Friday, March 30, 2012

Five Unconventional Bar Mitzvah Party Themes

Having a bar mitzvah is a rite of passage for the young Jewish man, but that does not mean it has to be a boring party. Today’s Jewish families are pulling out all of the stops for this traditional party, and these less conventional party themes can be the ticket to an amazing evening that your youngster, and his friends, will not soon forget. You can also plan all of the party details around this single theme, from the bar mitzvah invitations to the colors of the balloons.

A Magical Party

Does this sound a bit too girly for a bar mitzvah? Think again. Why not throw a magic themed party complete with professional magician? Your guests can learn how to perform a magic trick, revel in the skills of the professional, and have a good time together at this party. The décor would be simple as well, as magical parties are quite popular.

Technology Themed Party

Does your young man love technology? Why not embrace this in his party. You can set up gaming systems for the kids to play, have displays about the latest technological gadgets, and embrace technology in the décor, invitations, and even the entertainment. This one takes a little bit of creativity, but it is well worth the effort when you provide your son with a party that highlights his true interests.

A Movie Theme

Embrace a favorite movie at your bar mitzvah. Choose something most of the guests will have seen, and incorporate the characters, music, and even some lines throughout the party. Research food ideas that go along with the movie as well to tie everything together. This is certainly untraditional, but fun nonetheless.

Mystery Theme

Instead of just a party, why not turn your event into a dinner theater? Invite the guests to solve a Sherlock Holmes style mystery as they interact with each other. Have an award for the one who successfully figured out who “done it,” and embrace mystery with your décor and lighting.

Game Theme

Entertainment is always a challenge at a Bar Mitzvah. Setting up tables with games throughout the hall solves this problem, and you can use “games” as your theme to boot. If your son has a favorite game, consider making that the primary theme. However, do not limit yourself to this game alone. Use many different games to keep the party going for a long time. This also allows you to incorporate younger kids into the party because you can use children’s board games at a few tables to give them something to do.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Unique Wedding Themes To Consider

Getting married is a big deal. Making that type of lifelong commitment will most likely be one of the most memorable moments of your life. To make sure that your wedding is all that you ever dreamed about and more, it is important to put time and effort into planning your perfect wedding. For starters, picking a unique wedding theme is important. Most of your decorations will go along with the theme that you choose. You may even want your invitations to match the unique theme of your wedding.

One fun and unique wedding theme idea would be to have an Ancient Roman wedding theme. Popular colors in Ancient Roman times include shades of red and gold, along with white and purple. Finding a combination of these colors for your wedding theme would look classic and unique. When it comes to choosing a wedding dress to match this theme, go for something that resembles toga styles but is also timeless and beautiful. The dress should be long and white with a trim of a beautiful rich gold. Good wedding favors for this theme include small bottles of wine and classy wine openers.

A Disney themed wedding is another unique approach when it comes to a theme for that special day. Disney wedding invitations can be given out to guests and can include pictures of different Disney characters, such as Mickey Mouse and Cinderella. The bride should ultimately wear a princess wedding gown to fit the theme of the Disney wedding, and the groom should wear a tuxedo. The cake would look amazing shaped like a castle. Bridesmaids should wear long light blue dresses, somewhat like Cinderella. Ribbons and flowers would make for perfect accessories. The bride-to-be should arrive in true Disney style to her groom on a beautiful horse carriage.

Another unique wedding theme would be to have a sports themed wedding. Some men and women connect over their love for a specific sport. If this is the case, why not incorporate the sport into the wedding? The colors will depend on which sport the bride and groom choose. For example, if the sport is hockey, the couple can choose colors of their favorite hockey team for the decorations and theme of the wedding. Ultimately, it is up to the bride and groom to choose the perfect theme for their special wedding day.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Planning an Elegant and Modern Wedding

Today's bride has a lot of options when it comes to planning her big day. The wedding is symbolic of starting a journey in life together with one's partner, and there is a lot of planning required to make this day perfect. The first choice today's bride will face is what style of wedding best suits her needs and her personality. Two of the most common options are the traditional wedding and the modern wedding. Modern weddings can refer to destination weddings or weddings that are hybrids of tradition weddings infused with today’s culture. These hybrids may include an outdoor wedding or a trendier more modern reception.

Depending upon the type of modern wedding a bride chooses, the planning required from her can be very minimal. For example, brides who want a small wedding with just a few key relatives and friends may consider a destination wedding as an excellent option. The majority of the wedding planning is done by the resort after discussing your preferences. This alleviates the bride from having to worry about the decorations, seating, flowers, photographs, etc. and allows the bride to enjoy her day. Bride's who prefer to be more involved in the crafting of their wedding day may choose to have a traditional ceremony in a church or an outdoor wedding. Either option lends itself to the bride having a modern wedding.

The key to an elegant, modern reception is simplicity. Sleek lines and minimalism are the main ideas to embrace when designing an elegant and chic wedding. The wedding’s theme should be carried throughout every aspect; starting with modern wedding invitations and carrying through to the atmosphere of the reception.


Think sleek and simple for all aspects of the wedding including the dresses and the cake. An example of an elegant wedding cake would be done in fondant and accented with a few large flowers and ribbons in the wedding colors. Another trendy option is personal cupcakes for every guest at the wedding. Again, these should be decorated simply. This is a case where less is more. Using key colors that pop and a few large accents can really pull the look of a modern wedding together and prevent it from being too overwhelming.

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Off topic, but I wanted to get your feedback. I just started playing around with twAitter: http://www.twaitter.com/profile/chandlerday44.aspx


Has anyone else tried it out? Your thoughts? Thanks!

Friday, March 25, 2011

Unique Wedding Invitations Guarantee A Memorable Occasion

Save the date cards and wedding invitations are part of a time honored tradition. Many engaged couples believe that a beautiful and well crafted wedding invitation is an essential part of the special occasion. While some couples follow the conventional invitation etiquette, others hope to represent their relationships through the invite. Couples can express themselves by adding surprise elements to their unique wedding invitations.

An exceptionally designed wedding invitation is something that guests will recall years after the special day ends. It is how a couple invites guests to celebrate and share their most memorable moment. Whether the invite is charming, quirky, fun or refined, it should reflect who the bride and groom are as individuals and what they mean to each other as a unit. By customizing a wedding invitation or save the date notice, a couple can give friends and family a glimpse into what makes their relationship special.

There are many different methods for making an invitation distinctive. One way to make an invite memorable is to create an invitation box. The invitation is placed in the bottom of a box, and small gifts that match the theme of the wedding are placed on top. Another way to make the invite stand out is by using a pouch invitation. This is a pocket-filled sack that holds the invitation and items like engagement photos, maps to the event and city guides.


A pouch or box invitation is a great way to get guests excited for the big event. Another way to entice them into excitement is to place customized puzzles in the invitation. These can be in the form of crosswords, word searches or math-related riddles. Use the puzzles to reveal when and where the special occasion will take place. A specially shaped invitation that reflects the theme of the wedding is also a good way to elevate interests. It can be used as a clue for what the guests can expect if they attend the wedding.

For a couple wanting to show their humorous side, a pop-up invitation is ideal. The pop-up aspect can feature a photo of the twosome, the wedding venue or anything representing the couple. Wrapping an invitation with silk ribbon or embellishing it with embroidery and other adornments adds a touch of sophistication. Whether the design is simple or ornate, a wedding invitation should reflect the union of two unique and special people.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

The Great Printing Debate: Flat Printing or Letterpress?

You are finally getting married and are in the process of creating the amazing wedding you have always dreamed about. Yet now that you are actually in the middle of it all, you might be feeling a little overwhelmed by all of the options and decisions to make. This article will hopefully help eliminate one of those tough decisions by making it easy to pick a type style for your customized wedding invitations.

Letterpress

This beautiful printing style has long been popular for creating elegant wedding invitations. The printing process is slightly complicated, requiring the production of special plates for each piece of the invitation. Each plate can only be used for one color. Therefore, invitations using two colors require double the amount of plates, while those using three different colors call for three times as many plates. The plates are inked and pressed into high quality cotton paper, all done manually. This somewhat tedious process pays off, however. Letterpress invitations are truly works of art in themselves, beautiful and elegant.
Source: http://www.bellafigura.com/images/designs/deveril-letterpress-sample-1.jpg

There is one downside to letterpress printing and its effect is significant. Due to all of the labor of creating plates and manually printing the invitations, as well as the extra high quality paper that is used, the cost of letterpress can be substantial. Many brides feel that letterpress invitations simply don't fit in to their budget. Thankfully there is another beautiful option.

Flat Printing

This printing option is fairly self explanatory. Rather than creating plates and pressing the words on to the page, ink is applied to the page and soaks in to the paper. When you touch the words you cannot feel the letters as they are not raised off the paper. With the right colors and font styles, however, the invitation can looked engraved. Flat printing makes it easy to include colors on your invitation without upping labor and cost. No special plates are needed, eliminating another big cost of letterpress. The effects can be very elegant, especially when the colors and fonts are carefully chosen.

Letterpress, while beautiful, is costly. If you can afford to use it you should certainly consider letterpress. For those of you on a stricter budget or who prefer to use the money for another part of the wedding, flat printing is the way to go. No matter which printing style you choose, you can be sure it will result in beautiful invitations.