The Bar Mitzvah Havdalah: Making an Old Tradition Fresh Again

In its broadest sense, the Havdalah is a Jewish religious ceremony that marks the end of Shabbat (the Saturday Sabbath) and holidays.  Some branches of Judaism also include the Havdalah as part of the Bar Mitzvah celebration. It’s a traditional and beautiful service that seems to be growing in popularity, especially for Bar Mitzvah families  not wanting to do a morning service and an evening party.

Many families, not wanting to share the bema in the morning with another family, or those who are not closely associated with a temple, have been able to use their party location for the Havdalah service, much like we do for ceremonies in weddings.

A Bat Mitzvah we photographed recently for Jacqueline illustrates this beautifully.  Our photographer captured the most important elements of this service: the teacher, the torah and the family’s emotions.  Arlene Rosenthal of Party Ideas created a beautiful setting for the service and the party that followed.

Vendors:

Planner and D̩cor РArlene Rosenthal at Party Ideas, Westport
CT arlene@partyideasct.com

DJ and Games – Hal Prince Music http://www.halprince.com/

Location – Shenorock Shore Club

Photographer- Jennifer DelCastillo for 5^th Avenue Digital

No Storm Stopped These Mitzvah Photographers

We recently shot a Bat Mitzvah that took place on the Saturday of Hurricane Sandy.  The first challenge for 5^th Avenue Digital’s photographers was just getting to the event, which took place in New Jersey, in the midst of the gas crisis.  But our intrepid crew found a way and everything went off without a hitch.  Despite the storm, the planner pulled the details together and this Chanel-themed Bat Mitzvah was came off as planned, with lots of style – even its own runway, so all the girls could strut their stuff!

Read the rest of this entry »

How to Prepare for Making a Bar Mitzvah or Bat Mitzvah Album

After the kids go to camp, it has been our experience that moms do all the things they can’t do during the busy school year. One of our joys is working with moms to complete their bar mitzvah albums. There is no better time to go through all your pictures from the event than while you are missing them. Here are some tips on getting started with narrowing down your selection. Once you’ve organized the images, you’ll be ready to schedule a phone meeting so we can order your album. Read the rest of this entry »

5th Avenue Digital’s YouBooth Continues to Snap, Crackle and Pop!

Our YouBooth photo booth keeps growing in popularity and it’s a huge hit for Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, birthday parties and corporate events.  This week, the YouBooth was in play at all three types of events!   The YouBooth was featured at an Event Planners Association event, a 30^th birthday party, a kids’ birthday party and a Bar Mitzvah.  Whew!  That’s a whole lotta snappin’ going on.

Check out the fun photos below!

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]

A Bat Mitzvah Girl’s Dream Comes True

At five feet and seven inches, Isabel never really considered herself a contender for Next Top Model, but she’s still loved getting in front of a camera almost since the day she born.  Clothes have always loved Isabel, and Isabel has always had the right amount of style and attitude to pull off her amazing sartorial selections.

As her Bat Mitzvah approaches this November, Isabel and her family wanted to create a glamorous affair at The Capital Theater.  Isabel’s mom asked 5^th Avenue Digital to set up a modeling shoot in advance of the Bat Mitzvah, so they could have great photos to use for the sign-in book and other décor elements at the Mitzvah party.  That was the original reason for doing the shoot, but what resulted was an interesting realization.

Modeling is hard work, and everyone learned soon enough that it’s not nearly as exciting as a 13 year –old Bat Mitzvah girl would imagine.  There was more time spent sitting still in a make-up chair than there was in front of the camera.  The dresses were gorgeous, but heavy and a little itchy.  By the end of the day, our Bat Mitzvah girl was exhausted! Read the rest of this entry »

Mitzvah Albums: The Best Cure for Moms who Miss their Kids at Camp

During these hot summer months, we witness an interesting phenomenon: an uptick in calls from mothers who want an album made of their child’s Bar/Bat Mitzvah. Many times this happens because their children are at camp and are sorely missed at home!  For those with children at summer camp, you know that while you are happy they are making friends, learning independence and having fun, you also miss them a lot.

We have found that one of the ways that mothers get over missing their beloved children while they are away is by looking through old photos of them, especially those from family events. You probably have some hastily thrown together photo book of your child’s Bar/Bat Mitzvah, but very likely it is missing some photos or is not very well organized.

Thankfully, we have a solution. You can either meet with us at our 5th Avenue Digital office and we would be happy to help you organize your photos or you can upload your images directly to our sister site www.albumboutique.com and facilitate your album that way.

Following the easy 4-step process outlined below, you can have an amazing keepsake album at home waiting for your child’s return from camp. It’s a great gift, and a perfect way to keep a memory alive forever.

Four Step Album Creation

1.  Separate your pictures into piles: Portraits, Service, Cocktails, Celebration.

2.  Separate these pictures further into piles: child alone, child with mom and dad, child with friends, etc…

3.  Pick favorites from each pile.

4.  Narrow down images to the number you want in your album – most albums have between 50 and 60 images.

It’s that simple.  Shortly after submitting your order, you’ll receive an electronic proof of the album pages, so you can review the design and make any changes. A few weeks after approving the design, your album will arrive! It will make any mother’s heart sing to see their pride and joy in a beautiful and professional photo album.

Here at 5th Avenue Digital we are 100% dedicated to helping you relive memories and moments from the special times in your life.  Give it a try and see for yourself how easy it is to make your memories last a lifetime.

Photography for a Mad, Mad, Mad Hatter Mitzvah

What does it take to create a unique and interesting mitzvah event?
Many people would answer that question with: a big, juicy budget.  While a generous budget may pave the way, I have to say that I have seen outstanding creativity in the production of one mitzvah this winter that was not done on a large budget. Read the rest of this entry »