Girls Just Wanna Have Fun: Jenny’s Bat Mitzvah at Somerset Hills
When I started writing the recap for Jenny’s celebration, Cyndi Lauper’s hit song from the 80’s, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, was on my Pandora radio station. Remembering how much Jenny and her friends enjoyed her celebration, choosing a title for this blog entry was easy.
Jenny’s parents, Amy and Bill, wanted to have a separate party for the kids and the adults without having two separate parties for the kids and the adults… not an easy task. With the help of Gina Martin, the Social Sales Manager for the Somerset Hills Hotel, and Banquet Manager Steve Benyo, we designed and facilitated an entertainment package and a hospitality timeline that enabled the kids to have an interactive dance party in the hotel’s ballroom and the adults to have a classy luncheon in the hotel’s restaurant simultaneously. The best part of the customized logistics that we implemented was the fact that after the adults ate lunch, they joined the kids party for a 45 minute set which included the toast, photo montage, father-daughter dance, hora and dance set. Afterwards, everyone enjoyed a dessert buffet together in the adjoining cocktail hour area where our photo booth was still set up for all the guests. In addition to the photo booth, the Haskel family upgraded to our multi-media video plasma package and deluxe light show as well as an interactive cocktail hour for the kids.
Jenny & her friends pose at the VIP meet and greet dance lesson before her Bat Mitzvah
The Bat Mitzvah was still a week away, but Jenny and her friends were ready to party!
Kudos to Amy, she had the vision of this “Best of Both Worlds” scenario where her guests would feel relaxed in a casually elegant atmosphere yet still enjoy the festivities you’d expect from a traditional celebration.
Because Jenny and her friends loved to dance and ‘just wanted to have fun’, and her parents were wise in choosing a location whose layout was perfect for their desired scenario; Jenny’s Bat Mitzvah was a huge success.
If you have an idea for an event that might be a little more fun, unique and memorable than what everybody else is doing, let us know. We’re happy to help you facilitate the logistics and coordinate your preferences with the right venue and industry professionals.
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A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words: Jake Celebrates at the Orange Lawn Tennis Club
If you were to ask Jake and his family to reminisce about his Bar Mitzvah last Saturday night, it is safe to say that they wouldn’t be at a loss for words. Not only did the Grubers hire professional photographers to capture the evening’s festivities, they upgraded to our Coney Island Photo Booth and Paparazzi multi-media package. As you can see from the images and customized visuals that we featured on this entry, Jake and his family and friends had a blast and enjoyed every minute of this once in a lifetime experience.
From the initial design session at their home back in February, I knew this had the potential to be an awesome night. Jake was a popular, well-mannered guest of honor who liked to dance. His parents, Brenda and Craig, knew exactly what they liked, what they didn’t like, and liked to dance as well. His brothers, Matty and Sammy, were very cool and supportive. We all played the home version of our cocktail hour favorites- the Interactive Game Show and Picture This Game right there in their living room!
The week before Jake’s Bar Mitzvah was the second indication that his Bar Mitzvah was going to be fabulous. I came back to the house for the VIP meet-and-greet dance party. Jake had some of best friends over so they could share their special requests, tell me about the other Bar Mitzvahs they’ve gone to and could review all the most popular dances that we’d be doing on Saturday. I even taught them a brand new dance that just came out on the Bar Mitzvah circuit, we named it the Jake G. Slide. Special thanks to my good friend DJ Jeffrey B. from the Blend Brothers who produced the audio mashup remix of Jay Sean’s number 1 hit Down which I used as the soundtrack for the choreography. The kids had a great time and were totally pumped up for the main event.
The final ingredient in the perfect recipe was the location that the Gruber’s chose. It was the Orange Lawn Tennis Club in South Orange, New Jersey. The OLTC boasts an elegant ambiance and attentive hospitality thanks to the Catering Director, Lisa Haberman; delectable cuisine courtesy of their new executive “top chef,” Ariane Duarte; and a gorgeous new ballroom thanks to some major renovations by the club recently.
After all the phone calls, e-mails, site surveys, design sessions and dance lessons, the only thing left to do was PARTY! I was told Jake did an excellent job at Temple in the morning… by the time he got to the club, he was ready to party all night long, and that’s just what he did.
One of the event highlights was Craig’s toast. He prepared a heart-warming collection of personalized anecdotes and reflections which he delivered with sincere grace. Jake was beaming from ear-to-ear with his trademark grin that lit up the room.
I asked Craig for permission to share this paragraph from his toast. He graciously obliged.
“Jake – I’m sure you already know this but you are a very special person. …
You have a certain charisma that is electrifying. Your smile is contagious and you can change the tone of an entire room – I see you do it all the time. You’ve seen hard work pay off (for you) and you have that thirst to achieve. Above all you are a dedicated brother and loyal friend to your buddies. Those relationships are the kind that makes the world go ’round. Just continue to smile, be nice, and fair and most importantly – be yourself – because the self we’re seeing is looking real good.”
As a new father, I can only hope to feel the same way about my child someday.
So if a picture is worth a thousand words: fun, exceptional, unique and memorable is where I’d start my list. Take a look at some of the other shots we took and what our Coney Island photo booth captured and make your own list. 
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