A Sports Themed Bar Mitzvah Celebration

The Shapiro family of Plainview, New York, celebrated son Maxwell’s (Max) Bar Mitzvah during the week of Chanukah on December 20, 2014. They hired New Star Caterers at Temple B’nai Shalom in Rockville Center, New York.

A sports fan, Max’s theme was “The Max Event,” a clever take on The Main Event, a popular sports pub restaurant on Long Island.

Mom Beth, a well known custom invitation designer, created a funky, modern industrial look for Max’s invitation and room decor for family and friends to enjoy.

Pictured L-R: Bar Mitzvah boy Max, Mom Beth, Dad Craig and Sister Jenna.

The photographer was Hi-Tech Photography Events and the rest of the vendor information is listed at the bottom of the spotlight.

Mitzvah Invitation

Mom Beth has a stationary company, Invitations with Love. 

There were two invitations sent; one for the kids and one for the adults. For the kids' there was a two layer, Lucite invitation with metal bolts which was shipped in a mailer. The inside box featured a belly band to neatly hold information card and RSVP cards. The invite took stage at the National Stationery Show 2015 as a top design for the year!

Max’s custom oversized adult invite was foil embossed with tone-on-tone shades of warm grey and a leather texture with a belly band for info and accessories

Bar Mitzvah Service & Style

Max did a great job reading from the Torah and Haftorah in front of family and friends during his service at Temple B'nai Shalom

The family wore shades of black and grey for the temple service

Mom Beth and Sister Jenna continued to shine in their beaded gowns. Max and Dad Craig went for a more casual look in Robert Graham

Décor & Details

Mom Beth created the logo which was used on everything from room décor and place cards to catering favors, napkins, and guest towels.  Hi-Tech Photography Events and Party Harty Entertainment collaborated on the contemporary room décor and lounge area with Beth adding creative touches throughout.

The sign-in locker is now in Max's bedroom

The Max Event was fully branded!

Hi-Tech Photography Events created an amazing display for the place cards, including a spinning basketball

The place cards were black photo books and they were used in place of the typical frames for the photo booth. The logo colors were carried throughout the party

Some coordinated accessories with Max's logo, created by Mom Beth

A lighted decor element with the initial "M" on the bar

For a fun twist, all the basketball pictures had Shapiro on them instead of Spalding

There were both round and long tables, with piano sequin cloths from The Finishing Touch. Flameless candles in various heights were placed on mirrored table runners for a modern look

Pictures of Max from his pre-party photo shoot were hung to highlight the kids' lounge area and catwalk

Max on the awesome illuminated catwalk with seating pits created by Party Harty Entertainment

The dance floor changed colors throughout the night

Music & Candle Lighting

MC Howie and the Party Harty Entertainment team had the party in full dance mode all night long. 

Max celebrated with his friends on the dance floor

One member of the Party Harty Entertainment team jumped over the family!

The Party Harty Entertainment team with Max

Since Max's Bar Mitzvah fell during the week of Chanukkah, they bought a beautiful menorah from Pottery Barn to use for his candle lighting service

Mitzvah Favors & Exit Treats

The family worked with Lisa Willet of Print Me a Tee on the Spalding/Shapiro’s throw-aways and black hooded sweatshirts.

Max posed in front of his favors

The family modeled the cool sweatshirts

Custom branding continued with Bagels to Go

On the way out of the celebration, guests were treated to bagels-to-go and an additional gift for the ladies, slippers

Mitzvah Project

For his Mitzvah Project, Max collected over 2,000 pairs of shoes for Shoes For All ,which is a non-profit organization that provides shoes for people living on Long Island that are unable to afford them.

Mom to Mom

Some advice from Mom Beth:

“The most important part to ensure the success of a Mizvah celebration is to fill the room with the people that matter the most to your family. Everything else is secondary. Trust your gut instincts when hiring vendors. As with anything in life they are typically correct. Understand that collaboration in event planning is a group effort. Hire vendors that have earned their reputation and that you value their opinion so you can trust their capabilities. Don’t be afraid to give your vendors a budget. As someone with an invitation business, I am always working within a client’s budgets offering many different price points.   Once vendors know the budget they can focus in on what might be an option for you and not over extend your budget or set you up with unrealistic and unreachable outcomes. Bring your ideas with you on your meetings. Search sites like Pinterest and Mitzvah Market. Let your vendors expand on your vision and create an event that is uniquely your design. Day of…Take a moment to truly be present and enjoy how others are celebrating your family. Remember to relax and enjoy.”

Vendor Directory

The following vendors helped to make Max’s Bar Mitzvah special. If you give any of them a call, please let them know you read about their products or services on MitzvahMarket.com.

Custom designed invitation/Logo/Stamps/Napkins/Kippot/Centerpieces/Branded Bags/Place Cards:
Mom Beth Shapiro, Invitations With Love, 516-314-7298
Venue/Caterer: B’nai Shalom of Rockville Center, 516-746-4100
Photography/Spinning basketball place card stand/Decor: Hi-Tech Photography Events, 631-923-2260
Caterer/Bagels to Go: B’nai Shalom of Rockville Center, 516-746-4100
Piano Sequins Table Linens: MaryAnne, The Finishing Touch, 516-827-7433
Music Entertainment/Lounge decor: MC, Howie, Party Harty Entertainment: 516-845-8585
Fun tower decor: Oriental Trading Company
Giveaways and favors: Lisa Willet, Print Me A Tee, 516-965-3084
Mom’s Gown: Eva’s of Sayville, 631-567-6650
Sister Jenna’s gown: Lord & Taylor
Makeup: Erika Jansen 917-579-3964