Mitzvah Planning: A Few Of My Favorite Things

Here are a few of my favorite things when planning a Bar or Bat Mitzvah:

· Taking the chosen theme through all of the party elements, like decor, prizes, place cards, and desserts.

· Planning the schedule - Find the schedule that meets the caterer’s, entertainer’s and family's needs; don't assume these are the same!

· Menu Planning - always looking for unusual food elements that fit the hosts and their guests: Cones of French fries? Individual lava cakes? Kid's pasta bar?

· Place card selection - so many unusual, theme related items can serve as place cards: shells, sun glasses, lollipops, and more.

· Meeting and promoting vendors - There are some wonderful people who provide excellent, reliable services and maintain values consistent to mine. Not every vendor’s style fits every client so it’s often challenging getting the combination right.

· Finding fun prizes and give-aways for the kids and the adult guests at the party – from “floor trash” to “activity take aways” to “big prizes”.

· Day Of Management – The best bang for your buck! I know that my clients really benefit from having someone to manage the event. I manage the vendors and the schedule, schlep the challah, napkins, place cards, and prizes, avoid disasters and solve problems that the hosts never even know about. I have located lost buses of children, seated extra guests, and plunged toilets - to name a few of the tasks.

Everything You Need to Know About Electronic Party Invitations

By Frances Archer, guest blogger

Remember back when people used to question whether online party invitations were socially acceptable substitutions for paper invitations?

It’s no longer a question. Now nearly everyone is using online invitations for all types of events and the only question is which one you works best for your needs. Here’s a quick look at some of the options.

Evite http://www.evite.com/ Easy to follow steps to creating a personalized party invitation. Many designs and themes available. If you just want to invite guests and track their responses, this may be the best choice for you.

My Punch Bowl http://www.mypunchbowl.com/ More of a start to finish party planning site, electronic invitations included, all at one site.

Socializr http://www.socializr.com/ Invites plus social networking. It used to be edgier than evite but that’s not necessarily true anymore. If you want to chat about your party planning with others, you’ll enjoy this site.

Zoji http://www.zoji.com/ Fun site for organizing events for a group that meets regularly. Think girls night out, skating parties, poker nights. Lots of social networking features including photos. Your entire group would have to join zoji to use the site effectively.

Crush3r http://crush3r.com/ Great features for getting together groups. Good for users who are very comfortable with social networking and don’t need a lot of prompting on how to use interactive websites.

Facebook www.facebook.com You can also create an event on Facebook and send invitations out to your Facebook Friends. They’ll have the option of replying “Yes,” ‘No,” or “Maybe.” How well Facebook works for events depends on the type of event and the size. You also should know whether your guest regularly use Facebook to be sure they’ll see your invitation.

Paperless Post http://www.paperlesspost.com/session/new If you are a traditionalist, you don’t have to give up the elegant looks and creative flair of custom paper stationery if you go the Paperless Post route. This site offer gorgeous choices. It’s free to join and you get 25 stamps free for joining, but you’ll need to buy additional stamps if you have a larger guest list. Paperless Post stamps cost less than regular U.S.P.S. stamps. You also be able to track your guests’ responses via Paperless Post.

Here is a handy list with the basic do’s and don’ts for using electronic party invitations: http://articles.latimes.com/2009/dec/06/image/la-ig-digital6-2009dec06

How about you? Have you used email invitations? What’s your favorite site?

Guest blogger Frances Archer helps small business and organizations use social media. Find out more about her work at www.content1st.wordpress.com.

RSVP - Why Bother?

There is some debate in the party community about how to deal with the RSVP. Some invitations give phone numbers, emails, dates to respond by, others ask for regrets only, or don't specify at all. What is the proper etiquette?

The party host should specify the information they need to run a successful party. The invitee should reply as asked. It's that simple.

if you are the person hosting the party, ask for exactly what you need. If you need an exact number 5 days in advance, then ask. Specify how to best contact you, and give a reply date. Do follow up if you don't hear. Do not follow up/call/badger for more information or earlier information than you requested. A tie dye or a cooking party, for which materials are being ordered or created for exact numbers, require knowledge of who is coming. A magician party or a rental blow-up play house does not need an exact count. Be realistic, ask because you need the information. The reason I suggest a follow up call? Not only might you require the information, but sometimes that call can catch a lost or miss-mailed invitation.

If you are the recipient of an invitation with an RSVP, PLEASE RESPOND as requested. Do not apply your own philosophy to the situation. I had a Mom once tell me that she never responds as a policy, she believes in regrets only. Well, good for her, but its not what the host wanted or needed. It is not too much to ask to be considerate!

Finally, always include in your response if you will be late or need to leave early... again, it's just polite!

Best Themes for 2010

We are a week into 2010! Here is my theme forecast for this year:

• Tie Dye - Always Strong, never fades.



• Hunts of all kinds - I offer a Mystery Party, an Amazing Race Party, scavenger hunts, web hunts, hunts of all kinds, and a new Mall Hunt!



• Fluff-N-Stuff - Who doesn't LOVE making and cuddly new friend?



• Around the World - Stay-cation? Travel without leaving your home.



• Spa Retreat - A little pampering never hurts!

What is your prediction for 2010? Let us know your favorites -

My best Entertaining tips of 2009

With around 100 children's parties and events under my belt in 2009, here are some of the best tips I've learned this year:

• Don't make your party too long - bored kids are dangerous!


• Keep all nuts (the tree kind!) out of your party - You never know.


• Don't trust the weather, always have a back-up location planned.


• Splurge on staff, its always best to have enough hands.


• Have enough food - kids eat more as they get older, adjust!


• Cupcakes are easy to serve and loved by all.


• Remove or don't use expensive furniture - they are kids, after all.


• RSVP! What's with not RSVPing?


• Leave pets off the invite list.


• If a child does not want to participate, don't force it.


• Defrost your ice cream cake ahead of cutting time!


• Always stay calm and keep a smile on your face.


• Make sure the birthday child has the BEST time.

Are we there yet?

What is the appropriate duration for your child's party? Easy, there are only a few options to choose from and these are mostly dictated by age:

1) If the party kid is 5 and under, always go with an hour and a half. These kids are very young and their attention span is short. If you want to leave it open that your good friends stay around after the party and the kids can watch a show or play independently in the basement after most people have gone home, fine. But do not put cake - the standard final event at a party - outside of the hour and a half.

2) If the party kid is between 6 and 8, the party can either be an hour and a half or two hours. The kids can handle either time span, it really depends on what you are doing, what you have paid for, and what food you are serving. If you have only one small art project, not serving a meal, and have 30 7 year olds in your home, go with the shorter option. If the seven year olds have a full schedule of crafts and games, you are serving lunch too, and there are 15 ofthem, if will be more fun and less rushed to use the full two hours.

3) if the party kid is 9 or above, then a two, or even three hour party is appropriate. Crafts, games, and activities can be longer and more focused. The kids will also just need some time to hang out. Most organized activities will be two hours with food time, then, if you want, put on a movie, let the kids listen to music, or just talk. The older they are, the less likely they are to be getting into trouble or running crazily all over your house.

The length of the party is dependant on mostly the age of the kids, but also, take into consideration the amount and type of structured activities, whether you are serving food, what is included in what you paid for, and number of kids to space. In the end, do what feels best for you - parties are supposed to be fun!

Timing is Everything

Time of year, day of the week, time of day - all part of the very important first decisions of planning your party. Just like the challenge of the "where" and "how", "when" looms bright on the radar.

Consider your guests - a kids party works best on a weekend day, or weekend evening, or on a holiday day off school. That's when the kids are available, and "that's when I can drive!" says Amy, a very busy mother of three.

What time of day? Many Moms who plan parties with Have A Bashery want to know. Age of the children can be a factor - avoid nap times if they are very little. Consider their age with how late in the evening you can go.

My most frequent question back to the Mom who asks about timing is: Do you want to serve food? If lunch or dinner is used in the theme of the party, or the host wants to serve a meal, then the best times are 11:00 - 1:00 or 4:00 - 6:00. If the host wants to avoid serving anything more than cake and/or snacks, then 10:00 - 11:30, 1:00 - 3:00, or 2:00 - 4:00 work fine. If you want to avoid serving any significant food, avoid crossing over the traditional meal hours of 12 noon - 1:00pm or 5:00 - 6:00pm. Also, anything scheduled before 10:00am should include some sort of breakfast treat.

Rule of thumb: When timing is at all close to mealtime, specify in your invitation your intentions. "Desert will be served" implies that no meal is included in the festivities, just like "lunch will be served" is also obvious. Guests appreciate your letting them know what to expect.

Another Rule of thumb: Do what works best for you and the very most important people invited to the party (the people without whom the party can't happen, like very very best friends). For your invited guests, the party will either fit in their schedule or not, just let them know what to expect.

How long should the party be? Check in next week....