One of the most iconic rites of passage for young adults is the bar/bat mitzvah. And along with the ceremony, you’ll also need to make arrangements for the celebration. Planning a bar/bat mitzvah can be challenging for families, with so many party-planning details to consider and guests to accommodate. And if you’re in New York City, you have so many venues, caterers, and professionals to choose from in your process. You probably have questions, too, like…
- Should we plan an indoor mitzvah or an outdoor celebration?
- Should we hire a DJ or live band?
- What about choosing an event theme?
- What about catering? Doesn’t Aunt Viv have a gluten allergy?
Don’t worry. We’ve put together an ultimate guide to help you with every step of your mitzvah planning journey! Keep this tutorial handy and reference it often. This is the ultimate guide for planning and curating a stunning bar/bat mitzvah celebration in New York City.
Setting Realistic Mitzvah Budgets
Let’s start with mitzvah budgeting basics. Sit down and create a spreadsheet of all the bar/bat mitzvah celebration elements that come with a price tag. Start with the big-ticket costs, including the venue, catering services, and ceremony-related fees. Next, explore additional costs that may not be top-of-mind, like party favors, guest gifts, and entertainment activities. Lastly, don’t forget incidental mitzvah costs like appropriate tips, postage, bottled water, etc.
On average, set a realistic budget expectation for each layer of your mitzvah ceremony and celebration, following these percentages:
- Food & Beverage – Roughly 25% of the Budget
- Ceremony – Roughly 10% of the Budget
- Venue – Roughly 4% of your Budget
- Entertainment – Roughly 11% of your Budget
- All other Amenities – Roughly 1%-3% Each
Selecting the Perfect NYC Venue
Next up on your mitzvah planning to-do list involves choosing the best New York City venue. And there are so many gorgeous venues and facilities to consider, including rooftop spaces, nightclub venues, and traditional event settings.
Decide first if you want an indoor or outdoor bar/bat mitzvah celebration. And if you want something outdoors, be prepared for also a contingency plan should the weather not cooperate. From there, you can narrow down a shortlist of top-choice NYC venues to book tours. You’ll definitely want to see the space before you decide. And make sure you consider the following venue amenities:
- Is the venue easy to find and get to for your guests?
- Is the capacity enough for all your guests to enjoy themselves?
- Is the space itself transformable to accommodate your designs?
- Does the venue offer additional services, like catering and coffee?
- How flexible is the venue’s floor plan?
- Will the venue provide day-of coordination and guidance?
Meal Planning and Catering
The biggest chunk of your mitzvah planning budget will go to meal service and catering. So, take your time evaluating your options and choosing your food and beverages. Arrange meetings with catering pros who have stellar online reviews and experience serving bar/bat mitzvahs. Sample their dishes, too. And before booking anyone, make sure you understand the terms, available staff, and contingency plans they have in place.
Here are other meal, dessert, and beverage considerations:
- Arrange for appetizers, snacks, and drinks before and after the main meal.
- Be mindful of your preferences for kosher offerings, guest meal preferences, and dietary needs.
- Don’t forget to arrange for cake, cupcakes, or dessert, which often involves connecting with a baking professional.
- Get creative with your beverages, including an espresso bar, a kid-friendly mocktail menu, or a talented mixologist team for craft cocktails.
- Know the plan for post-event leftovers.
Booking the Mitzvah Entertainment
We can’t stress enough how important entertainment is to your bat/bat mitzvah. And there’s more to booking entertainment than choosing a high-energy DJ or live band. Look at introducing activities, interactive stations, kid-friendly entertainment, and exciting things to do – in addition to the dance floor. Today’s mitzvahs often have booths and added entertainment in the form of:
- Caricature Artists
- Balloon Artists
- Temporary Tattoo Artists
- Gaming Simulations
- Celebrity Guests
- AR/VR Activities
- Escape Room Puzzles
- Lounge Areas
- Photo Booths
Yes, you’ll still need to book the best-fit music options and incorporate a dance floor element. Choose music your guest of honor enjoys but also offers fun for the crowd. And as with other mitzvah planning details, arrange for a contingency plan should your chosen DJ or band cancel at the last minute.
Mitzvah Designs and Decor
You want your bar/bat mitzvah to feel timeless and rooted in a traditional celebration. But you also need it to be personalized to your celebrating teen and infused with modern fun and excitement.
To help you achieve both, spend some time choosing an event theme and design elements. With a great overarching theme, you can seamlessly integrate decor, venue designs, centerpieces, floral arrangements, and audiovisual extras that elevate both the traditional and modern aesthetics.
Here are some mitzvah themes for inspiration:
- Pool Party & Beachy Themes
- Fire & Ice
- Candyland Themes
- Disco Fever
- Pop Art Themes
- Red Carpet Hollywood
- Charming Boho
- Moon & Stars
- Cirque du Soleil
Don’t forget to choose complementary party favors or souvenirs for your mitzvah guests that align with your event theme and designs, too.
Ceremony Logistics
When planning your upcoming bar/bat mitzvah, you’ll want to create an outline and timeline around the ceremonial logistics. Choose your mitzvah celebration date, for example, in alignment with the first Shabbat after your loved one’s birthday. Select your synagogue and plan for enough time to arrive at the celebration venue. Drill down in more detail to organize the celebration’s timeline, too. And make sure you allocate enough time for guests to arrive.
Here is another reminder list of ceremonial planning:
- Buy a tallit and tallit bag for safe keeping.
- Buy a tefillin/tefillah that suits your teen.
- Plan the candle-lighting ceremony, including who and order.
- Buy a special gift for your teen as a momentous keepsake.
Incorporate ideal times for your traditional rituals, including the reading of the Torah, the speech, and the breaking of a glass. Once you’ve finalized your timeline, share it with your event vendors and other family members who may be helping you with the planning and execution of the celebration.
Designing Your Invitations
Consider working with a design and invitation professional to help create stunning invites for your bar/bat mitzvah. Incorporate your chosen theme and make them fun. It’s also imperative that you send out your invitations in accordance with your event timeline so guests have enough time to make arrangements. Ideally, send invites four to six weeks prior to your event date. Also, make RSVPs easy, including return mail cards and digital or online RSVP confirmations.
In addition to your formal invitations, consider creating online groups using social media. You can digitally invite mitzvah guests online and share ongoing updates and reminders about the celebration as the date approaches. For larger celebrations with more than 500 guests, you might even consider creating a dedicated website or landing page to help digitally coordinate and connect with your invite lists.
As your RSVPs come in, you’ll want to keep track. Keep in mind that some guests who say they’re coming won’t arrive. And plenty who don’t respond will end up coming. Meal planning and seating arrangements can be catered ongoing to ensure you have the most accurate estimates and layouts prepared.
Professional Photography and Videography
Don’t go through all this planning and hosting without a great photographer and videographer on-hand to commemorate this special day. Be sure you vet every professional, see their previous work, and ask for references. Ask all the questions about terms, times, proofs, and final deliverables. And make sure you curate a list of must-have shots or activities you need your photographer to capture for you.
Here are a few of those iconic and memorable photo ops for inspiration in creating your must-have shot list:
- Stage several photo shoots at the synagogue, including poses of your teen with the Torah, in front of the ark, and leaving the sanctuary.
- Stage your family photos, including parents, siblings, and grandparents.
- Ensure your photographer gets plenty of party shots, including food displays, venue decorations, table shots with and without guests, dance floor fun, and entertainment.
Consider Guest Hospitality and Transportation
Some of your family and friends may be traveling into New York City from out of town to attend your bar/bat mitzvah. Take the extra step during planning to make travel and hospitality accommodations for them. Create lists of nearby hotels or reserve blocks of rooms, for example, to then share with your traveling attendees.
Consider offering shuttle services or pre-arranged rideshare for those guests who may not be able to drive themselves. You don’t have to pay for all your guests’ accommodations. But it’s a best practice to organize everything ahead of time and inform them of their options for hotel and transportation.
Creating Dress Codes
Be mindful of any dress code guidelines you want to communicate to your guests. For example, if you’re hosting a high-profile Hollywood-themed mitzvah, you may want to encourage guests to dress formally. And if you’re hosting a Hawaiian Luau-themed mitzvah, you may want to encourage flowered shirts and more casual attire. Just remember, whatever dress code you deem appropriate, share it with your guests in the invitations and with reminders via email or online event groups you have on social media or elsewhere.
Planning for Event Security
When you plan any sizable event in New York City, it’s best to also consider event security. Your chosen venue may already have plans in place for securing the venue itself and providing adequate emergency oversight and direction. However, make sure you have every safety measure in place, including any guest check-ins you need to verify before granting entry to your event. And if you choose to enforce safety best practices regarding COVID-19, you’ll want to address those prior to your event, as well.
Frequently Asked Questions About Mitzvah Planning
In addition to the ultimate guide, we’ve assembled some of the most common and frequently asked questions about planning bar/bat mitzvahs to help you with curating your most memorable mitzvah event.
How Soon Should You Start Planning a Bar/Bat Mitzvah?
Ideally, you’ll start planning a bar/bat mitzvah up to two years before your child’s milestone birthday. You can begin choosing a date, creating a guest list, and laying out your budget over the course of a year.
What About Save the Date Notices?
Yes, consider sending out save the date notifications, digital or by mail, to your guest list roughly 10 months prior to your event date.
Should We Choose a Mitzvah Social Project?
It’s not uncommon to add a social action to your mitzvah. Choose a meaningful cause or project to your teen and incorporate good works into this traditional rite of passage.
What Are Some Last Minute Checklist Items?
In the few days leading up to your mitzvah ceremony and celebration, create a last-minute checklist for yourself that includes the following:
- Final vendor payments and confirmation
- Final guest count
- Final seating arrangements
- Confirm rehearsals
- Pack an emergency bag with bottled water, snacks, a sewing kit, stain remover, extra toiletries, etc.
Hire a Professional Bar/Bat Mitzvah Planner
If, after reviewing this ultimate guide for planning your bar/bat mitzvah, you only feel more overwhelmed, don’t fret. You don’t have to go it alone. Let the professionals at Mitzvah Venues take the reins and handle all of these essential party-planning details for you! We have decades of experience in curating traditional, modern, and memorable mitzvahs right here in New York City.
Our team enjoys working partnerships with all the best venues, trending service providers, and vendors to make every mitzvah a stunning success! Whatever ideas you have, we can take the guesswork and stress out of all the planning. Let our event planning team bring your vision to life, so you can enjoy yourself and celebrate this truly special occasion.
Planning your bar/bat mitzvah in New York City doesn’t have to be challenging. Keep this ultimate guide handy to inform your efforts. And contact the Mitzvah Venues team of expert professionals to transform your upcoming event into a spectacular and memorable celebration!