Exceeding Expectations at The Indian Trail Club: Alex’s Bar Mitzvah

In some recent articles, I’ve mentioned how “stacking the deck” can help to ensure a successful event.  Allison and Jeff Karpf stacked the deck perfectly for their son Alex’s Bar Mitzvah and helped make it day he and the family will always remember fondly. 

They chose the Indian Trail Club to host the event, Wendy Robinson for the photography, Seth Elgart for videography, David Mitchell for the decor, and MMP for the entertainment to round out their A-Team.

That’s a pretty solid line up of Bar Mitzvah specialists to have as a resource leading up to the celebration and to handle everything the day of.  We’ve all worked together numerous times in the past… this really helps everyone stay on the same page as a team while still allowing plenty of room for each individual to shine  throughout the seamless affair.

You’ll see from the video recap that Alex’s Bar Mitzvah had another huge component in it’s favor throughout the event… the Karpf family invited a stellar guest list of fun loving family and friends to help them celebrate.  If the guests weren’t eating delicious food, they were dancing , if they weren’t dancing, they were playing a game, and if they weren’t playing a game or dancing or eating delicious food, they were smiling and laughing from their seats taking it all in.

Alex was definitely beyond his years with regards to his maturity and ability to command a crowd.  When it was time for his thank you speech, which he presented in lieu of a formal candlelighting, he looked like a seasoned pro and captivated the crowd.  And when it was time to honor his parents, he touched the hearts of many by sharing a few of his favorite memories…  I particularly liked these specific sentiments from the notes he used to speak off the cuff;

“Dad, you always save the day for me when I’m in need.”

“Mom, the daily, after school ‘Hi Alex, how was your day’ that I only recently learned to appreciate.”

With three younger brothers, I’m looking forward to seeing more of Alex and his family in the coming years.  Brett, Owen and Will have a great role model to look up to. .. Alex has 2.

In the video testimonial, Alex’s mom, Allison, said that her expectations were high- yet we exceeded them.  It was our honor and pleasure to be a part of such a momentous day.

Special thanks to Debbie Pagerie, from  the Indian Trail Club, for her hospitality and professionalism.  Our sincere gratitude to Wendy Robinson for sharing her photos for this article, to Seth Elgart, for producing and posting the highlight recap video and to David Mitchell, from Still Life Event Design, for helping to bring the club to life via exceptional decor and ambiance.

Mazel Tov to Alex and the Karpf family,  we wish you all of the health and happiness that life has to offer!

 

 

 

Encore Gallery:

And here’s to you, Mrs. Robinson: Wendy Gathers Top NJ Photographers at Her Studio

I was invited to join Mallus Award winning photographer, Wendy Robinson, and notable colleagues last night at her West Orange studio.  For those who frequent our blog, you’ll recognize Wendy’s name and her business partner, David Patiño, from our recent collaboration at the Park Avenue Club. We are also the preferred vendor at several of the same New Jersey venues like the newly renovated Orange Lawn Tennis Club.

Mauricio Lemonk was also in attendance; he and I have teamed up on many occasions including this memorable event at the Grand Summit Hotel that was featured on the MMP blog last summer.

Whenever I mention photographers in our event recaps,  I always stress how having a great personality is just as important as their artistic ability.  The tri-state area is home to some of the best photographers in the industry so finding one who will capture your significant moments with deftness is the easy part; it’s finding a skillful professional that knows how to put the subjects at ease, be unobtrusive and make great conversation throughout a session that makes the search so challenging.

Last night, Wendy assembled an eclectic group of seasoned aficionados that fit the bill.    In addition to the expected exchange of pleasantries, networking and business idea nuggets,  light-hearted conversation topics included: the World Cup, Costa Rica, quitting smoking, the BP fiasco, the under-appreciated pleasure of a short commute to work, what it is really like to be a teacher in NJ, giving up Burger King and McDonalds cold turkey (that was mine) and the awesomeness of Pandora Radio on your smart phone.

In my opinion, a great photographer, like any highly sought-after professional, needs to be able to simultaneously do their job and make their clients and guests feel comfortable. The vibes last night were definitely indicative of these qualifications.   As far as their individual talents go, check out some of their sample portfolios online and judge for yourself.

Dan Epstein, Maurico Lemonk, Camila Otero, Javier Seclen,  Eric Kazmirek, Karen Farber, David Patiño, Kerry Pratzon, Eileen Noelle, Joshua Lipnick, Carolina Wahnish Rivera, Wendy Robinson and John Peters (Photo Lab).

Special thanks to Wendy for the invitation and her hospitality.   She’s opening a sister office in Morristown with David and Joshua Lipnick that promises to be as  prosperous as their West Orange location.

I wish you all continued health, happiness and success and look forward to our next collaboration.