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!
Encore Gallery:
Marco’s Walk-off Communion in the Palazzo Ballroom at the Venetian
This year, the Yankees debuted their new stadium to the delight of fans everywhere. This year, the Venetian debuted their new Palazzo Ballroom to the delight of life-celebrators everywhere. So imagine how happy you’d be if you were Marco Siracusa, you’re a huge Yankee fan and you’re having your Communion in the Palazzo!
It was only a year ago that Marco’s brother Gerry had his Communion at the Venetian, an event that was called a “Grand Slam” by all that attended. Their parents, Gerlando and Nellie Siracusa, had a tough act to follow. How do you create another unforgettable experience at the same venue for your other son?
Simple. First, you start with a budget that would impress George Steinbrenner... then, the Venetian has the grand opening of their jaw-dropping new ballroom just in time for your reception, you add in special guest performances by DJ of the Year 2007, Sean “Big Daddy” Mckee, and professional percussionist, Howie Bongo, you set up Dance Heads, Rock Band Extreme, the Interactive Game Show, Wii Sports and a Yankee- themed Pitch Speed Cage, you make arrangements for a huge candy cart to roll out after the flaming dessert presentation, and you call us back to produce the event again. Like a 6-4-3 double play with Jeter at short stop, the team effort made it look easy.
The highlights included Marco, Gerry, Uncle Joe and the Godfather, Joey D. doing a percussive jam session on the drums, Marco & Gerry performing a family favorite, the Burger Dance, and the custom photo montage that Gerlando put together. Setting up the projection screen in addition to the plasmas and utilizing the dance platforms as chairs for the kids made for an enjoyable theater-like experience.
Marco’ s family is a lot like mine and many others who we have the honor to celebrate with, they could have a great time with an old boom-box in the living room. However, when you combine an awesome crowd, with a first-class venue and exceptional entertainment, it’s like getting the call to move up from a t-ball league to the majors.
Special thanks to Jeff & Jason for their collaborative-interactive efforts and as always to Dave, Jimmy, Adriatik and Carlos from the Veneitian for their hospitality and professionalism.
Encore Gallery:
How Sweet It Is! Rebecca Is the Queen of Candyland
A few years ago, the Muller family celebrated Zachary’s Bar Mitzvah and transformed the Fiddler’s Elbow Country Club into an intergalactic Star Wars movie set. Celebrated author and editor at large of Esquire magazine, A.J Jacobs, wrote about the impressive event in his New York Times best seller, The Year of Living Biblically. The chapter was cleverly titled, Zach Wars, Episode XIII, Revenge of the Torah.
For Rebecca, they collaborated again with Tracy Fox from Party Artistry for another eye-catching decor transformation. This time, it was a Candyland theme and a show of affection for the color purple! The ballroom looked incredible.
During the cocktail hour, the adults were treated to an electric violinist, while the kids enjoyed our game show, glass blown jewelry, picture this, sumo wrestling, a virtual roller coaster, salt water taffy, a photo booth and a personalized montage that we displayed on a plasma screen for guests to enjoy as they walked by.
As you can tell from the photos, Rebecca, her friends and family loved to dance. They were big fans of Swing dancing, Motown music, and the current hits.
Among many, a highlight of the day came during the candlelighting. Unbeknown to Rebecca, her parents, Mark & Debra, made arrangements for her dog “Mattie” to make a special guest appearance for candle #10. Rebecca and all of the guests cheered as we played Who Let the Dogs Out. It was an awesome moment!
Special thanks to Barbara and Kristine from Fiddlers for their hospitality and professionalism. It was also a pleasure working with Michelle, Party Artistry’s on-site coordinator for decor and logistics.
Encore Gallery:
