The Ultimate Guide On How To Plan A Bar Or Bat Mitzvah Party

At Piovra Group, we have built our entire business around creating impactful and meaningful experiences that will live on in memories for years to come. What better way to bring that to life than with one of the most important coming-of-age celebrations around, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs. If you are unfamiliar and find yourself asking what does Bar (or Bat) Mitzvah mean, it’s a religious initiation ceremony for a Jewish boy or girl, age twelve years and one day, regarded as the age of religious maturity. Why is a Bar (or Bat) Mitzvah important? It’s seen as a coming of age, when a child becomes an adult and is now responsible for living according to Jewish Law.

How do you throw a Bar/Bat Mitzvah party?

To make throwing a Bar Mitzvah party as easy as possible, we have put together 8 steps of a bar/bat mitzvah ceremony and how to plan for it.

1. Choose A Venue

You can throw a Bar/Bat Mitzvah party almost anywhere and have a large range of event spaces to choose from such as wedding banquet hall venues, small banquet halls, outdoor party venues, etc. When narrowing down your options, you will want to consider guest list size, food, décor, party flow, etc., to make sure the venue is perfect for what you envision. It is also important to discuss with the event planner onsite what they have to offer in terms of banquet hall services. Do they have furniture? Surround sound and lighting? Catering? These are important things to know when finding the right space.

2. Set A Date

Once you have decided on the venue, you will now want to set a date. You can work with the venue to see which dates are available, and then narrow it down based on an afternoon party or an evening party. Venues for Bar Mitzvah party can vary in pricing depending on the time of year, holidays, weekends and time of day, so you will want to make sure you can match your budget to what is available.

3. Choose Your Theme

Once you choose the event venue and date, you will want to choose a theme. This makes the rest of party planning so much easier and more enjoyable since you have a plan to work within. You can tie the theme to invitations, décor, centerpieces, cake, food and beverage, goodie bags and so forth. 

4. Food and Drinks

Next you will want to decide the kind of food and drink setup you will have. Do you want to do a cocktail hour before the main course with drinks and hors d’oeuvres? Do you want to do buffet style? Family style? A sit-down meal? All of these setups look very different from one another and are important to consider. For drinks, do you want to have kid-friendly options like Shirley temples and juice? These are all important things to consider for your party.

5. Entertainment

Now you will want to decide on entertainment. Do you want to have a DJ? Live music? A playlist? When considering music, you will want to make sure you have the appropriate setup for what you want such as a stage for a live band. Do you want to have other forms of entertainment such as a photobooth or games? This will take time to prepare and plan.

6. Invitations

You will want to make sure you send out invitations early enough for people to plan and attend, but not too early where they forget about the upcoming event. We think 4-6 weeks is the perfect sweet spot for timing. You will want to include the date, time, place and additional details for what to expect. The invite usually serves as a sneak peek for the theme and mood of the party as well.

7. Transportation

If guests are going to be coming in from out of town or you have a venue that is far away from the synagogue, you may want to consider providing transportation. This makes it easier and more convenient for your guests and is a common courtesy as the host. 

8. Photography

Lastly, you will want to hire a photographer for the event so you can capture the moment forever. You will want to make sure you check with the synagogue and the venue in terms of their policy on photos and you will want to decide if you want still and video photography, or just one over the other. 

We hope these steps help guide you as you begin planning your next Bar/Bat Mitzvah and we at Piovra Group are always happy to help you plan any step of the way.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: If I don’t know what I want the theme of the party to be, can you help plan that?

A: Of course! We can always help you build from scratch or if you have a few initial ideas, we can help bring them to life for you.

Q: Can you help negotiate pricing when it comes to the venues?

A: Yes we can. We will always be open and honest about realistic expectations, however, once we narrow down options for venues, we can negotiate with them individually.

Q: If I want still and video photography, will I have to hire two different photographers?

A: Not necessarily. There are quite a few photographers who are well-versed in both, it’s just a matter of finding one that offers both styles.