The Schneider family from Solon, Ohio celebrated son Josh’s Bar Mitzvah on September, 29, 2012. The service was held at Temple Emanu El and the beach themed party followed at The Bertram Inn in Aurora, Ohio.
There were many creative “beachy” details in this party. We thank the Schneiders for sharing them with our readers.
Elizabeth Pruitt was the photographer and the rest of the vendors are listed at the bottom of this spotlight.
Pictured L-R: Dad Randy, Bar Mitzvah boy Josh, Mom Melissa and younger sister Leah
Josh did a great job at his service at Temple Emanu El which was followed by a Kiddush luncheon hosted by his grandparents. For one of his two Mitzvah Projects, Josh coordinated with the National Council of Jewish Women of Cleveland to collect new and gently used books.
Josh smiling on his big day
Books that Josh collected were beautifully wrapped and used as centerpieces for the luncheon and then distributed to local schools
Mitzvah Mom Melissa worked with Save The Date! Invitations & More to create Josh’s invitation. The invitation featured a layer of champagne colored cover stock on top of a layer of dark brown suede-like material with touches of aqua.
Josh and his sister Leah looked great waiting for guests to arrive.
Sister Leah in a dress from Two Sisters Boutique and Josh in a suit from Nordstrom
The beach theme that Josh chose reflected the Schneiders’ many wonderful summers at the Delaware beaches and other beach vacations.
The logo was Josh’s initials in an oval, similar to the magnets you find in many beach towns
Tariko Kendall of Whimzey Event Design brought the look and feel of the beach to the ballroom of the Bertram Inn for the ultimate beach bash.
Place cards for the adults were vintage-inspired postcards. Each postcard represented a different beach that Josh has visited
Vintage beach signage was next to the place card table
There was a beach cabana set up in the kids area
The linens in the ballroom were navy and orange, and beach balls hung from the ceiling
The centerpieces on the adult tables included sand, candles, and shells. The vintage postcards were also incorporated into the centerpieces to designate the table’s name
The centerpiece on the kids table included Josh’s name
Custom pillows completed the beachy look.
Photos of Josh at the beach
There were two different sign-in options for Josh’s guests.
Josh’s friends signed-in on a skim board
At each table, there was a card asking the adults to write Josh a postcard filled with good wishes
There was also a special mailbox for adults to “return” the postcards
The music entertainment was provided by Terry Macklin Entertainment and they kept everyone on the dance floor all night.
Josh is up so high he can touch the beach balls!
Photobooth Cleveland provided an old fashioned photo booth just like the ones you find on the boardwalk.
Guests using the touchscreen photobooth
Sister Leah and her cousin
Bar Mitzvah boy Josh and two friends
Each strip was then placed in a special scrapbook for Josh and his family to enjoy
Whimzey Event Design also set up a custom t-shirt shop so guests could customize a shirt.
The Schneider t-shirt shop logo
Mitzvah Mom Melissa designed several beach-inspired logos and shirts were created on site
The finished product!
When the guests left, they received bags of saltwater taffy, flip-flop shaped lollipops and more!
Also available were water bottles with Josh’s logo and a thank you message
Six months before his actual Bar Mitzvah, Josh played the role of Evan, a Bar Mitzvah boy in “13 The Musical” for a local community theater production. Josh used this opportunity to kick-off his Mitzvah Project. He raised money and awareness about Myasthenia Gravis, a neuromuscular disease that his grandfather has. (Coincidentally, one of the characters in this musical also suffers from a neuromuscular disease). During one of the weekends of the show’s run, friends and family helped out and ran the concession stand with all proceeds being split between University Hospital Neuro-muscular Center and the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation.
Team Schneider
Josh contacted the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation and the first ever Ohio MG Walk was held on September 23rd, the week before Josh’s Bar Mitzvah. Josh has also been selling special bracelets with the word, “Purpose,” as that is the name of a song that Josh sang in another show, and he felt that doing this Mitzvah Project helped to give him a real “purpose” or mission. In total, Josh raised over $3000 and was the top fundraiser for the State of Ohio.
Some advice from Mom Melissa:
“My biggest regret is that I did not hire an event coordinator to represent me on the night of Josh’s party. You really do need someone there to represent you and your child’s wishes for the evening. Otherwise, you may end up wasting time working with your DJ, photographer, caterer, etc. instead of enjoying time with your guests! That being said, one important lesson that I learned is that the Mitzvah family sets the tone. If you are having fun and able to overlook the little things that might not go your way, then your guests will definitely have fun too!”
The following vendors helped to make Josh’s celebration special. If you give any of them a call, please let them know you read about their services on MitzvahMarket.com.
Venue: The Bertram Inn, 330-995-0200
Music Entertainment: Terry Macklin, Sounds of Entertainment, 216-464-9002
Photo Booth: Photobooth Cleveland, 888-767-0559
Caricature Artist: Larry Weber, Flower Entertainment, 440-934-3157
Invitations: Rachel, Save The Date! Invitations and More, 734- 995-9361
Décor/T-shirt Shop: Tariko Kendall, Whimzey Event Design, 216-245-5355
Cabana Lounge/Chair and Table Linens: Lasting Impressions Event Rentals, 216-591-1177
Men’s Service Suits: Nordstrom
Leah’s Service Outfit: Fancy Pants, 440-498-1121
Party Dress for Leah: Two Sisters Boutique, 302-543-7532
