Anna's Bat Mitzvah at 1705 East

“If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough”

— Ellen Johnson

What an incredible first event of the year! My heart has always been with weddings but mitzvah celebrations have never ever disappointed. These incredible teens work so hard to prepare for their ceremony and their friends and families reward with so much love and happiness as they dance the night away. The first time I met Anna was actually just after her ceremony which is usually not how I work, but it was necessary due to traveling arrangements and whatnot so as soon as I met her I asked her like a million questions and absolutely loved her right away!

She is THE CUTEST! When I asked her what she was most looking forward to with the party she said the food! With good reason too! 1705 East is amazing; she had a Banana's Foster Bar and everything! Of course Lyn at Fresh Affairs worked with Alisha to make the whole event a night to remember! Anna chose a fire and ice theme and they went all out with the decorations; every guest also participated by wearing red and white and the DJs joined in on the fun with a fog machine! I don't think anyone will soon forget this night!

I'm so happy for you and proud of you Anna!! Thank you for letting me participate in your most epic day!

The Vendors who made the Day Possible

Photographer: Cynthia Viola

Synagogue: Beth Meyer

Rabbi: Eric Solomon

Reception Venue & Catering: 1705 East

Event Designer: Lyn Graves with Fresh Affairs

Photobooth: Shutterbooth

DJ: Spin

Ice Sculpture: Ice Occasions of NC

Favors: Oo Shirts

Invitations: Event Prints

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If you enjoyed this post, you might also enjoy: Other Bar and Bat Mitzvahs

Anna's Bat Mitzvah at Carolina Inn

“You don’t have time to be timid. You must be bold and daring”

— Lumière, Beauty and the Beast

I continue to be blown away by the process of pre-teen becoming a Bar or Bat Mitzvah. The weeks of extra classes, homework, language and life skills is rigorous, but they always come out on the other side this incredible, maturing young adult. Anna is no different. 

She was quite possibly the sweetest most innocent little beauty I'd ever met when we originally began planning her big day, and just a few short weeks later she was standing confidently in front of her family and peers not just reciting what she'd learned, but teaching. She gained a wisdom and confidence in her lessons that made her stronger. 

I'm hardly surprised though, Her Rabbi is incredible. When we were practicing the rehearsal at Kehillah Synagogue Rabbi Jen said, "Don't be afraid of losing your place or stumbling over the words. We are all here right beside you to help you through if you do. In fact, I'd rather you make a mistake to show you that it's ok and you will survive. Those who manage to go through it perfectly the first time don't get the life lesson of standing back up after they've fallen."

What incredible advice. Don't fear mistakes, but expect them and be excited about the wisdom you'll glean from them. 

Her party was perfect of course. With not one, but TWO phenomenal DJs, DJ A-Minor and DJSK, and the Elevate Motivational Dancers, the dance floor was full all night. Annas family flew in from all over the country and were such a joy to celebrate with. Here's a few images from the celebration! 

The vendors who made the day possible: 

Photography: Cynthia Viola Photography

Ceremony Venue: Kehillah Synagogue, Chapel Hill

Reception Venue: Carolina Inn, Chapel Hill

Coordinator: Tiffany with The Details Events, Raleigh

DJs: DJ A Minor & DJSK

Entertainment: Elevate Motivational Dancers

Photobooth: Shutterbooth

Flowers: Alicia with Floral Expressions

Uplighting: DJ Rang

Favors: Miel Bon Bons, Durham

Balloons and Centerpieces: Balloons and Tunes

Vendor Series - The DJ & Videographer - Damien Maass

“What I love most about this crazy life is the adventure of it.”

— Juliette Binoche

As a way to better serve our couples, over the next few months I will be highlighting and interviewing a few of our favorite wedding vendors as well as others in the community who directly impact the new life of the young couple. I want to ask them why they love what they do, some tips for couples navigating this new territory and pitfalls that can be avoided. 

This week I want to highlight one of my favorite humans on the planet. Damien and I met at a Bat Mitzvah two years ago and it's been quite the adventure ever since. He is one of the most genuine, kind, and cheerful people I've ever had the pleasure of working with. He never has a harsh word for another vendor or a client, he's easy to work with; if I want to try something a little crazy he's totally down whether he's DJing or holding the camera. He has the same mission I do...to work well together so we can serve the clients better. 

Patrick and Madi are part of his video team and are equally amazing to work with. Professional, lighthearted and so very talented. 

Once, we were doing a Bar Mitzvah together and one of my off camera flash batteries died right as Damien was getting ready to start the Hora dance... he and I locked eyes and he saw the panic in mine. Without a second's hesitation he backtracked and announced it would actually start in just a second then asked me what I needed. He gave me time to swap the batteries out and get back in place so they were able to get the best photos. Being a videographer too he is so knowledgable about everything the photographer needs and goes out of his way to accommodate, which only helps to serve our clients better. I would have him at every wedding I shoot if I could. 

Here are just a few of the questions I asked about how he works and what couples need to know, he is always ready and willing to answer any and every question you may have though, just contact him on his website here. 

Q: How do you manage to DJ and Video at the same time at a wedding? What do you delegate to your team and what do you do yourself?

A: A lot of planning goes into a wedding as you know and when we are providing both DJ & Video services great teamwork is essential alongside all the planning. There are three main parts to the wedding day when we provide both services; Bridal Party prep, Ceremony and the Reception. I will shoot for the first part of the day before transitioning into a DJ and my two other videographers will take over full time from that point. It is very seamless and I am lucky to have an amazing team in place. Two of our team members are also FAA licensed drone pilots for our aerial videography. We work at our craft constantly to ensure things happen, as they should on the wedding day.

Q: Why is it important for a couple to have a cinematographer capture their wedding when they already have a photographer?

A: It’s funny but I hear it all the time from married couples who chose not to have one that they regret not having a wedding video. There is so much the couple will miss during the day. Photos & video tell the same story but in a different way and both if are done well, they are amazing keepsakes. A great video becomes something that you’ll watch over and over initially and then every anniversary you’ll get to revisit that incredible day in a special way. This isn’t your parent’s wedding video anymore either. We specialize in short-form wedding films, which means we focus on making amazing cinema style productions that you’ll want to watch over and over again. We use only the best possible cameras & lenses along with real storytelling techniques in our editing to make our films unique to whatever event we are filming.

Q: What do you think a couple will regret the most by not having a cinematographer?

A: So much of the wedding day will be a blur especially with everything that is going on so fast and a great wedding video can bring that amazing day back to life. To me there is nothing like capturing the emotion of day with not only video but with the actual audio. To hear the vows, people laughing, to see all the places you couldn’t be, it just brings the entire day to life in a fun, emotional and entertaining way.

Q: What are some of the biggest hurdles couples face when choosing a DJ that fits their unique style?

A: First and foremost: is this someone I want to work with on one of the most important days of my life! Will they listen to my detailed requests, can I choose my own music, do they work well with other vendors, are they professional sounding, do they use top sound equipment, etc. Every couple and wedding day is different and a big part of my job to be really good at listening to what couples want or don’t want. We take into account their venue, guest list, music tastes and what kind of party flow they want. We want to make sure that the reception is a blast with the music they want to hear and done in a style that fits in, without being over the top.

Q: What do you do to ensure that you play music the couple will love as well as the mixed crowd of guests attending?

A: One thing that experience does is give you the ability to read a crowd quickly, use the couple’s requests along with what you know will work to keep the dance floor popping! We have two very helpful online wedding planners that couples can use before the wedding to select music and plan the reception details. We try to stay as organized as we can so things come off as they should. These are things we go over with couple’s beforehand so they are comfortable and can look forward to having a great time. Guests requests are also important; and as long as those songs go with the energy on the floor I am all for it.

Q: What do you do if you get a crowd that just doesn't seem to want to dance? 

A: Great question and again this is an area where experience and honing your craft make a big difference. Whether it’s by playing a really familiar fun song, one of the many interactive fun dances, bridal party requests or even a great slow song to get the floor packed. Once you got people up build on it and keep it going!

Q: What brings you the most joy at a wedding and brings you back for more week after week?

A: Its kind of cliché but this is a real passion for me. I hosted a morning show on radio for several years as well as acting, doing voiceovers but there nothing like a live event. And what’s better than being a part of a celebration? Seeing how happy these couples are and how much fun they are having during their wedding day is incredible and I feel so lucky to be doing this for a living. We started providing the wedding video part of the business about 5 years ago and that just opened up a whole new level of excitement and fun. I truly look at each event we do as unique and different. It’s a major reason why I decided to keep the business small so we can give each wedding the attention that it deserves. I love it!

I hope you find this helpful and you see why I give Damien all the stars! He, Madi and Patrick are so great to work with and I know they won't disappoint. I also wanted to include one of his highlights from the most recent wedding we all did together, enjoy!

Lexi's Bat Mitzvah at Embassy Suites Brier Creek

“When you dance, your purpose is not to get to a certain place on the floor. It’s to enjoy each step along the way”

— Wayne Dyer

I knew Lexi and I were a great fit when I saw how she picked on her big brother at our first meeting. (and he wasn't even there) :) It's obvious they adore each other and that just makes me so happy. I love good sibling relationships. 

Lexi and Ricky both decided to do their Bat/Bar Mitzvah training online with Debbi, a marvelous wanderer who appreciates all the beauty in life and gives back through officiating all the important ceremonies in peoples' lives. 

Lexi blew me away with her beautiful interpretation of her Torah Portion. Standing proud in front of her family and peers at Embassy Suites, she talked about the importance of serving those who need help, particularly the hungry. She spent several weeks during her lessons collecting food for the food bank to be able to serve children who were going to bed hungry. Her goal is to see world hunger come to an end. She has such a beautiful heart. 

All day long her family and friends cheered her on and showered her with love as she celebrated this epic life event; I'm so happy I got to be a part of it! Lexi is a dancer, as are many of her friends, so they had some serious moves on the dance floor. Damien certainly did not disappoint either! He is my absolute favorite DJ; he can read a crowd better than anyone and really knows how to get kids excited and on the floor. 

Help me cheer Lexi on and enjoy some of my favorite images from the day!

Proud of you Lexi! I know your entire family is as well! Can't wait to see all the good you're going to continue to do in the world! Thank you for letting me be a part of your big celebration!

Venue/Catering: Jill Eaker at Embassy Suites Brier Creek

DJ: Damien Maass

Cantor: Debbi Ballard

Party Dress: Macy's

Photobooth: Zimzoom

Balloons: Judy at Blooming Balloons

Favors and Invitations: Aunt Ellen and Betsy :)