<p>Nothing to do with college. But this is the best source of great ideas.
My youngest is planning her bat mitzvah celebration. She is debating between just doing sunflowers on the table or having a “theme”.
She likes the idea of a beach theme but doesn’t want it to be hawaiian. Any ideas out there?</p>
<p>My d’s Torah portion was Noah, so we did an animal/ark theme. Does her Torah portion lead to any ideas?</p>
<p>For a beach theme - surfing? Use beach umbrellas over the tables?
(The sunflowers sound lovely anyway - I’ve been to beautiful “no theme” celebrations.)</p>
<p>My shop did gorgeous centerpieces for a bar mitzvah a few years ago. The customer bought those huge oversized wine glasses – the kind that are 2 feet tall, one for each table. We provided the decorative (plastic) flower, pretty stones, water, and a Betta fish. The customer decorated the glasses with gauzy ribbon and provided betta food for each fish and they were a take-home gift for the younger guests.</p>
<p>Her torah portion is Balak
It is going to be in the social hall of the temple so I don’t know how well beach umbrellas will go. She is into surfing. I don’t know how I can translate that to centerpieces.</p>
<p>I heard that the kids sometimes put salt in the fishbowls killing the fish. All the things you have to think about when you get a bunch of 13 yr olds together.
My kids always liked candy on the table. So you have to think about what type of candy doesn’t lend itself to throwing at your friends across the table.
but the ideas are good keep them coming</p>
<p>How about little paper umbrellas in the drinks, and gluing mini ones onto the the centerpieces made with up with sunglasses, pails, shovels,on styrofoam etc. I sent a pm to you too, about some party ideas. It depends upon how involved you want to get with centerpieces.</p>
<p>Maybe think about something involving flip flops- decoration or gifts? The plastic/rubber kind are inexpensive and can be embellished somehow? When I see flip flops I immediately think beach…</p>
<p>flip flop idea could work for something. My son likes to decorate tennis shoes with sharpies in graffiti like writing maybe he can do something with flip flops</p>
<p>It is raining so I have been searching the internet for ideas. I found some photos of conch shells used as vases for flowers. It looks beauiful. Possibly to mature but maybe for the adult tables.</p>
<p>Take a look at Oriental Trading Company (<a href=“http://www.orientaltrading.com)%5B/url%5D”>www.orientaltrading.com)</a>. They have some surfboard decorations, flip-flop candle holders, and things you can use as prizes for the kids’ games.</p>
<p>I’m not seriously religious, but I always thought the theme of a Bar Mitzvah should be Bar Mitzvah.</p>
<p>Fountain Pens.</p>
<p>the two cutest ones I saw my neighbor put together for cost, as a gift to the families. One candy and one goldfish/beach. The candy flew through the air and made a dreadful mess, though looked amazing at the start! I STRONGLY suggest you focus on finding a DJ that has done tons of them, and also go watch one as the DJ is working, before you hire. I think they make or break the party. Goldfish get killed, candy gets eaten and boys can run wild if not contained and entertained. My DD1, the social butterfly, attended 26 in one season. She had some Wild Boys stories.
Oh the goldfish. My son’s fish lived here, attended American University for a bit, then it moved back in with me. I ended up so fond of the stupid thing. It became HUGE even though it was a tiny feeder fish at first. It became ill and you would not belive the work I went through trying to save it, with no luck.
There is a store on amazon, also has own website, that makes candy in shapes to go with theme…flip flop lollypops and stuff. There are kosher companies online - if in the hall are you limited in what food and who you can buy from?</p>
<p>One thing that we did is create the centerpieces out of a toy (in our case, given the Noah theme, it was a multi-piece wooden pull-toy ark). We mounted it on thin poster board, I believe, and tied balloons to them. I put little cards on the tables asking people not to take the toys since after the party we were donating them to a residential school for severely disabled children. I only lost 1 ark (someone took the giraffes and Noah), which was pretty good. The school called me afterwards to let us know that the arks were perfect for helping to teach fine motor skills - the kids loved the toy! In this way, we had a great party, the tables looked great, and we performed a simple mitzvah.</p>
<p>We have been to two where the centerpieces were donated kids’ books, and the Bar or Bat Mitzvah kid took them to inner city schools for their libraries. Books make a great centerpiece, and a good conversation piece (everyone liked talking about their favorite kids’ books), plus, that was also a mitzvah in the donation to the schools. I like that much better than fancy flowers or expensive balloon centerpieces, but that’s just me.</p>
<p>I am with those who believe that “bat mitzvah” should be the theme of the event…but I am unfortunately cursed with a little bit of Martha Stewart syndrome (not her illegal or entrepreneurial activities…just her craft ones.)</p>
<p>If expense is an issue, and you can use a glue gun, you could combine both of your ideas, and get some kind of sunflower plants and decorate the planter, or a simple basket with small flip flops, small surfboards etc. I found that plants were generally less expensive than flower arrangments. Glue guns are simple to use, and perfect for this type of project. And it’s likely Oriental Trading (mentioned earlier on this thread) has some inexpensive surf/beach tchotchkes that could be used. Michaels puts their baskets on sale for half price about every other week.</p>
<p>For example…for a fall Bar Mitzvah, mum plants in fall color baskets… a little spanish moss around the edge…took less than a minute to assemble each one…$6.00 total cost per centerpiece…after luncheon, given to the older people who attended and friends who had helped out. Used fairly short mums so that people could see over them. Very disheartening for the host/decorator when centerpieces get taken off of the able during the meal so people can see each other and talk. (But…host/decorator should have known better!) Larger mums used for buffet tables were donated to the synagogue for sukkah decoration. January bar mitzvah used forced spring bulbs, put them in baskets, and also gave some to older attendees and brought extras to a local nursing home. These were a little more expensive…about $25.00 each. Centerpieces were just for the simple buffet luncheon. Each kid had a separate party…really a glorified birthday party…the next day…at a sports facility…that did not call for centerpieces or “theme”. Luckily, the centerpieces were not important to my boys, only their Martha Stewart wannabe mother.</p>
<p>In our community the parties are simple. I don’t want anyone to get the idea that the party is the focus. That is one reason the party is in the social hall versus a country club.
My child will have done a mitzvah project and completed some challenges and will decide to do something for her community with a portion of her gift money. In our community the gifts are not large and the kids don’t come out of this with globs of cash. Most of her friends will treat it like a birthday party with gifts of 20 dollars or if they are jewish 18.
Also as a b’nai mitzvah class in lieu of gifts to each other they are donating a cash amount that they might have spent on gifts to a fund that they will then vote as a group to donate to a charity.
Oriental Trading company has some great ideas. Thanks</p>
<p>mom60–good for you and your daughter & friends!</p>
<p>Little umbrellas in the “drinks” are cute. Flipflops are all the rage now and can be seen in lots of favors & trinkets.</p>
<p>Beach pails make good centerpieces and you can fill them with toys, stuffed animals, or school supplies to later donate.</p>
<p>I like parties for kids only–mine did Dave & Buster’s, Laser Tag, and a sports theme party in the back yard.</p>
<p>For great ideas for bar/ batmitzvahs go on the “Party 411” website. Go to bar/bat mitzvah talk. It is my second favorite discussion group, but I have graduated having made my youngest daughter’s bat mitzvah in December. I laughed when I saw this post, because I have seen questions regarding colleges and summer programs on Party 411!</p>
<p>As for themes, I think the best themes incorporate more than just the centerpieces. We did a 50’s theme. It really worked because the theme lent itself to graphics ( juke boxes, poodle skirts, 45’s, hot rods, diners, roller skates, etc.), color scheme (pink, black and aqua as colors throughout --down to my daughters candy pink gown and her sister’s aqua one), and music (for slow dances and upbeat 50’s sets).</p>
<p>The beach theme would do the same. Use both graphics and beachy colors throughout and play a lot of Beach boys and other summer-time hits. You’ll have lots of fun. If you do candle-lighting use only beach themed music.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Beach theme for a party for parashat Balak? Calypso, mon - er I mean mom. There’s gotta be a calypso song to match the main Balak themes. Check with calypso music experts.</p>
<p>Canned food makes a nice start to any centerpiece, of course the cans get donated afterwards. It’s fine if some show through. Lots of moms feel tired for a week after the event, so cans are nice b/c you can put off that task for a week, then go with your daughter to donate them.</p>
<p>If your temple is modest or needs resources, it’s very cool to include one new prayer book, standing up, in some of the centerpieces, with the child’s name on the bookplate as donor, in honor of her Bat Mitzvah. Afterwards when you give it to the temple and it’s in active use, your daughter will enjoy looking for her nameplate among all the congregation’s prayer books. You might even start a trend within the b’nei mitzvah class! The rabbi will hug you.</p>