Selecting a Theme
When Selecting a Theme for your child's Bar/Bat Mitzvah, the options are endless. Make sure your child is involved in the selection. What are their interests, their hobbies, the things that best reflect their personality. Here is a list of some themes I have worked with over the years. You can use your theme for decorations for your centerpieces or for designs on favors like t-shirts, etc., sign-in board, even for your invitations.
Sports
The options for a Sports Theme are endless. You can label each table a different team from one individual sport. Each table can be its own sport. Each table can be an individual player, use a photo of each player either from the same league or team or even mix it. You can have pro teams or college teams. We've done events with Baseball, Football, Tennis, Basketball, karate, Soccer, NCAA Sweet 16, Lacrosse, Hockey.
You can have your table cards representing a ticket to an individual game. DJ and dancers or even wait staff can be dressed as referrees! Favors can be related to the theme, inflatable basketballs. You can rent arcade games or video games that the children can play either during the cocktail hour or during the party that relates to the theme.
You can have your table cards representing a ticket to an individual game. DJ and dancers or even wait staff can be dressed as referrees! Favors can be related to the theme, inflatable basketballs. You can rent arcade games or video games that the children can play either during the cocktail hour or during the party that relates to the theme.
Broadway
An excellent theme for a young girl who loves Broadway. Each table can be a different Broadway play. Use the playbill as the basis for your decorations. It can be all the plays that are currently on Broadway or can be a nostalgic look back at some of the great ones from the past. Certainly, have your son or daughter involved in the selecting and have them sit at a table that represents their favorite play. Table cards can continue the theme either with a ticket to the theatre representing their table on the front, or can have miniature playbills with the name of their table (play) clearly printed out. You could also look on line for the original cast poster or album to represent individual plays on your table decorations.
The World- Travel
Travel is a perfect theme for a boy or girl who has had the opportunity to travel to some interesting places in their short lives or who has a major desire to be a world traveller as they get older. Options are endless. You can use a globe theme throughout. Each table might be a different country, a different world city, a resort they have travelled to, You might want to decorate the tables or the room with photos of the Mitzvah child at these incredible locations. The centerpieces could be made up of photos of individual sites in the countries or cities, or landmarks of each city or country can be designed out of foam core or something even more elaborate. Table place cards can be small key chains with little globes at the end. You can also decorate tables with inexpensive suitcases as a base and balloons or other decorations raising out of this. Other options for place cards can be suitcase tags with the child's name on it, and the table number or title, this can also serve as a party favor.
Music:
Possible themes could be various artists. Each table could be a different song or album from an individual artist. Tables can be decorated with the art from the album or cd covers. Each table can be a different instrument. Table place cards can be tickets to concerts or use CDs with the different tables identified on each one. It is also a nice party favor, each CD can actually be a "mix tape" with all of your child's favorite songs. Some decorations I have seen have also been an Ipod, with the photo of the album art on it, identifying a particular artist.
Movies
Movies could provide a great theme for either boys or girls. You can decorate each table with posters or DVD covers of individual films. You might also concentrate on film genres as possible categories, like horror films, westerns, comedies, action, animated, etc. Particular movie stars could be your way of decorating individual tables. You might also want to decorate the room with Oscar statues, and red carpet with stantions to impress your guests as they enter your party. A nice touch for favors could be chocolate Oscars wrapped in gold paper.
Television
Like the movie theme, television shows could become the focus of your party. Decorate each table with a fake television, either old school or modern LCDs and fill them with individual television shows. Make sure your child is the one to select his/her favorite programs. Table cards could be also in the shape of television sets, with the individual programs logo in the center. You should be able to find all the logos on the Internet.
Bicycles
This happens to be the theme of my twin boys' B'Nai Mitzvah. At thirteen they were very much into riding their BMX bikes and doing all kinds of tricks at skateboard parks. Since most people wouldn't know about the different brands of the bikes, we printed three pictures of individual bikes in different colors and placed them on foam core as a base for a bouquet of balloons. Each table had a corresponding number with it also to make it easier for guests to find their tables. We followed the theme when designing t-shirts with a logo that said, "We had the ride of our life at Eric and Kevin's B'Nai Mitzvah.
Disney
There are so many options to choose from when selecting a Disney theme. You might decide to decorate your tables with different Disney characters, Disney resorts, rides at Disney World, Disney movies, or Disney Princesses. In fact, one client hired a balloonist to decorate each table with different Disney princesses and on the card table designed Cinderella's Castle out of balloons. It was awesome. If you are a regular visitor to Disney World, you might want to take pictures of your child at their favorite resorts or rides or with Disney categories to use in your decorations. Although, it might be expensive, you should be able to find lots of Disney memorabilia for decorations at the Disney Store in your local mall
Animals
So many kids are animal lovers this might be a ge reat choice for a Mitzvah theme. Each table could be a different animal or breed of dog or whatever really inspires your child. It is quite easy to find samples of animals on the Internet to use, either from photographs or from clip art. Little stuffed animals with name tags on them are a very creative way to identify the tables they are sitting at. It also serves as a nice small favor.
Books
If your child is an avid reader you can choose their favorite books as choices for tables. Posters of the book covers can be part of your centerpieces. A very creative way to make place cards is to design book marks with the book names on them, it is also a rather inexpensive favor. A nice Mitzvah project might be having your child collect donations to buy books for libraries or organizations that focus on underprivileged children.
Cooking/Food
With the increasing popularity of the Food Network, many children have taken an interest in cooking and are even considering it as a career choice. You can select your child's favorite foods, chefs, Food Network programs, or restaurants for table selections. For decorations of your tables take a trip to the dollar store and purchase some inexpensive cooking utensils. You might want to create menus for your seating cards. There are so many creative choices you can make when decorating your party room.
Candy:
Who of us does not love candy? I am always amazed at candy themed parties how many of the adults end up sneaking a piece of candy off the kids' tables. Each centerpiece could be your child's favorite candies. Each table could have samples of the candy scattered throughout the table. You might want to use a Candy Land Board as a base for your decorations. At the end of the night, you could provide a candy cart. Your guests loaded with bags could scoop up their favorite pieces of candy. The only problem with a candy theme is sometimes the kids end up on such a sugar high, that they might end up acting up a bit.
Call Bonnie Durkin, The Mitzvah Maven,
for assistance in selecting the theme for your
Bar/Bat Mitzvah party:
973-927-1588
[email protected]
for assistance in selecting the theme for your
Bar/Bat Mitzvah party:
973-927-1588
[email protected]
