After hitting the jackpot 2 years earlier at his son Ryan’s Bar Mitzvah, the pressure was on to keep the winning streak alive.   For his son Jared’s Bar Mitzvah, the respected family man and successful real estate developer, Howard Weinerman, stacked the proverbial deck.  Because, like many of us…  Mr. Weinerman doesn’t like to lose.

First, he arranged the most important card in the whole deck, the Queen of Hearts- his lovely wife, Vicki.     She rivals some of the best event planners that I’ve worked with.  From the e-mail exchanges to the design sessions, she was always organized, creative and decisive.  When you combine those traits with the fact that she’s an awesome mom, (evident from Ryan’s impressive toast to his little brother), Vicki deserved all of the credit, kudos and applause that came her way when her husband gave his welcome toast.

Next, Howard secured the best casino in town, The Grand Summit Hotel.  Mark Giangiulio, Chairman of the Board of the New Jersey Hotel and Lodging Association, and general manager with his team, Jim Thornton and Terry Garcia, (acclaimed pit bosses) ensured that the location was fit to please a chance personal visit from Sam “Ace” Rothstein himself.  In this case, Jared’s grandfather, one of the co-owners of the prestigious venue, would in fact be on-site as a guest.  Yeah, it’s safe to say that the classic song “Under Pressure” popped into my head quite a few times leading up to the event.

Speaking of Aces, Howard also had his “Ace in the hole,” (a card that can supply a sure victory when revealed).  I was really honored to recieve the call again from the Weinermans to host the event and provide the entertainment and event production.  I was also really excited to get up from  the poker table, yell out “all in” and reveal a pair of Aces this time around.   When clients are planning a Wedding, a Bar Mitzvah or a Corporate event and require ‘the new standard‘ or in this case a “Royal Flush” to stay with the theme, we proudly offer our Signature Event level services.  My partner and I, Jason Jani, from Sound Connection Entertainment, compiled an exclusive inventory of invitation-only offerings for momentous occasions just like Jared’s once-in-lifetime celebration.

From the video-recap below and from all the gorgeous photographic artistry by our “two-of -a kind” photographer friends, Wendy Robinson and Maurcio Lemonk, you can see the difference of what a Signature Event looks like.

You’ll notice the customized staging, personalized lightscaping, distinctive decor, exceptional performances, featured musicians, tastefully-interactive entertainers, incomparable mixology, classy event facilitation,  and most notably…  Jared feeling like a “King for a Day” and his family and friends having the “most amazing night” of their lives.

Best wishes to Vicki, Howard, Ryan and Jared.  Thank you for letting us share in your joy and fireworks. It was truly, our pleasure. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t thank you again for your additional generosity and hospitality after the event.  As I’ve said in the past, not only do I have one of the best jobs in the world, I’m very fortunate to work with a first class clientele.

If you are interested in stacking the deck and achieving dramatically different results, Jason and I would be happy to schedule a Signature design session with you. For those willing to invest accordingly, contact us at 732-547-1677 or 732-749-3223.

Encore Gallery:

Signature Collaboration – MMP + SCE – Bar Mitzvah – 2011 from Sound Connection Entertainment on Vimeo.

After the opening dance set, grand entrance and motzi, their son Michael, the guest of honor, started things off by taking the mic and giving the official welcome-toast to all of his guests.    Then he took a moment to describe the significance of the Cup of Life Ceremony.   Each small cup of wine represents a special ingredient in the recipe for a happy and healthy life.    One by one, the glasses are poured into one large decorative goblet which the Bar Mitzvah Boy or Bat Mitzvah girl drinks from.

The ingredients include; a cup of Good Health, Wisdom, Faith, Compassion, Good Humor, Dedication, Success, Prosperity, Generosity, Friendship, Happiness, and a cup of Love.

The cup’s ingredients and musical selections can all be personalized to fit your preferences and candles can still be incorporated.   Either way, if you are looking for more options on how to honor your friends and family without doing the same ‘ol same ‘ol, the Cup of Life ceremony is worth looking into.

As you can see from the photos and the video testimonial from Mr. and Mrs. Rosenberg below, Michael had a “fantastic” celebration.  His younger  brothers, Jason and Aaron, looked like they were already getting excited for their big day 5 years from now. 

The Rosenbergs booked our Classic Simcha production which included;  2 cocktail hour interactives for the kids, background music for the adult cocktail hour,  the dual plasma screen multi-media package for the reception and one of our many photo booth selections.  It also features a light show to add energy to the dance floor, 4 party motivators, dance stages and plenty of cool giveaways.   The Classic Simcha was designed for the client who wants an exceptional event and wants their guests to have a great time… but doesn’t want to go “over the top” and lose focus on the significance of the occasion or their child’s accomplishments.

Special thanks to my friend, Peter Wallburg, from Peter Wallburg Studios for referring us to the Rosenbergs.  We’ve been teaming up for a few years now and have a great working relationship.  As I’ve mentioned in many articles, having your photographer and entertainment on the same page at your event will result in all of the special moments being captured forever. Check out Peter’s  facebook page to see his work and for weekly articles on how-to tips, tricks and best practices in the photography world.

Best wishes to the Rosenberg family.  Mazel Tov!  -mp

One family, in particular, is the Weinerman’s.  After doing Ryan’s Bar Mitzvah in 2007, they called us back for his cousin Rebecca’s celebration in 2009.  What makes the Weinerman family unique is that their grandfather, Marshall,  is the owner of the hotel. Mr. Weinerman, a successful businessman, devoted family fan and gentleman, liked what he saw the first time around and invited us back.  My team and I were honored.

Rebecca’s Bat Mitzvah theme was a Red Carpet Premier.  It was perfect! Rebecca looks like a glamorous movie star to begin with so when she walked down the red carpet past the paparazzi in her gorgeous dress, you couldn’t help but think you were at an L.A hot spot with famous rock stars and actors sipping Perrier.  Frank Duca, and the crew from Hollywood East Video, made arrangements for all the guests to be interviewed as they entered and walked down the Red Carpet.   Later in the evening they showed a customized highlight film featuring Rebecca’s rise to stardom.  The multi-media experience was way above and beyond the typical photo montages that guests were used to.

As you’ll see from the event re-capture at the bottom, Rebecca and her family and friends had a blast.   Rebecca’s mom, Betsy, did an awesome job planning the entertainment for the celebration. After our initial consultation and follow-up design session, Betsy reserved our classy Jazz Trio for the adult cocktail hour, and our video dance party, Guitar Hero World Tour, Game Show, Photo Booth and 2 DDR Max stations for the kids’ cocktail hour.  We also provided a sax player, percussionist, vocalist and night club light show upgrade for the reception.

One of the event highlights was seeing Rebecca and her Dad, Mark, dancing to the father-daughter dance. Mark, who has to be the biggest James Taylor fan I know, made a great choice by selecting “Sadie”, a song about a cherished relationship, for the special dance.   Both Rebecca and her dad sang the words together and shared a wonderful moment.  It’s really nice to see a genuine connection between a dad and his little girl.

Rebecca’s younger sister, Marissa,  will have her Bat Mitzvah in a few years… we can’t wait!  She also has the big screen good looks and an outgoing personality to match. Their older brother, Max, is going to have a tough time sharing the house with two future divas!

Special thanks to Mauricio Lemonk from the Wendy Robinson Photography company for sharing his photos for this entry.  Mauricio specializes in the high fashion shooting style that you would see in Vogue magazine.

If you want your photo album to be personalized and to stand out from the rest with an artistic flair, Mauricio is your man.

Special thanks to Frank for putting together this video clip for us.  Enjoy!