Design a Mitzvah!

Status
Not open for further replies.
jamese said:
We do the same thing, seperate bill on everything, so the decor is carefully planned, the extras kill you! So they must realize how much each thing cost.
The bout idea is a nice touch...
Click to expand...

Your right, you have to emphasize the decor, and downplay the extras. I have talked myself out of some great profits before by offering all but decor. Especially in today's economy, I have to be prepared to shave a bit. I would rather cut out hiring a make-up artist than sweek the table decor.
 
Thom, You could even bring a bit of prohibition era decor...... the afterhours clubs always featured gambling tables........You could bring in that Big Band /Duke Ellington sound.

Since this is a bar mitzvah......You could even toss in elements of the Academy Awards.....with the guest of honor revieving the highest award.

Those ideas would help to bring in the "Old Hollywood" feeling.

One of the big events we wused to do was our school's prom. We would transform a high school cafeteria into an elegant ballroom.....always had a them to follow.

You probably make liberal use of them already, but the Anderson and other prom/party catalogs always have great themes to build on.

 
So now I am starting my proposal. Usually I try to follow the timeline of the event. Guest arrive from temple around 6. They enter an area that is split, one area will be set for the guest. A cocktail reception. Fortunately this Ballroom has a wonderful foyer that is glamourous. I will suggest 2 bars and about 5 drop tables. I always try to include some seating areas for older guest. I am still keeping with the theme, but I want it to be distinct. I love Aileen's suggestion of red velvet draping. I dont need to drape the entire foyer, but it will be nice to create a open curtain for the guests to enter through. And I think a simular look behind each bar would be nice to. In the center of the foyer I will need to create a escort card table. This is one elemant that all of us know you can usually get a decent budget for. So this is the first creative piece I need to invent.

I want something that's not typical. I am thinking about $600 for the budget.
 
RWK said:
Thom, You could even bring a bit of prohibition era decor...... the afterhours clubs always featured gambling tables........You could bring in that Big Band /Duke Ellington sound.

Since this is a bar mitzvah......You could even toss in elements of the Academy Awards.....with the guest of honor revieving the highest award.

Those ideas would help to bring in the "Old Hollywood" feeling.

One of the big events we wused to do was our school's prom. We would transform a high school cafeteria into an elegant ballroom.....always had a them to follow.

You probably make liberal use of them already, but the Anderson and other prom/party catalogs always have great themes to build on.

Click to expand...

That sound good, great idea. I have to remember that young lad is an aspiring comedian, and this event is his premier. He will be giving a performance tonight. So maybe we can somehow create a billboard to use as a element in the escort card table. But I like the speakeasy feel your on.
 
One thing that is popular and very inexpensive is to visit your local sign shop. I have one that is a partner of mine in a product i make that can create anything rather cheaply. But what is popular is life size images on foam board. I will write the client and see if they can send me a couple of candid digital photos. Most sign shops can now take a digital image and convert to a vector image for perfect enlarging quality. Most sign shops are self taught or now have on staff graphic artist to design an idea such as this. I can probably have a life sized image created for about 2 to 250 dollars.
 
My first idea was a billboard with the guest of honor featured & the other guests' seating arrangements as part of the billboard, but that could get busy, so how about putting the seating arrangements on handbills? And maybe having the photographers use the old flashes that actually popped, and wear hats with bands so they can put their 'press' card in it.

...ok tired & cranky. can't be creative (or type) right now. Be back in the morning.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TGDragonfly
I've got a million thoughts on the topic but no time to post tonight...

Just wanted to add -

Don't forget the red carpet as the kids arrive. Have faux-parazzi (friends and family) taking pictures as the kids come in.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TGDragonfly
The kids are all coming from temple in one bus together, how great would that be. There are so many places to by those one use disposable cameras, and you can know find them in different colors and looks. Thanks. I think this is something I would look for a wholesale price and just charge a minimal mark up. I am not sure as to what they cost, but at 175 adults it could be pricey, but I'll propose it, it certainly would be something to cut if I have to to lower costs.

Thanks
 
What a beautiful room to work with .
I see a supper club with small tables and lamps. Everything very art deco.
You need a marquee "His Name in Lights" that's what he is aspiring to do.
Search lights,at the entrance like at the old premiers. (perhaps smaller ones $$) . Don't forget the red carpet and the velvet ropes.
Your supper club needs a name. It could be a take off from the boys name or something relevant like "STudio 13" . Or an old name like, "the Starlight lounge" You get the idea. You're branding the event, come up with a logo and it goes on everything, Entrance Sign, Napkins, Table tents, hand bills Etc.. You can even have Souvenier T-shirts made up for the guests. I did this for my friends 40th B-day party, we called it studio 40. I even had a hand stamp made.
Karolina's pictures 128.JPG
The stage has to have the big Microphone.
It would be Funny if you had a big hook that came out from the side of the stage from time to time teasing whomever is on stage, like they had with vaudeville acts.
You could also make an old movie out of pictures of the boy or old home videos. You can on your PC make it look like an old movie, black & white or Sepia tone with scratches and jiggly film. You could have it playing in the foyer.
Lighting is a huge element here. Maybe everything is done in red?
In which case you could call it the "red room"
These are just ideas off the top of my head.
I love this kind of stuff !!

Jennifer
 
  • Like
Reactions: TGDragonfly
Thanks Jennifer, great ideas, especially the club logo. That is one thing that most Mitzvahs do to describe the child's interest. As I think about it, every Mitzvah we have done has a theme labeled somewhere.

We did a B'nai Mitzvah several years ago, the twins were into scuba, free trade, skiing, political causes, awesome kids, real shakers like their parents. They wanted to represent each kids interests somehow. So I created a giant gameboard event. We had signs made that resembled giant Monopoly game cards and we printed questions that related to a certain table with related decor that gave the answer. Each guest had a score card that the had to answer which table was related to which child. They had to play to get a piece of cake. Every thing was in bold bright primary colors. So much fun. But we did theme it out, invitation cards, gobos, you name it.

The Spot Light suggestion is good. they are very expensive to rent and require to many amps to light, especially in old buildings like this one. However I will be hiring a Lighting Company who I rely on for this purpose. I have worked with him before at this venue and I trust that he knows the circuit system well, I trust him, if something were to go wrong, the responsibility would probably fall on me. That's why I carry a one million dollar liability insurance for my events. You never know.
Most event Lighting companies are very creative because they are often brought in on budget events. Lighting can color a wall, bring a table to life, and in this case create a Spot Light. A huge BANG for the buck!
 
Sounds like you've got all your ideas already flowing but I just had to add because, well...it's fun!

Here's what I would do for this event:

  • Lots of boas in black, white and red.
  • Half the centerpieces use fedoras (you can get the cheap ones at party supply stores) and fill with feathers and flowers, the other half tall Eiffel towers filled with ostrich feathers in red black and white.
  • Maybe a flapper girl and a guy in a zoot suit dancing for part of the entertainment - less expensive than hiring a whole "troupe"
  • Love the marquee idea, that was going to be one of my suggestions.
  • See if you can't get a hold of some old reproduction movie posters from that era, hang them around the venue with twinkle lights around them.
  • I'd use black satin table linens that have the sparkles in them that look like stars.
  • Definitely go art deco with all the decor.
  • May be out of budget but you could turn the dance floor into the Hollywood walk of fame.
What a great event to have, Thom!!!
 
felicityflowers said:
Sounds like you've got all your ideas already flowing but I just had to add because, well...it's fun!

Here's what I would do for this event:

  • Lots of boas in black, white and red.
  • Half the centerpieces use fedoras (you can get the cheap ones at party supply stores) and fill with feathers and flowers, the other half tall Eiffel towers filled with ostrich feathers in red black and white.
  • Maybe a flapper girl and a guy in a zoot suit dancing for part of the entertainment - less expensive than hiring a whole "troupe"
  • Love the marquee idea, that was going to be one of my suggestions.
  • See if you can't get a hold of some old reproduction movie posters from that era, hang them around the venue with twinkle lights around them.
  • I'd use black satin table linens that have the sparkles in them that look like stars.
  • Definitely go art deco with all the decor.
  • May be out of budget but you could turn the dance floor into the Hollywood walk of fame.
What a great event to have, Thom!!!
Click to expand...

i like the black linen with sparkles, those are cool.
One thing about Washington DC event community, and I'm not sure about the rest of the country, but caterers here are usually in charge of linen rentals. You have to dance around that issue carefully. The caterer doing this event is partial to a certain linen company, although I can suggest, I have to take what they offer. It's sort of a mutual respect. Now in NYC, designers usually pick the linens. So you have to get to know how it works in your area.
 
As I am writing my proposal, I tend to keep it simple, sort of a collection of ideas, but certain sentences I know that I will be using I complete. Once I have moved on to another area of the event, in this case, the kid's area, I know that I can add or delete from the reception and cocktail if I need to tweak things a bit. This way I wont waste time proofreading what I have started. I am always thinking that the time I am spending writing out my proposal and doing the research is worth my time. This is where I justify asking for a 30% deposit. When I have completed the entire proposal, I can go back and easily put things in perspective for the client. My advice is if you are not a english major or have proofreading skills like me (as I word things oddly as some can tell) find someone who is, I have Marcy proofread and edit. I make my proposals professional and flawless, because my clients demand it.

My wife has convinced me that a flawless proposal wins event bids. I believe her, she usually wins 95% of her bids.
 
Thom, what are they doing as the favors (if this is not just a regional tradition)? Someone mentioned Oscars...I'll bet you can either get faux ones, or chocolate ones to hand out. Just a thought.

I love the idea of life sized foam board pictures of him...what a fun photo op!?!?!

I have seen the disposable cameras that are printable in the backs of several magazines(for the paparazzi area).
 
I'm not sure a lot of 13 year olds would understand or appeciate the the old days...


TGDragonfly said:
Your right Jan, great idea, the centerpiece of the entire event has to be the stage. So I need to spend about a third of my budget on the stage. I think hiring a entertainment management company and arranging a few comedians, and would it not be fun to bring in a famous host impersonator? I wonder who was famous then?
Click to expand...
 
I used to think that 13 year olds didn't appreciate anything, until I went to work for them. This circle I work in are highly educated, children too. They are used to having their minds expanded. Sometimes kids could care less, mothers actually want a certain look and I think events like this tend to be a way of showing prestiuge. But this young man is special, really bright and witty. He can even nail me wit to wit, I've tested him. he wants a Night at Improve in ol Hollywood, I'm going to give him one.

Sometimes it's our job to leave out reasoning in our thought process, it will affect or creativity. If a client says we what the Statue of Liberty at our party, you say " you want that standing upright, or suspended upside down".
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom
Back