Ellie and Marin’s B’not Mitzvah

It has been just under two weeks since Ellie and Marin’s b’not mitzvah and we are all still glowing! It was the most perfect day and if we could go back and live it all over again we would in a heartbeat! I am still wrapping my brain around how proud I am of the girls and wanted to share a bit more about the day here on the blog. I know that I love learning about other traditions and I hope that giving you all a little peek into our family and religion’s traditions will be interesting to you. And because I am still always an organizer at heart, I wanted to share the vendors and resources that helped keep me sane and organized during the b’not mitzvah planning.

First, for the religious portion of the day, the girls had been studying their Torah portions for months and it has been something they have loved doing. They loved learning the Hebrew, chanting and singing. It truly gave them more to do and a sense of purpose throughout some of the harder months of COVID. And because they loved it so much, they decided, along with our Rabbi, Rabbi Jess (who married Jon and I), that they would co-lead the service with her. Rabbi Jess had never done this before but was confident in their ability to do so and they were so excited.

Ellie and Marin spent months planning, learning and preparing. And once they mastered the entire service, including their Torah portions, they started to work on their speeches. Neither girl had ever done a speech in public like this before but with each passing day they got more comfortable and more confident in what they were saying. However, up until the night before the service they were still extremely nervous and speaking really fast. But then on the day of the b’not mitzvah, something came over them. They both spoke with such grace! They made eye contact with everyone in the room and on Zoom at times. They were poised, they were confident and their true emotions came through to where Ellie even cried during the part where she spoke about Marin.

I have said it once and I will say it a million times over, I am so very proud of my girls! Watching them grow up has been a true honor and this day of celebration for them was more than I could have imagined.

However, we would not have made it through this day without the village that helped every step of the way. I would hire and work with every single one of the people and companies that helped bring the day together again. Honestly I want to throw another party or event as soon as I can because everything was beyond my (and most importantly the girls) wildest dreams! Everyone was professional, rolled with the punches (COVID restrictions, weather, etc.) and had attention to detail that showed why they are the experts in their own arenas. They helped us have the party of the girls’ dreams and made it safe so we all felt good about having a party at this moment in time.

I have listed bit about each vendor below in hopes that it might help if you are planning an event or mitzvah in the Washington DC area. Thank you so much for letting me take a look back at this special day for our family! And I guess now we better start getting ready for some weddings (but way down the line – do you hear that Ellie and Marin, way down the line!).

B’Not Mitzvah Vendor Team

• Event Planning: I came to to Laura of IDA ROSE events + design at the last minute because I didn’t feel as organized as I wanted to be (I know, shocking, right?) and she helped me put together all the details. Laura had some great ideas of some last minute touches like adding linens from DC Rental, a cotton candy machine from Flufness and tons of other details to tie things together. She was also on site during the event which made a huge difference so I didn’t have to worry about anything especially the changing weather. She made the entire ceremony and party look effortless from start to finish. She coordinated all the vendors and took detail organization to the next level. She is my people…especially with all the lists and diagrams!

• DJ and MC: What can I say about MC Purnell – this man MADE the party. I have NO idea how he had so much energy but he got all the kids dancing, playing games and they had the time of their lives. MC Purnell worked alongside DJ Vito Lee Vitalii. DJ Vito allowed the girls to pick songs they loved and played them with pride. He created such a great atmosphere for everyone and kept the party going. Both men rolled with the weather and set up and took things down three times as we went between outside and inside. They also ran the entire Zoom part of the service and our AV was perfect! Thank you to Washington Talent for lending them for us for the day!

• Photography: Alison Tremblay was fabulous and really understood our needs. She even let us get some photos with Poppy! She was great with capturing all moments of the day from the ceremony to the party to family photos at home.

• Ice Cream Truck: We hired Scoops2u for our guests. They had a ton of choices and we went through double the amount of ice cream we thought we would during the party!

• Treats: We couldn’t have asked for a more delicious option for our out of town guests and in person guests than the treats from Dog Tag Bakery. Everyone that was tuning in by Zoom for the ceremony was sent a bag of cookies and brownies before the event and then those in person got to take their bags home with them. Dog Tag Bakery was the most professional, generous and organized bakery I have ever worked with. They coordinated everything we needed for our out of town guests, got everyone their cookies in time and created the most delicious treats that most of our guests have ever eaten! We are also so proud of their mission of providing valuable work experience for veterans, military spouses and caregivers.

• Rabbi: Rabbi Jess is the Rabbi that married Jon and I and we couldn’t have done this without her! She has been working with the girls for months and we feel like she is part of the family. 2 weeks before she told us she was vaccinated and was going to make the trip to be in person. We all wept. She helped co-lead the service with the girls and made it so memorable.

• Backdrops: Garrette from @brightlyeverafter created two amazing backdrops for the service and the party. All I did was show her the girls’ logo and magically a beautiful, modern background was created for the ceremony as well a fun backdrop for photos during the party. Both of these structures were beyond the girls’ wildest dreams and I am so in awe of the beautiful pieces she created.

• Balloons: For the outside backdrop and party tables we worked with Taryn from @anielaxrose. She added the perfect balloon structure to take photos in front of and everyone was amazed! Who knew white balloons could look so festive and gorgeous at the same time?

• Venue: The Women’s Club of Bethesda was the venue for both the service and party. We are grateful they allowed us to have the party outside in their parking lot to accommodate all our guests due to COVID. They were so flexible and understanding and didn’t look at us like we were crazy for wanting to have the party in the parking lot which turned out great!

• Stationery: Sameeha of @theinkedleaf designed the invitation, logo, service programs and all of the printed items. Sameeha has helped me with my business graphics and designs for awhile and she was a true saint when it came to helping with everything for the b’not mitzvah. She was able to combine both girls’ favorite colors and turn them into a perfect logo. From there she created multiple invitations for Zoom, in person, different timing, etc., helped create a beautiful, personal program for the ceremony that we will always treasure and other printed signs for the party. She is so creative!

Beauty Team: I haven’t left the house in over a year and the week and a half before the celebration, I saw a ton of people to help me feel more like me again. I couldn’t write a post without these amazing ladies and everyone needs to know them! I felt extremely safe in each situation and they were all vaccinated before I met with them. I mean, this was a village, if there ever was one and Jon called it my week of self care. It was honestly hard for me to make the appointments because I felt guilty (hey, it wasn’t my b’not mitzvah after all) but then I realized, I had a VERY rough year and it was time for me to feel as best as I could.

• Varnish Lane: We all got manicures here and I love that they use green products! They have a special area for you as a client and it is sectioned off with a partition.

• Jess of @colorbyjess: I felt so safe when having Jess work on my hair. She only takes on one person at a time and I was thrilled to see my brown locks have some blonde highlights again!

• Isabel of @isabel.stylist: She has been cutting everyone’s hair in the family and she came to our garage again to give us family cuts that made us all feel like new.

• Amanda from @grskinstudio: I had been referred here for awhile and I can’t highly recommend Amanda enough. I got the best facial of my life! A huge bonus is that they use all green products. You are also alone in the space, they take a ton of precautions and they have air filters in the room.

• Erika at @detoxmassage : I got a lymphatic massage at the recommendation of a friend and I don’t think I will ever go back…I mean, this isn’t a typical massage but this woman gets your system moving! My system felt as best as it has ever felt and I am now addicted to her massages.

• Lauren of @styleauteur: Lauren helped me with my wedding dress so it was a no brainer to ask her for help for the b’not mitzavh. Again, I thought I could do it myself when it came to finding a dress but I was wrong. A few weeks before I knew I needed help to dress my “new” COVID body which doesn’t look the same as it did a year ago. Lauren is understanding, kind and makes you look and feel fabulous. I would highly recommend Lauren if you are looking for suggestions for events and daily wear.

• Monica at Cera Wax Studio: I took the girls with me for their first eyebrow wax and it went so well. Monica is so understanding of first timers and you are, again, the only one in the space so it feels so safe. Our brow game felt strong!

• Ninotch: I haven’t gotten a spray tan since my wedding several years ago and I went back to the same spot for my organic tan again. I just needed a bit of color for me in my white dress! I was so impressed because you could hardly tell, which is exactly what I wanted.

• Day of Beauty

  • Meghan Leahy of @meghandoesyourmakeup: Meghan is a dear friend of mine, she works with all clean and green beauty products and really worked her magic. She made me feel that much more elevated and beautiful for the day. She also worked with the girls and kept them looking 13 but that much more polished.

  • Anna of @styledbyannafazio: Anna was the brilliant woman behind my wedding hair many years ago and my go to for beautiful hair. This time it was Ellie & Marin’s turn to get braids in their hair and boy did Anna work her magic. She is sweet as can be and transform hair like no other.

• Then there were the everyday superstars that work on my team and stepped up to help with this event. In particular, Kendall, our amazing intern stepped in to help me create the most meaningful montage of the girls’ lives. I cried every time I watched the montage (despite picking out the photos for it all) and I know it was because Kendall did such an amazing job putting music to the photos and creating a beautiful video we will have forever. Then there was Cindy, my amazing virtual assistant, who kept me organized in the weeks leading up to the B’not Mitzvah and helped design and guide me through printing out sticker templates as I am not tech savvy! And last but not least, Ivan, from our handyman team, stepped in to pick up 125 packs of cookies and move things like bookcases and all the “stuff” to and from our venue that we needed to make the b’not mitzvah special. We couldn’t have done it without them all. I truly felt honored that my “work family” helped us for such a momentous event in our family’s lives.

• VidHug: This was such a fun surprise for the girls to receive. We had everyone record videos for the girls and then showed them all of them together on Friday evening.

• Zazzle: They were very prompt and had a ton of variety for items we needed like stickers, water bottle labels, printed materials, and more.

• Greenvelope: We used Greenvelope organize all the digital invitations as we had multiple events.

• Custom Ink: they were so helpful in creating the perfect “swag” sweatshirts for all the kids.