Happy Saturday to you all, and happy birthday to Zack, who celebrated his 13th birthday yesterday! The celebration was held at 26 Bridge in Brooklyn, with roughly 135 guests. The venue, which is basically a large open space with exposed brick walls, was the perfect place to set the hip-hop-themed event.
Guests were given New York landmark table assignments, and the centerpieces were all handmade by graffiti artist, Steven McKenzie. Steven also created all of the trucker hats given to all of the guests as they left the party. The colorful designs were truly unique, and were a great way to tie in the theme of the event.
Now let’s get to the good stuff…the food! All of the food (created by caterer, Scoozie Events), from the appetizers to the dinner buffets, were foods found commonly in New York City, though taken to a gourmet level. There was even a ramen burger for the gluten free among us. Every morsel was served beautifully in an innovative way. My favorite of the appetizers was a rack of pretzels and cheese (note the individual cheese dispensers).
For dinner, there were three food stations — a hot dog stand, an Italian pasta station, and a taco/burger station — set up in three different parts of the room to avoid overcrowding. Each dish was served in unique trays or boxes that gave the food a precious quality.
Dessert was a milkshake bar that the kids went absolutely crazy over. There were a variety of flavors, and then a myriad a colorful, candy toppings that the kids could add at will. And of course, this NYC bar mitzvah ended with a cake in the shape of the subway.
Events for the day included a basketball hoop set up in the back corner of the space, and plenty of games coordinated by the DJs for the party, Mikey and Marc. The DJs were fantastic. They played great music, seemed to really enjoy interacting with the kids, and got the guests on their feet and dancing. Marc even wrote and performed a surprise rap to honor Zack’s big day.
The hora was the highlight of the day, and Zack, his parents, brother, and grandparents were all lifted up in chairs high above the guests. Everyone had a great time, and most importantly, no one was dropped.
Toasts were another meaningful part of the day, and in addition to family members, several friends of Zack got up and gave their best wishes.
Blessing over the challah given by Zack’s grandfather
The day ended with a performance by the breakdancing group, Emphasis Entertainment. Zack was led onto the dance floor and taught a few moves. The group did some absolutely incredible acrobatics, including this head spin:
Brooklyn-Bar-Mitzvah-Photographer-videoOf course, the entire day could not have been possible if not for the amazing organizational skills and creativity of Hold Your Hand Events. Vicki and Alexis put on another great party, and it was fantastic to work with them (again!). I’ve gotten spoiled working with these ladies, as every event they do comes off without a hitch.
Enjoy the photos!
Venue: 26 Bridge
Event planner: Hold Your Hand Events, Vicki and Alexis
Caterer: Scoozi Events NYC; Geoff Karnish
DJ: White Label DJs, Mikey Palms and Marc
Graffiti artist: Steven McKenzie
Cake: La Promenade
Breakdancers: Emphasis Entertainment
If you would like to see more photos by Brooklyn bar mitzvah photographer, Kelly Williams, please visit my website.
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