Photo by Ira Casel. Birch wall, ceremony lighting, and mason jar installation by Eggsotic Events

In our last post, we mentioned that many of our bar and bat mitzvahs have a "Favorite Things" theme. We love designing parties that convey the celebrant's favorite hobbies, colors, and more.

This bat mitzvah, held in October at The Stone House at Stirling Ridge, had an eclectic mix of design inspirations:
• Amethyst: the gemstone and the color as well
• Nature, especially trees and moss
• Preservation: eco-friendly materials and reusable, recyclable elements
• Art, especially painting

We've worked extensively with Lori, Jillian's mom, who has planned fundraising galas for several years. She's done a wonderful job creating memorable, elegant events in the past, so of course Jilly's bat mitzvah was no exception.

We partnered with Laura of Laura Clare Designs and Carissa and her team at Stone House to create a one-of-a-kind celebration of all of Jilly's favorite things.

The Ceremony

For the ceremony, Jilly wanted a sophisticated outdoor setting that reflected her love of nature. We used our handmade birch wall backdrop and created a custom birch torah table, which at 5' x 5' makes a beautiful focal point in front of the birch wall.

We lined the aisle with our pewter lanterns, which held our handmade birch wood candle holders. Simple touches, like reusable natural candle holders and eco-friendly soy tealights, added to the environmental preservation theme. We also hung mason jar candle lanterns from the tree and used our battery-powered LED uplights to illuminate the trees in the ceremony area.

Here's a mini-gallery of ceremony photos:

Eggsotic Events NJ NYC Event Design Luxury Bat Mitzvah Stone House at Stirling Ridge Warren NJ Gemstones Birch Organic Art Nature Theme Decor and Lighting 01.jpg

The Cocktail Hour

The cocktail hour was held in the tent adjacent to the ceremony area. Since the guests would only be in the tent for a little while, we kept the lighting design simple. Amethyst purple uplighting and pin spots for the food stations made the cocktail tent look cohesive with the rest of the event. Laura Clare's tabletop lanterns completed the look.

The Reception

The reception lighting was bold and elegant, with purple and green uplighting and pin spotting for the centerpieces.

We used live trees and ferns to create an organic feel. We framed the kids' lounge area using ivory drape and portraits of Jilly. It was accented by Jilly's name in moss, provided by the client.

For entertainment, the family selected a photo booth, silhouette artist, and lots of games. We commissioned an interactive portrait artist to do live interactive painting. Jilly selected an inspiration image, our artist Marcelo created a foundation for the painting, and guests joined in throughout the party to add to the canvas. It turned out absolutely beautiful and makes a great keepsake for many years to come.

Laura Clare created gorgeous centerpieces and selected linens that tied the tabletops into the room decor perfectly.

Here's a gallery of images from the reception:

The planning for this mitzvah came together in a very short time, and the results were spectacular. Thank you to Lori, Jillian and family for including us in your special day! Read Lori's note from the next day below:

“I cannot express my gratitude enough for assuring that our vision for Jillian’s special day was carried out throughout the event. In fact you managed to exceed our vision! It truly was so beautiful and magical. Jillian was so so pleased with how everything looked.

With much appreciation and respect for your artistry :)

Warmly,
Lori”

Huge thanks to Ira Casel for sharing such beautiful photos of the day!

Photographer: Ira Casel Photography
Location: The Stone House at Stirling Ridge • Warren, NJ
Floral Decor: Laura Clare Designs
Calligraphy and Handwritten Signage: Belles Lettres Calligraphy • Mendham, NJ
Lighting, Trees, Interactive Painting, and Room Decor: Eggsotic Events