Jacob’s V.I.P Lounge at the Assembly East Hill
Jacob’s celebration was the fourth Lefcourt family Bar Mitzvah that we had the honor of providing the entertainment and event production for. I teamed up with Jacob’s mom, Robyn, from concept to completion to help bring her vision to life. She wanted the Lefcourt family to celebrate with style and tastefully give the established Assembly location a dash of youthful fervor and a sprinkle of night club ambiance. As you can see from the smile on Jacob’s face during the grand entrance and from Robyn’s personal feedback on her video testimonial at the bottom of this entry, the Celebrate Life team delivered in fine fashion once again.
Robyn and I had the pleasure of collaborating with Jeff Fruman from Balloon Artistry and Barbara & Jack Koumbis of the Assembly. Together, we designed an afternoon of hospitality, decor, cuisine and entertainment that Jacob and his family and friends will always remember fondly.
Some of the event highlights included a Jazz Trio and a Coney Island photo booth for the adult cocktail hour. Jacob and his friends had a private V.I.P section which was located in separate room of the Assembly. (they needed a special V.I.P bracelet from Emilio, the bouncer, to get in). This interactive portion of the celebration featured a DJ Hero tournament, the Paparazzi Challenge and MMP’s famous pop-culture Game Show. As always, this portion of the event is designed to engage the guests and to warm them up for the reception. It’s a like an exclusively entertaining and crucial opening act; it sets the tone and vibe for the rest of the celebration. If your guests walk into the reception in a great mood, with a smile and ready to party, the odds are stacked in your favor.
*The Coney Island photo booth was rolled into the ballroom after the cocktail hour so the guests could continue to enjoy this uber-popular interactive and also so no one had to go back outside. Ideally, you want all of your guests and all of the positive energy to stay inside the ballroom during your reception. Our photobooth technician also knows to temporarily pause operation during specific times like the candlelighting, motzi and special dances.
Upon entry to the reception, the Lefcourt guests were treated to L.E.D Lightscaping, modern balloon-art centerpieces, personalized visuals and an over-all chic-lounge atmosphere. Jacob and his family and friends did not hesitate to put on their boogie shoes and get down tonight. (even though it was only 2:30 in the afternoon)
The rest of event was filled with dancing, sentimental moments, laughter, great conversation and wonderful memories. Our candid photo specialist, Mike, captured many of these moments as part of MMP’s multimedia package. The photos are taken throughout the event and featured on our dual plasma screens for the guests to enjoy during the main course and dessert. After the event, all of the photos, including digital copies of the Coney Island pictures are given to the host as a keepsake. A select few are featured below.
Best wishes to Robyn, Jonathon, Hannah, Jacob, Grandpa Ron and the entire Lefcourt family. We wish you all of the health and happiness that life has to offer. Mazel Tov!
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Young Forever: Marcello Returns to The Park Avenue Club with Eggsotic Events for Evan’s High Roller Bar Mitzvah Celebration
When I asked Evan which song he’d like to choose for the dance with his mom he said, “Forever Young by Bob Dylan.” From that point on at the consultation, I knew his Bar Mitzvah was going to have a retro-cool vibe and a relaxed, yet modern-elegant flair. And it did.
The Park Avenue Club is an ideal event space because of its posh tent ballroom. With the right decor and entertainment, 10 year veteran catering director extraordinaire, Jennifer Shin, will help you transform the club into any theme or concept that suits your fancy. Really. It’s like a fresh white canvas for a seriously gifted artist.
For Evan and his friends, their extended cocktail hour featured 3 Texas Hold’em tables, a green screen photo booth, the interactive game show, paparazzi and 2 table-top arcade games. The guest list was heavy on the boy’s side so the idea was to keep them busy, entertained and out of trouble. Mission accomplished. We added four beautiful female dancers from the MMP team as well to raise the estrogen level a bit. The boys seemed very appreciative that Tara, Chrissy, Mindy and Kelly were there to keep them company.
After the adults were finished with their cocktails in the club’s ultra-swank loft that boast’s cathedral ceilings, a grand piano and the ability to check on the kids at their leisure; they joined us downstairs for the reception. (Some of our interactives, like the game show, are so much fun, many of the adults “checked on their kids” for more than a few minutes and played a couple of rounds.)
Evan’s mom and dad, Amy and Richard, wanted a cool mix of tradition and avaunt-garde for their reception. This was evident upon entry by the hybrid decor and vogue dress code, and then later by the deliciously-efficient menu. Guests entered Evan’s VIP Lounge and liked what they saw.
It was filled with L.E.D lightscaping, custom furniture pieces and unique table-top arrangements to tie the total look of the room together. The artist behind the design and decor was Eglis Matiss, from Eggsotic Events; a consumate professional with a crew to match. For the Signature Event ambiance, we created personalized visuals and Evan’s monogram which displayed on our dual plasma screens throughout the evening. Instead of a 3 course sit down, dining consisted of open stations that offered Park Ave’s finest fare. As always, I worked closely with Jennifer in advance to create a production agenda. This time-line ensures that the pacing of the event is comfortable, yet practical, and that all of the guests can enjoy the dining and entertainment in a seamless fashion. Things couldn’t have run any smoother.
Kudos to Evan’s older brother Matthew and his younger brother Josh, they added a lot of positive energy to the celebration. Judging by the amount of time Josh spent on the dance floor and how much he enjoyed being up in the chair during the hora, his Bar Mitzvah will be an exceptional event as well.
Special thanks to Wendy Robinson for sharing some of her photography for this article. Wendy and I are both recommended at some of NJ’s finest venue’s like the Orange Lawn Tennis Club. She and her partner David were a pleasure to work with and they were always in the right place at the right time.
Per usual, my sincere gratitude goes out to Jennifer Shin and the entire Park Ave team for their professionalism and hospitality. It’s an honor to be referred by such an impressive location. I’m looking forward to our next collaboration.
Below are some of the candid shots that we took during the event that displayed on the plasmas when the stations were opened and later when dessert was served. This is still one of the most sought-after services we offer; people love to see great photos of themselves on the big screens! It also makes everyone feel included in the celebration and always sparks some up-beat table conversation. In addition, we give the host family a copy of all the pictures so they can add them to their event memorabilia. Between Wendy’s professional shots and our paparazzi-style candids, you’ll never miss a moment of your once-in-a-lifetime celebration.
After the event, Amy and Richard also took a quick moment to let us know if we succeeded in keeping Evan and his friends entertained. 
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