back, he decided to do it live! Gabbie wanted to keep her hair dry.

Charlie making his way into the shark tank for his "live" dive!

The guests walked through the shark cave to enter the dining room and saw Charlie in the water!

Charlie dancing/waving to his friends who were watching him from the cave!

The kids loved the Submarine Simulator which they used during the cocktail hour!

Mitzvah Entrance

Charlie took a quick shower after his shark dive and made it just in time for his grand entrance on a shark. This was part of the mechanical ride that was given to the family from Ovation Photo Booth

Gabbie being carried in for her entrance

Younger sister Eden being carried in by the Geo Events dancers for her entrance

Mitzvah Special Dance

Gabbie and her Dad Michael have a slow dance

While Charlie dances with Mom Jodi

After the dance with their parents it was time for the twins to break into a fun dance to a mix of "JuJu on That Beat” and "Soldier Boy”

The planned dance had Gabbie and Charlie leading the dance floor and sister Eden joining in

Mitzvah Music

Mom Jodi bought a conversation bench built for two that was used for the Horah

The dancers wore life-guard hats, shirts, whistles, shark costumes and "In it 2 Twin It" t-shirts

Geo Events with MC's AG and Breezy provided the awesome music

MC Breezy hanging with the boys

Geo Events kept the music going

Lots of great giveaways

 B’nai Mitzvah Montage

As A former TV and Video producer, Jodi created the montage with the help of high school student for hire, Mikey Johanson. This turned out to be a surprise for the twins as it featured videos from Gabbie and Charlie’s visits to the Atlantis Aquarium over the years. It also included a personal shout-out to them from Brett Raymer, the host of  Animal Planet’s “Tanked,” a friend of Mom Jodi’s from high school.

Watch their montage here

Gabbie enjoyed the montage

Favor/Fun Food & Drinks

Best Express created shirts, sweatshirts and favors for Gabbie and Charlie's guests

Everything was wrapped in clear bags with a Swedish Fish surprise

Sister Eden enjoying some cotton candy!

Smoothies were a big hit too

 
Advice from Mom Jodi

“Have your kids tell your friends to save and send you their Snapchat videos They are fun to watch and you can see your party from a teen’s perspective. That is how we watched the shark dive video surprise the next day. Even though the DJ handed out dance floor giveaways,  I got some fun prizes (i.e. headphones, speakers, lamps) and my twins stood on stage and gave them out. They also had fun throwing the pillows, tee shirts, and slippers out to the crowd. If you want a crowded dance floor, have your kids prepare a song list for your DJ. The kids are very particular with what they like to dance to. It’s a good idea to book a family shoot for a date prior to your event. Trevor, owner of White Light Photography and Video, was a big proponent of this and he helped me coordinate the temple and aquarium approximately 2 weeks before our party. It’s also a good way to do a test run with your makeup, hair, dress, and break in your heels, and the night of your party you don’t have to worry about “formals” or miss your cocktail hour.”

Mitzvah Project

Gabbie and Charlie’s Uncle Eric is developmentally disabled. He lives in a group home in Brooklyn, New York. For the twins’ B’nai Mitzvah Project, they decided that a hands-on activity which involved their whole family would be one they’d always remember. The siblings raised funds that went towards building and upkeep of an amazing and spectacular fish tank for the group home residents and worked with an artist on the creation of a mural for the residents to enjoy. To read about the entire project, click here.

Gabbie and Charlie with their Uncle Eric in front of the fish tank mural

In front of the fish tank

Vendor Directory

The following vendors helped to make Gabbie and Charlie’s B’nai Mitzvah special. If you give any of them a call, let them know you read about their services on MitzvahMarket.com.

Venue/Decor/Catering/Cake: Atlantis Banquets & Events, 631-574-8008
Party Planner: Mom Jodi Goldberg 
Yarmulkes/Flip Flops: Randi Goldberg Lehman, That One Special Touch, 516-496-1025
Photographer/Videographer/Sign-In: White Light Photography and Video, 516-933-3399
Music Entertainment/Lounge Decor/MC’s: AG and Breezy, Geo Events, 800-670-0462 
Logo Design/Favors: Susan, Best Express, 516-935-2869
Shark Ride/Photo Booth: Ronnie, Ovation Photo Booth, 516-334-9090 
Invitation Wax Seal: Sally’s Heartful Creations on etsy.com
Place cards/favor for adults: Invitation in a Bottle, 800-489-8048 
Montage: Creadted by Mom/Edited by Mikey Johanson, Johanson Films, 917-816-2371
Double Horah Chair: Wayfair.com
Sign In Feather Pen and parchment paper: Amazon.com
Mom Jodi’s Dress: Runway Couture, 516-308-4639/Moms Hair De La Mer Salon: 516-221-3662
Bat Mitzvah girl Gabbie gown: Estelle’s Dressy Dresses, 631-420-0890/Headpiece: La Chic Boutique, 516-541-0678
Sister Eden’s dress: La Chic Boutique, 516-541-0678
Suits for family members: Mur-lee’s, 516-599-7777