5 Years, 3 Events, 1 Love: Arissa’s Triple Play Bat Mitzvah

It felt a little like working at the Make A Wish Foundation.  Not only did Arissa thank her parents for “hiring Marcello” during her toast to her sister back in 2005,  she also said, “I want Marcello to be the DJ at my Bat Mitzvah!”; which you can see from the photo, filled the room with laughter.

As we all  know, life moves pretty fast.   Three years later it was her brother Ethan’s turn.  And then finally, last Saturday night- 5 years later- it was Arissa’s night to shine.

From the interactive cocktail hour to the grand entrance to the last dance; the Gazda’s and their family and friends partied like rock stars. I truly believe that some people were put on this earth to celebrate life and to teach the world to sing.  Nancy, Ken, Ilana, Ethan and Arissa definitely make the list…  The Landmark was over-flowing with positive energy.

At one point in the opening dance set, we played the remix of One Love, by my friend, Nick Ditri.  He’s part of the platinum selling duo of uber-producers known as The Disco Fries. We had Arissa and a dance-floor full of guests doing the Jersey Shore fist pump and jumping up and down like it was a New Years Eve celebration in Times Square.  What a moment!

I was little concerned about having such a festive-frenzy so early in the event.  Really, it’s like.. where do you go from here?   Thankfully, it was a typical Gazda fiesta with limitless enthusiasm and joyful fervor. We experienced several similar peaks throughout the night; whether it was dancing to a Blend Brother’s remix of Don’t Stop Believing, playing Face the Cookie from the hit show Minute to Win It or singing along to the new friendship circle anthem, ‘Lean On Me’ from the Glee soundtrack… we were in perfect harmony from start to finish.

If you’ve got a minute, check out the video testimonial (below) that MMP Entertainment‘s production manager, Frank Di Giacomo,  captured at the end of the event on the “Frankie D Cam.” (Our future clients really enjoy seeing and hearing candid thoughts and opinions directly from other families who were once in their position; having to consider a significant investment in the entertainment for their event and wanting the peace of mind of knowing that they’re making the right choice.) Look out for more 21st century word-of-mouth video clips in our future articles.  I think you’ll agree that we made Arissa’s Bat Mitzvah dreams come true. She wasn’t shy with her feedback. 

Special thanks to Dee from the Landmark for her hospitality and professionalism.  Hugs and kisses to Nancy and Ken for their friendship, patronage and generosity.

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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.

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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Jesse and the Persily’s Return to B’nai Tikvah

The Persily family came back to Congregation B’nai Tikvah to celebrate Jesse’s Bar Mitzvah.  Evan, Rob and the staff of Classical Caterers made sure that the encore was as exceptional as the premier when Jacob celebrated his special event.

There are a lot of  families over the years who you never forget.  The Persily’s are one of them.  Robyn and Mark definitely have a special place in my heart.  They are gracious hosts, awesome parents and just solid people.

Jesse and the Persily crew brought all their family, friends and positive energy back for another fun and memorable evening.  Everybody from 92-year-old uncle George to Jesse’s little sister, Chloe, who looked like a princess, danced the  night away.

As always , the Monday before the Bar Mitzvah, I went to the guest of honor’s house for the VIP party.  It’s a great opportunity to get to know everyone, find out what the kids have seen at other bar and bat mitzvahs recently, and to review some of the interactive dances that we’ll be doing at the event. Jesse invited 11 of his friends over: Daniel, Seth, Noah, Sydney, Sammy, Taylor, Aneesa, Julianna, Jen, Andrew and Corey.  We created a list of their favorite songs, went over dances like the Apache and practiced singing Don’t Stop Believing. We had a blast!

Speaking of singing, one of the evening’s highlights was the mother-son dance.  During the VIP party, I found out that Jesse’s good friend, Taylor, was a very talented singer.  I already knew from previewing the Persily’s photo montage that Robyn liked the song, The Climb by Miley Cyrus. After some discussion on how to make Jesse’s Bar Mitzvah even more fun, unique and memorable, everyone agreed and we found a great instrumental version for Taylor to practice to for the rest of the week.  When it came time for Robyn and Jesse to dance, Taylor took the mic, sang her heart out and nailed it. Simon and the Amercian Idol judges would have agreed.

It was like deja vu all over again. The guests enjoyed both the current and retro music programming, the custom visuals and instant candid photos on the plasmas and our live percussionist.  Evan and Rob from Classical helped us provide another seamless evening of premier  hospitality and entertainment with elegance.

Special thanks to Jacob, who was a huge help to everyone.  You could tell he was an experienced Bar Mitzvah guest of honor by the way he assisted me before, during and after the event.  I wish he was 18 already so he could join our production team. 

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Oh Canada! Sam’s Bar Mitzvah at the Maplewood Country Club

The Gersho family (and what felt like half of Canada) celebrated Sam’s Bar Mitzvah at the Maplewood Country Club this past Saturday.  Twenty-two of  Sam’s aunts, uncles and cousins made the trip down from Niagara Falls, Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal for his special day.  I’m sure glad they got invited because the folks from the Great White North know how to party!

In addition to being a world-class chess player and an  accomplished pianist, Sam can also hold his own on the dance floor when the DJ is  playing songs like the Cupid Shuffle, Apache and the Cotton Eyed Joe.

His brother, Michael, (third to the right) who is also a great dancer, is shown here chilling out with his friends at the sundae bar.  He said that he’s “already looking forward to his Bar Mitzvah” in a few years.

I always say that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.  Sam’s parents, Leslie and Marvin, were wonderful hosts and a pleasure to work with.  They knew how to plan an exceptional event beforehand and enjoy it to the fullest the day of.

Two of the highlights were Marvin’s toast to Sam before the montage and Leslie’s acknowledgments of her friends during the candlelighting ceremony.  Marvin recalled some of his favorite anecdotes of Sam growing up and spoke from the heart, and Leslie recognized the friends from her table individually who helped her with the formidable preparations  for the big day. Very classy.

Special thanks to Ken Alswang from At Home Studios who shared his photos for this entry.  I’ve worked with Ken many times over the years and we always make a great team.  As I’ve mentioned in the past, accessibility and personality are two key components to selecting the right photographer. Ken was always ready to capture the moment and was excellent at making people feel comfortable.

I’d also like to recognize Mike & Mike from the Maplewood Country Club who were total professionals and a pleasure to work with.  The timing of the hospitality and the entertainment were seamless.

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