The Brenner family celebrated their daughter Rachel’s Bat Mitzvah on Saturday, March 17, 2012 at Temple Chaverim in Plainview, New York. Following the service, there was a Kiddush luncheon and then an evening celebration which was outRACHous fun for family and friends at The Tam O’Shanter Club in Brookville, New York.
Mitzvah Mom Bonnie writes for Mitzvah Market and is happy to share Rachel’s special day with our readers.
Pictured above (L-R): Mom Bonnie, Bat Mitzvah girl Rachel, Brother Jayson and Dad Steven.
All party photography was done by Simon Elliot Events and the rest of the vendors are listed at the bottom of the spotlight.
Rachel’s service was held at Temple Chaverim with a Kiddush luncheon catered by Hasson Caterers
Turquoise and gold trimmed kippot were ordered and delivered in 10 days from bestkippah.com
Rachel chose her favorite color combination of turquoise and gold for her Luscious Verde invitation which was customized by Ellen Futterman of Proper Notice. The layered invitation featured a plumeria flower
Rachel included her dog Cody, who is wearing a yarmulke on the custom stamp!
Rachel’s long gown was from Outrageous Boutique and it was the first dress she tried on! Rachel’s long turquoise gown featured crystals and was accented by her Aunt Jodi’s tiara that she wore at her wedding
Mom Bonnie found her champagne gown at Mieka Boutique
The Tam O’Shanter Club was the setting and Mom Bonnie raved about GM Maureen, Carl, Matt and Chef Renaldo who went above and beyond in accommodating the Brenner’s requests. Delicious food displays included a raw bar for guests during the cocktail hour
Since Rachel’s celebration was on March 17, the Brenners included a touch of the Irish!
The art theme was clear when guests arrived and saw this awesome letter “R” made of crayons
Beautiful flower arrangements were placed on the four corners of the bar along with some bling
Verbena Designs used Rachel’s artwork as the vase for the adult tables filled with beautiful flowers
The table numbers were created from drawing pencils
The Finishing Touch provided the jewel gold overlays and turquoise lamour linens and napkins
The back wall of the ballroom was filled with different shots of Rachel on a shimmering fabric
The lit up stage and gobo was brought in by Party Harty
The kids had a great time in the lounge especially sitting at the acrylic high top tables which formed the letter “X”
The “S” shaped couch was a big hit!
Simon Elliot Events created the LED place card seating tower that was lit up with the adult guests names
Rachel’s friends and cousins were all listed on a poster for the lounge
The splatter art logo created by Amy Wohl at FabuDesigns.com was incorporated into other aspects of the decor like the personalized napkins, menu cards, favor tags and even thank you notes!
Mom Bonnie ordered custom napkins from The Stationary Studio
One of many posters created for the reception
A great dance floor decal with Rachel’s logo
Custom pillows were placed in the kids lounge area and now are in Rachel’s room
The thank you note features Rachel during the Horah
Rachel made her grand entrance on top of a golf cart which was GM Maureen’s idea!
MC Howie, Evan and the dancers of Party Harty provided great music, high energy and lots of fun all night for the kids and adults
Rachel with the Party Harty dancers
Who is having more fun, Evan or the girls?
Magician John Born wowed everyone with his magic
Pop a shot is always fun!
There was an caricaturist on hand who used Rachel’s logo and her favorite things in this picture of the Bat Mitzvah girl
Rachel feeling the love from her family and friends
Bat Mitzvah girl Rachel and Dad Steve share a dance
Mom Bonnie with son Jayson
Simon Elliot Events provided their digital iSign for Rachel’s guests to leave her special messages. These messages will all be compiled into a keepsake book featuring a picture of each guest next to what they wrote
Baked to Perfection baked the art themed cake and Verbena Designs made custom votive candles spelling out R-A-C-H-E-L for her candle lighting ceremony
A Promos USA/The Imagemaker created the sweatshirt favors and bags for Rachel’s friends. She wanted a turquoise zip-up hoody for the girls and black for the boys with her logo in different colors on the back of each
The favor tags read, “Hope you had an outRACHous time”
The Brenners used Timeline Video Productions to produce Rachel’s montage. Mom Bonnie said “although they are based in Florida and I am in New York, the entire process was easy and a great experience.” Watch Rachel’s montage here
Two time Mitzvah Mom Bonnie has some advice for our readers:
“As a former corporate event planner I knew how I wanted things to look, but so did Rachel! Making sure we had an “art” theme and “giving back” aspects were front and center. So compromise was key and so was finding the right vendors to make it happen. I had some great associations through Mitzvah Market, although some of the vendors I used I found at the very last minute. Choose your vendors wisely and build great relationships with them. I was lucky to have a great collaboration between all my vendors. Rachel was so happy with how everything turned out and our guests (adults and kids alike) continue to rave every time they see me!”
Mitzvah Project:
Rachel is passionate about dogs and decided to sell bracelets at school. With the money she raised, she bought dog supplies for Little Shelter Animal Rescue and Adoption Center in Huntington, New York, a no-kill shelter.
Bracelets that Rachel sold at school
This poster explained Rachel’s Bat Mitzvah project to her guests and was on display at the Kiddush luncheon
The following vendors helped to make Rachel’s Bat Mitzvah celebration fabulous! If you give any of them a call, please make sure you let them know you read about them on Mitzvah Market.
Venue/Caterer: Maureen Hollenbach, The Tam O’Shanter Club 516-626-1980
Décor/Florist: Jennifer McKeon, Verbena Designs, 516-935-3757
Music Entertainment: MC Howie, Percussion, Evan, Party Harty, 516-845-8585
Kid’s Lounge: Party Harty
Photo Favors: Stephanie Antell, That’s Entertainment Concepts, a division of Party Harty
Favors/Custom Pillows: Mindy, A Promos USA/The Imagemaker, 516-377-0186
Photography/Videography: Michelle Collins, Simon Elliot Events, 516-586-6822
LED Seating Tower/iSign/Floor decal/Posters: Simon Elliot Events, 516-586-6822
Invitation: Ellen Futterman, Proper Notice, 516-621-9523
Graphic Artist (Menu cards, favor tags, logo, signage, thank you): Amy Wohl, FabuDesigns.com, 312-513-1698
Custom Linens: Joy, The Finishing Touch 516-827-7433
Calligraphy: Karen Garber, 516-681-2939, inkspotzs@aol.com
Pop A Shot/Pretzel’s: That’s Entertainment Concepts a division of Party Harty
Chair and Table rental: A to Z Party Rental, 516-293-4192
Magician: John Born, john@johnborn.com
Caricaturist: The Creativity Studio
Cake: Baked to Perfection, 516-944-5642
Yalmulkes: BestKippah.com
Rachel’s Dress: Outrageous Boutique, 516-931-3331
Mom’s Dress: Mieka Boutique, 516-367-8755
Suit: Kenny’s Mens and Boys Wear, 516-921-2660
Hair: Maritza, Two Stephen Street, 516-822-2355
Makeup: Lauren, Dakotah Salon
Custom cocktail and guest napkins: The Stationary Studio
Stamp: Zazzle.com
Mitzvah Project bracelets: Brace Yourself Now, 516-459-6495
Sunday Brunch: Bagel Boss Roslyn, Debbie 516-626-5599
