Every now and then, I have the pleasure of working with a client who has a strong, artistic vision.  Collaborating with inspired people is one of my greatest pleasures.   Usually this means my client paints me a picture in words and I take their ideas and turn them into a reality.  However, I recently had the opportunity to work with someone who was not only a visionary, but also an incredible creator and sourcer - she could track down anything.  In the end, all I really had to do was stand back, awestruck, and facilitate her amazing concepts.

The two things I most loved about this client were her attention to detail and the joy she took in celebrating her daughter.  Every tiny element was attended to, from the cocktail napkins to the departing gifts.  The amount of research and development she devoted to this party is rivaled only by one writing a dissertation or creating the next pharmaceutical.  My favorite line of all was when she pulled up her Pinterest page, showed me an image and said, “now when I show you these images, it’s not to show you an idea of what I want, it IS what I want”.  

While I can not imagine anyone truly replicating her inspired vision, I thought I would share with you some of the elements that I most enjoyed:

Invitation

To get the buzz going early, my client sent out invitations that contained not only an invite and RSVP card, but giant gumballs in the bat mitzvah colors of pink and gold.  The guests were literally chomping at the bit to come to the party!

Decor

The Shabbat Dinner

The vision and theme of the entire event was very text-based and graphic, centered around funny sayings and quotes and also playing on the bat mitzvah gal’s name.  The most dramatic use of this was on the client’s walls.  Every square inch was covered with giant cut out decals, which were surprisingly easy to apply and remove.  The overall effect reminded me of the art of Tracy Emin or Cindy Sherman.  This theme was carried through to everything from the napkins to the serving trays.

The attention to even the smallest details shines through in the amazing decor 

The smell of homemade Challah lingered in the air, welcoming and warming the guests on that wet Friday night.

One of the sweetest elements of the entire weekend for me was the placecards for the Shabbat dinner.  The bat mitzvah gal collects snow globes, so my client created personalized snow globes for each guest.  Each one had the guests name on one side and on the other a photo of that guest with the bat mitzvah girl.  I’ve been doing parties for this client for years, and I was blown away, when my client handed me my own globe with a photo from one of our first parties. It meant the world to me.

The Saturday Night Party

Continuing the pink and gold theme, guests ascended into the party via a balloon-lanterned driveway, where they were greeted by caterers bearing pink sugar rimmed drinks.  A canopy of giant balloons lit with pink patterned light adorned the outside of the house.  Personalized marshmallows on hand taped marshmallow sticks were placed around the s’more station, while a pink and gold candy bar served to satisfy every sweet tooth.

A popcorn bar with handmade mix-ins provided nibbles. Grilled cheese sandwiches were served on gold stamped napkins by our bat mitzvah gals favorite snack attack spot, The Melt. 

Being that our bat mitzvah gal is way into volleyball, the guests danced the night away in pink jerseys sporting her team number. Even the boys proudly donned the pinnys, which glowed like neon under the DJ’s black lights.  The most misty-eyed moment was when my client presented her daughter with her Tallit, the traditional prayer shawl.  This was far from an ordinary shawl, as my client had created it herself and sewn small pieces of her own wedding dress, the baby blanket used to bring her home from the the hospital, a piece of her favorite doll's dress, a snip of her school uniform and two pieces of fabric contributed by her grandmothers.

More fun themed giveaways for the guests

The party couldn’t have been any better.  Every detail, including the handmade volleyball pillow each guest received upon departure, was perfect.  While I was very proud of the vision I had facilitated, my crowning moment was when the bat mitzvah gal ran up and hugged me and said, without the slightest provocation, “this was the best day ever”.  

As much as I would love to take credit for this fabulous event, I must tip my hat to a devoted mom with a vision and ability that eclipses my own.

A special thank you to Nano for the incredible photography at the event.