The typical Bar/Bat client is between twelve and fourteen years old. Amazingly, these teens are pretty sophisticated in their tastes and have attended 2-3 Bat/Bar events per month during the season. So, it is imperative that we, the event planners, stay on our toes and keep up with the latest and greatest in order to continue wowing the clients, guests, and build repeat business. Once, my favorite designer of all time, Preston Bailey, said, “Transformation is the key to success” and he was absolutely right. I make sure to keep a tight watch on the latest trends and innovations, including Special Events Magazine, Biz Bash, etc.

Bar/Bat Mitzvah party trends-what makes the event a cut above:

Using a variety of table shapes rather than the standard round and configuring them in unique and high design arrangements keeps the venue looking fresh and exciting. Linens are also key in creating rich color and texture to the event.

Incorporate the latest in A/V technology to wow and impress. For example, instead of a regular screen, use large 7mm or 15mm LED panels for visual entertainment during the entire night; and visual effects are stunningly displayed on a 9’x16’ HD screen for music videos, clips, messages and pictures.

Depending on the budget, it’s extremely trendy to hire high-end performers or recording artists-R & B, hip hop, and rappers are especially in demand.

Wild Fire (black light) show with a twist: glow in the dark make-up, masked under regular face painting that once the black lights blast everyone glows. Also, glow paints in water with flowers are a big hit.

Uplighting, color wash, etc. is extremely important-change the ambiance in the room 1-2 times during the event and the guests will love it.

The food and presentation is keystone to a successful event: the guests will remember the first thing they see on the plate as they sit down, so have an amuse-bouche ready and waiting with glam decorations. Dessert is especially important since practically everyone loves a delicious treat. Dessert should be nothing less than fantastic and uniquely designed for adults; themed sweet tables with give-away toys for the teen guests (arranged at different heights for added visual flavor)

Got to have glam and unique giveaways, like green screen pictures for the kids, personalized covers for IPhones,iPods etc.

As a bride, it’s very easy to overspend. Perhaps you like a more exotic flower; the dress you’ve fallen in love with is a bit more then you were planning to spend; the perfect venue is just slightly over budget; and so on. As a start, I always suggest a client sets a maximum budget then takes it back two thousand dollars-that being the real budget. Also, the technology is out there to make life easier-use it! Let your fingers do the walking and search the Internet first for whatever you need-which stores carry your choices and how much they are. The wedding dress and accessories (veil and shoes) are pretty much the only thing that you actually have to physically go to the store and try on.

With so many of us having iPhones, there are some great apps to help you find the best price. Red Laser, an application I use often, allows one to scan the barcode on any tag and instantly searches for the best price available. Many stores will price match and this is a simple yet incredibly useful tool for ensuring you always get the best price. If you don’t own an iPhone, write down a description of the item you like at the store and search the net. Find who has the item in a twenty-five mile radius with a lesser price. If your store price matches, bring in the Internet ad. Or simply check online for printable coupons as many stores now have coupons exclusively on their web site. Also, do not hesitate to ask for their “best” price. You never know what the store can do for a client-sometimes they’ll offer an additional discount or even something useful as a free bonus. However, you never know unless you ask.

Make a list of those elements you feel are most important to your wedding/event.
For example, on invitations/place cards/thank you notes you can spend anywhere from $5.50 a set to infinity for a custom design. You, your time and effort, and a little bit of money make the difference. Last year three of my brides ordered the same invitations and place cards-two of them were friends and the other had some guests in common. All three sets looked completely different in the end and all it took was a different color ribbon for one, a spider web wrap on the second, and the third wrapped in a different lining with the couple’s names on the envelope. Don’t be afraid to get creative. It’s your day! For one of my brides we purchased plain place cards (pack of 50 for $5.99) from Michaels, bought a small glue gun ($2.99) and glue sticks (a useful item in any household) and attached mini burgundy roses. The “homemade” place cards were beautiful and matched the bridesmaids’ dresses as well as the linen.

A little note on the subject of favors: how many times have you attended a wedding and left behind some bulky frame at the end of the event? Choose your favor wisely… Again, use the Internet to begin your search for the perfect favor. You might also consider buying a small box with the wedding date and couple’s names imprinted, and place beautiful truffles or almonds inside yourself. It would surprise you how much that alone could save you. It is also practical-guests can eat this treat at the event and be done with it. You can wrap it with a beautiful ribbon and voila! You have presentation and quality without outrageous expense.

Flowers-now there is a budget buster! Low centerpieces require less flowers then a tall design; a ball of flowers uses significantly more flowers than a loose, natural starburst shape with green fillers. Look at various styles online. Find some samples of what flowers/centerpieces you like and print them out. Look through a few bridal magazines and flag some of the photos you like. Take these images and go to 2-3 florists for estimates. Florists are a very creative group of people. Give them your approximate budget right away and show them your pictures. They will work with you and if the flowers you’ve chosen push the limits of your budget, than they may offer you a substitute variety of flower. (Plus, you still have that $2000 we deducted from your original budget total to fall back on if necessary!) Ask for a proposal. Once you’ve gotten all your proposals, its time to compare. Decide what makes sense to you and whose creativity and suggestions you liked the most. Now, you’ve found a florist.

When choosing flowers for the ceremony ask yourself, are they going to be used strictly for the ceremony or can I use them for the reception as well? If they serve both purposes you’re saving quite a bit. Do you order separate bouquets for the head table or can you use loose petals and possibly bridesmaids’ bouquets to decorate it? How many bridesmaids use their flowers during the reception? Not many that I have seen.

Candles-all brides love them. Candles create a romantic, lovely ambiance in any room. Florists will charge for them-most venues do not. Try to use whatever the venue can provide free of charge. If they can provide mirrors and votives, ask the florist to add flower petals. The decorations will match your wedding, look wonderful, but not cost you an arm and a leg.

Music is such an important issue. I think to ensure a successful wedding event music is one of the most important elements. Granted, a good orchestra is expensive and the more time you have them, there is the real possibility of paying for overtime. I suggest hiring a good DJ along with the orchestra. The combination of both will provide you with continuous music and won’t be as expensive as a 7-10 piece orchestra for 6 hours. However, choose wisely. Maybe you won’t need a full 10-piece orchestra in the beginning since there will be toasts and speeches, and the first dance is often to recorded music played from a CD. So, the orchestra will begin to play an hour or so later. During the cocktail hour people usually like to mingle and chat, so if the venue can provide background music, this should be fine. A 3-4-piece group for cocktails can cost from $600-1200. If you’d prefer, and the venue has a baby grand, use that and hire a piano player. It’s classy, live, unobtrusive and not nearly as expensive.

The venue, food and bar time are by far the largest expenses you will incur at your wedding. Normally forty to fifty percent of your budget will go towards them. Make sure that your four-hour bar does not have to be consecutive. Read the package carefully and ask questions. More than eighty percent of the venue packages serve wine during dinner More than likely, your guests will not be venturing to the bar while eating their entrée and so the bar could be closed during the thirty minute window allowing yourto extend your bar time overall.

After the cocktail hour guests come in and sit down. The bridal party enters by announcement, as well as the bride and groom. Open your bar thirty minutes after the doors open to the ballroom and add another time extension. Rarely have I seen guests going to the bar during the announcements of the bridal party, bride and groom. Certainly, each wedding is different, so it is ultimately up to what suits your needs best.

Your wedding is just that-yours. Keep in mind that all your decisions should be based on what suits your needs and make sure to never compromise on what’s most important to you. Being a savvy couple means to take advantage of all the opportunities our 21st century has to offer. Search the Internet for the best deals. Take the time to do price comparisons and never be afraid to ask for the best deal. And remember, no matter how small your budget, there are couples out there less fortunate as I and the Dream Team can surely attest. Be thankful for your wonderful partnership and the wedding day you are blessed to be able to celebrate with all those you love. Happy planning!

Let’s start from the beginning – Bar. I always had requests from my Brides and Grooms to have particular brands of liquor served at the bar during receptions but today it goes even further with many requesting specialty drinks and set ups. It could be an Ice Luge with attendant pouring 2-5 different colors of Martini’s or preset Martini and Mojito (pronounced Mo-hi-to) stations. If you have a cocktail hour with different stations and have a budget for it, do incorporate a Martini station. It looks fabulous, colorful and guests will enjoy the view as well. Ask bartenders to use a garnish and flavored rimmers of Martinis (rimmed edge of the Martini glass): five colors of Martinis (picture above) was requested by one of my Brides and major ingredients were: Blue (Hypnotic Liqueur), red (POM), brown (chocolate or coffee flavor), Green (apple) and Orange (Mango). It did look wonderful and held attention of the guests (ladies mostly) for quite a while!

With many guests with different tastes it pays to keep your choices to neutral and popular selections.

Cocktail hour: food stations with attending chefs are another great idea. The most popular stations are seafood, carved meat, sushi and Ethnic stations, such as Chinese, Thai, etc. My favorite is a sushi station. It is very colorful, light and loved by most, since it has different seafoods: raw and cooked. Pictured, this one is elaborate with specialized decorations for a sushi station but could be done just as good on any plates or trays.

Recently I have done a Breast Cancer New Year Charity Emerald Dream Ball Event in Rio Hotel, Las Vegas, which was attended by celebrities including Allison Sweeney, Melissa Gilbert, Ian Ziering to name a few, where sushi were served from fully painted bodies of male and female models. That was a nice touch and my client was complemented on the choice!

You can believe our guests will remember that sushi’ selection!

Even passed hors d’oeuvres can be fabulously presented on the trays or large glass – plates. Example: Tuna tartar in an individual eatable cone with stainless steel stand on the bed of black seeds or nut crusted cheese lollypops with roses and glass marbles (Michael Goodman, Executive Chef of Four Seasons in Las Vegas recently did both).

Lets talk about your menu. Average menu consists of 4 or 5 courses:
First course or appetizer
Salad
Intermezzo/sorbet
Main entree Dessert or sweet table + wedding cake

You can also add something special, eye catching and fabulous, such as an Amuse Bouche (Amuse is from the French amuse-bouche or amuse-geule and is a small teaser -pre-meal appetizer).

I am a firm believer in creating a special touch in every aspect of the Wedding, especially at the beginning, when your guests walk in and sit down, Let them notice something different-the “Wow” factor as I call it… Later on they will remember the overall effect- whether they did have fun and enjoyed the Wedding or not, But I guarantee you they will remember the first impression : So in my opinion, in the beginning is important to focus their attention on a single detail only, and since they sit at the table – consider presetting or serving fabulously presented starter – Amuse Bouche. 2 pictures bellow is an example of Amuse : each plate was set up with a different color eatable flowers on the bottom of upside down Martini glass as well as on a top of thinly cut roasted toast of white bread with bite size appetizer, topped with a black caviar.

Credit to by Executive Chef of Palmer House Chicago Hilton Steven Henry.

As you plan, don’t be afraid to go outside of a standard menu. Ask your consultant or catering manager or Chef. 99.9% chefs will welcome the challenge of doing something special for your Wedding. So when you choose a menu for your Wedding, ask the chef to create a special presentation, not only for amuse bouche but each and every plate served to your guests. Pay attention on the tasting, do you like the presentation, ask chef what could be done to make it look good as it taste. Here are a few different presentations of first courses and salads:

Mango Seafood salad by Las Vegas Four Seasons Exec. Chef Michael Goodman, duck salad and Waldorf salad (2 above), Crab salad, mushroom strudel by fabulous Terry Crandall(bellow), Executive chef of Chicago Peninsula Hotel…

Here again is the work of Steven Henry, Executive Chef of Palmer House Chicago Hilton

Tomato and mozzarella Napoleon, as well as black and white sesame seared tuna.

You do not need a huge amount of food but is you are going for an option of 5 hour bar -you will need a bit more food then when you plan for a 4 hour bar. Drinking without food is not a great idea.

Salad served could be substantial as those mentioned above or very light and all vegetarian such as for example : 7 organic greens, poached pears, dry cranberries, roasted pine nuts and light balsamic vinegar or Cesar salad with herb croutons and shaved parmesan.

Now, sorbet is also could be a beautiful presentation, Michael Goodman, Executive Chef of Four Seasons in Las Vegas, Nevada uses every detail to accent food. Even sorbet looks appetizing. On that platter bellow: a napkin is used for the presentation as well to accent delicate orange color of sorbet. A mint leaf, rose petals and blackberry make it special..

If there are no dietary or religious restrictions, I would definitely suggest serving a combination of the main entree, such as petite file or chicken with a petite serving of fish or shrimp. Petite means 4-5 oz. as compared to a regular portion of 6-8 oz raw product. This approach reduces the potential mistake by staff serving food and the other offers your guests better choices and less time spent at the table and more dancing.

Main entrée accompaniments – choose the starch and vegetables carefully, just because you like certain flavors – your guests will. Most popular and neutral choices in 2007-2008 are either garlic mashed potatoes or roasted Yukon or red potato quarters or going a little pricier choice- white fingerling potatoes. 80-90% love asparagus – great vegetable choice, but I would ask the chef to add something of a color to it, could be a yellow squash ring or grilled red or yellow pepper strips. Meat and fish have different sauces so keep in mind if you are choosing the Combination course, to have different colors of complimenting sauces on both. It will also add contract to the presentation as well as a different flavor. Truffle or cognac sauces are light, flavorful and very much loved by many. It is a great alternative to heavier wine reduction or butter sauces.

Dessert: most guests will not leave till they have one. An individually served platter is more popular choice of 2007-2008. As a Special touch- have your initials or monogram drawn on the platter. Consider a mini trio deserts on a bed of different color sauce or coolies( lighter fruit sauces). For example, flowerless chocolate cake slice, fruit tart with custard or light mousse, strawberry dipped in chocolate -and you sure to have something for everyone’s taste.

A bit higher end is this, Chocolate Faberge egg with chocolate mousse and fresh raspberries on a very beautifully decorated plate with colorful sauces and chocolate leafs, courtesy of Executive Pastry Chef of Four Seasons Hotel, Jean Luc in Las Vegas.

Another approach is individual mini pastries and Strawberry coolies shot with white chocolate cigarette created by Chicago Peninsula Pastry Chef. If you are considering a sweet table, you can ask for a focal Grand piece, if your budget allows it.

Consider decorating the sweet table as well, for example this incredible, eatable work of spun sugar by the Executive Pastry Chef from Palmer Hilton hotel. I sincerely hope that some of my suggestions will help you to choose your menu for your Wedding!

Bon Appetite!

The Bar/Bat Mitzvah

One of the most popular event planning occasions is the teenage milestone: Bar/Bat Mitzvah. For those unfamiliar with the occasion, it is the rite of passage from early adolescence to Jewish adulthood where a Rabbi ceremoniously “confirms” a child into adulthood followed by a celebratory reception. The name is composed of two Hebrew words. The first word, Bar/Bat literally translates to son/daughter. Therefore, the event name will depend on its participant; a boy would have a Bar Mitzvah, while a girl would celebrate a Bat Mitzvah. The celebration is great fun, especially for the young adults. The second word is Mitzvah which in literal translation means commandment, though the Hebrew word has a much broader meaning. The connotation suggests the elation of doing something for the sake of others and tradition.

The carefully planned reception commences after the ceremony and in this respect a Bar/Bar Mitzvah mirrors a Wedding, but this is where the similarity ends. The majority (95%) of Bar/Bat parties are themed. I’ve actually created a form I ask every young adult to fill out on his/her own. The answers will reveal likes and dislikes in food, entertainment, games, music and so forth. I am then better prepared to create a one-of-a-kind event theme that is special for that particular child/family.

The Bar/Bat Mitzvah party demands much creativity and effort from every vendor involved: Event planner, centerpiece/décor/florist/production company, and video and photographers. The reason? It demands much more creativity, because every boy is interested in sports and every girl with modeling, but both love movies, glamour, Hollywood, the Emmy.

Since Allen loves Theme Parks, his theme was all about attractions and roller coasters. As you can see in the picture below, the children’s tables were actually constructed like a roller coaster car. Look at the colors and amazing décor. Vince Hart from Kehoe Designs, an amazing designer, built and created amazing décor for Allen.

Birthdays

A child’s birthday is always an occasion worthy of a grand celebration and a baby’s 1st birthday is considered one of the most momentous! The themes are centered on every parent’s vision for their baby. Themes I’ve designed have included the Lion King, Garden settings and everything Disney and so on.

Young children’s birthday parties are some of my favorites. Mostly common amongst European immigrants, even the second and third generations, the first Birthday of a child, either a girl or a boy, is thought to be one of the greatest reasons to celebrate. Typically, for this event I use a lot of soft, stuffed animals, dolls, butterfly’s, rocking chairs and so on; the cuter the better with pastel colors like white, yellow, pink, powder blue and so on as is in the picture above.

50th Birthday

Adult birthday parties are obviously quite important and popular as well. I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t like to celebrate their 16th, 21st, 30th, 40th or 50th Birthday. Yes, the 50th Birthday is quite the milestone! Family or friend, when you or someone close to you has lived to see the world evolve over half a century…well I think that’s well worth planning a party, don’t you? Judging by my schedule, most would definitely agree. We’ve spent these years working hard to accomplish so much. Now is the time to share those achievements with those who’ve been there through thick and thin. This past year I have had the honor to create two such special events which are really dear to me.

One celebration I planned an event at the Peninsula Hotel for a very successful and extraordinarily talented man. His wife came to me with the idea for a surprise Birthday Party. The entire time we were working together, surprisingly enough, the party remained shrouded in complete secrecy from the guest of honor. Moreover, the invitations even included a note warning all the attendees to keep silent, enhancing the anticipation of the surprise event.

Since the honored guest’s hobby is painting, specifically abstracts, I created invitations using ten of his paintings and called it the GF Gallery Opening; GF being his initials which mark every one of his paintings. His exact signature was replicated on every invitation and even the “Man of the hour” himself received an invitation to the “Gallery Opening.” And the piéce de resistance… our décor designer reproduced six of his paintings which we hung in the lobby just outside of the event room as conversation pieces for the guests to enjoy while sipping on pre-party cocktails.

He was quite astounded and touched when one hundred of his closest friends and family, some flown in from all over the world, shouted “Surprise.” I will never forget the moment it was all revealed as he gently kissed his wife’s hand with tears in his eyes, a gesture of love and appreciation for the enormous effort and money from her own business she spent to make the event a reality.

The partygoers swam in warmth and friendship the entire event. Guests had such a terrific time; they remained to celebrate well into the night. This was a party worthy of a king.

The second 50th Birthday celebration I had the fortune of creating, was for a gentleman who is an avid enthusiast of flying. He, on the other hand, was very much involved in the planning aided by his beautiful and wildly creative wife. He was thoroughly enamored of the idea of using a private 26,000 square foot airplane hangar for the event. As one would assume, this would be no easy feat by any stretch of the imagination. I must admit, we virtually moved mountains to make this vast, empty space, a.k.a airplane “garage,” available for this event. I was allowed approximately 72 hours for the set-up, celebration and break down. This included returning the hangar in pristine, pre-party condition for its primary purpose. To be on one’s feet that long, running on 2-3 hours of sleep, you really have to love what you do!

The true battle, however, was much more involved: to decorate and create a beautiful setting for an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime, one-of-a-kind event in a space that was cold and altogether uninviting. Frost Lighting, one of its owners, David Kelly, along with his team of forty lighting magicians created the effect of a blue sky experienced only when flying at night. Tables and seating were created by owner/ designer, Patrick Pease of Pease Custom Acrylic Furnishings. My poor staff was falling asleep after the first 24 hours.

In the end it was all worth it. The food and presentation by Mirage Catering was out of this world! The effort put in by everyone involved really paid off when the guests entered this magical world created out of an empty airplane hangar. The wondrous expression gracing the face of each person as they laid eyes on this setting was a priceless reward for all those sleepless hours and the seemingly endless workload!

Anniversary/Birthday Combination event

“Be my Valentine” – Yanni Design Studio in conjunction with Design by Larissa – my favorite and very talented singer’s wife’s 30th Birthday and Anniversary party: see attached. Custom made linens from India with attached chinchilla fur as well as chinchilla napkin rings, gorgeous red roses, custom designed centerpieces, amazing entertainment – and one Happy couple! No expense was speared… since it was a surprise for a wife – she felt as queen! This is what every event is about – to make it memorable and unique for hosts as well as their guest! Job well done.

But as descriptive as my words may be, only a picture can showcase the true splendor of an events like that….

Every special occasion, no matter how big or small, is worth celebrating. And why not take a moment out of our busy, everyday lives to share how wonderful it is to take another breath and live another day with those around us whom we love and make it all worthwhile. When you’re ready your Event Planner will be there to guide you from dream to reality.