Matthew Reid Zapken celebrated his Bar Mitzvah service on November 17, 2012 at Temple Beth Sholom in Roslyn, New York with a Kiddush luncheon following. The next day there was a twilight reception at Temple Beth Torah in Melville, New York.
Pictured L-R: Sister Brooke, Dad Howard, Bar Mitzvah boy Matthew and Mom Mandee.
All photography was provided by Jack Katz Photography and the rest of the vendors are listed at the bottom.
Matthew at the Bimah during his service at Temple Beth Sholom.
Matthew’s invitation from Elite Invitations gave his guests a tease of his theme using his favorite colors – navy blue and orange.
The outside of the invitation
The full invitation ensemble including the kippot worn at Matthew’s service
Matthew and his sister Brooke looked great. Matthew’s jacket is from Kenny’s Men and Boys Wear and sister Brooke’s dress is from 2 Be Seen.
The paisley jacket and orange shirt are very hip
Matthew and little sister Brooke
Matthew has many hobbies, so selecting one theme wasn’t easy. Their solution was to incorporate everything together with a play on words. His theme was “Matt State…Of Mind.”
The entrance to the ballroom was flanked with signage
Blue Star Promotions created pennant place cards for each guest.
They were placed on turf for an authentic look
The “State of Mind” theme was used to incorporate all of Matthew’s interests. Stefan’s Event and Decor created giant varsity banners throughout the room and props were placed all over the kids lounge to feature Matt’s hobbies.
Centerpieces in the kids lounge area included Matt’s hobbies such as tennis, lacrosse, chess, poker, and computers
Pictures of Matthew adorned one long wall of the ballroom
Custom drawstring bags were used as pillows – so clever!
The adult area of the room was filled with beautiful orange floral arrangements and navy table linens from Table Wraps
The Zapkens selected both round and communal tables in the ballroom
More Than Music provided the music entertainment and kept the guests dancing all night. MC Jared and his dance crew had the dance floor packed with both adults and kids.
Matthew enjoying the ride on the chair
Matthew having fun with the More Than Music dancers
Matthew being lifted by friends and family
MC Jared having fun with Mom Mandee and her guests
The cake, created by Morrell Caterers, was in the shape of a tennis court.
Matt surrounded by his close friends
Elite Invitations created the sweatshirts and Blue Star Promotions created the varsity logo which was used on Matt’s bags and party favor tags.
The back of Matt’s sweatshirt had a silhouette of Matt playing tennis on the back
Each bag had a luggage tag attached with one of Matt’s logos (he had two!) on the back and each child’s name on the front
Matthew standing next to his candy buffet which offered an amazing selection of sweets.
Hurricane Sandy struck the New York metropolitan area just two weeks prior to Matthew’s Bar Mitzvah. Matt switched gears and immediately began collecting, organizing and packing supplies, loading trucks and helping in the relief program to assist the victims of Hurricane Sandy.
Mom Mandee has some advice:
“You can never start planning too early. I joked that the day Matt was born, I began to plan for his Bar Mitzvah. I had booked our venue, caterer, music, and decorators very early in the process. Not only does planning early keep you on schedule and organized, but you have a better handle on pricing and availability. We had an idea for a theme and started developing it a year prior to the party. Invitations and party favors were planned early too. The only last minute decisions were for the kids’ entertainment. New ideas pop up all the time so we waited to see what was new and innovative before making any commitments. Even with all the pre-planning, who would have thought a horrendous hurricane would hit just two weeks before the event? If not for the early start, we would have been in big trouble. I also recommend using vendors that you feel absolutely comfortable with. Each of our vendors were professional, creative, and easy to work with and I would use each and every one of them again. We developed such great relationships with our vendors that I am sad the next Bat Mitzvah is going to be six years away. Pinterest became the rage during my planning stages. I had a ball finding ideas and pinning them on my boards.”
The following vendors helped to make Matthew’s celebration special. If you give any of them a call, please let them know you read about their services on MitzvahMarket.com.
Reception Venue: Temple Beth Torah, 631-253-9100
Caterer: Scott, Morrell Caterers, 631-253-9100
Party Planner: Pejy, Morrell Caterers
Décor/florist: Josh, Stefan’s Event and Decor, 516-239-2402
Photographer/Videographer: Jack Katz Photographers, 718-948-3965
Music Entertainment/Extra Entertainment: MC Jared, More than Music
Invitations/Sweatshirt Favors: Lyssa, Elite Invitations, 516-496-8374
Photo Booth: Laura, Hi Tech Photography Events, 631-923-2260
Cake: Morrell Caterers, 631-253-9100
Sign-In board: Simon Elliot Events, 516-586-6822
Favor Bags /place cards: Adam, Blue Star Promotions, 516-621-2046
Brooke’s Party Dress and Tiara: 2 B Seen, 516-921-5777
Mom’s Dresses: Queen of Hearts, 516-377-1357
Matthew’s Temple Suit, Shirt & Tie: The Annex Shoppe, 516-621-1840
Matthew’s Party Blazer, Shirt, Slacks & Tie: Kenny’s Mens & Boys Wear, 516-921-2660
Makeup: Amanda Evans: 516-455-1408
Party security: Morrell Caterers
Table Linens: Table Wraps, 516-334-8833
Kippot: Best Kippah, 800-435-1621
