This young man became a bar mitzvah reading the Torah during a Saturday evening service. This simcha was followed by partying with family and friends and framily, friends that are like family. It was neat to see the venue transform from seating the guests for services into a space to celebrate, and celebrate they did! There were glow sticks, shiny objects on longer sticks, and donuts, which hopefully didn’t stick to anyone’s fancy dress!
I know I say it all the time, but when you are yourselves, I will have many So You moments to capture. This family is so genuine, and there were so many moments captured from beginning to end of this joyous event.
The mitzvah boy, Ryan, smiles easily. And his smile is contagious. I know most kids have a lot of fun at their mitzvah, but Ryan’s smile in these images is just beaming, and I can’t look at them without smiling!
Their reception was tons of fun. They could have gone full UM, but instead went with a College Game Day theme, and seeing their guests dressed to cheer on their favorite teams added so much good energy to the celebration!
These twins celebrated their mitzvah this weekend. I heard they rocked their service, followed by a sporty celebration, complete with a photo booth, airbrushed personalized favors, a magician, a game show, and candy ! They were all smiles as they partied with family and friends, which gave me plenty of 'so you' moments to capture!
The all-star cast of vendors included:
DJ: Jason Bank from Jammin' Express
Caterer / Venue: Renee from Bouer Catering Group at Beth Emet
Magician: Larry Greenberg
Decor: One of a Kind Party Design
Favors: Matthew "Fester" and Tammi Lipp from Fester Custom Airbrushing
I loved everything about this mitzvah! I love that families are celebrating mitzvahs in so many ways these days, and really customizing their celebrations to honor the mitzvah child. Jordan's Bar Mitzvah was held on a Thursday morning, early, before work and school, hence some of the sleepy faces (me too, kid!). The Torah is read on Monday, Thursday, and Shabbat mornings, among some other holidays, but a Bar Mitzvah can be conducted any time the Torah is read. Since in our community, congregation attendance on Shabbat morning exceeds that of a weekday service, that means Jordan's service was not crowded, easy-going, and chill. It also meant I could walk around and take great, intimate photos to capture the moments!
Jordan did not want the typical DJ Dance festivity, so this family partied Saturday evening at Top Golf in Miami Gardens. They had access to several golf bays, and an indoor reception space, where they brought in some games, including a pop-a-shot basketball hoop, which was a hit for him and his sports-loving friends!
Bar Mitzvahs are such a right of passage. And as it gets closer and closer to my own son's Bar Mitzvah this upcoming December, every mitzvah photo I work on and look at gives me all the feelings! But that's kind of the point of photography, right?! An image can take us back to a particular moment, and freezing 'so you' moments in time is my fave. Aaron was such a good-spirited mitzvah boy, who you can tell enjoys close friendships. It was a pleasure to capture this joyous occasion, and I can't wait to see what amazing things he does as he grows!
