The Fein B’Nai Mitzvah took place on October 10, 2020. The “Three Ring Circus” themed event had been planned for over two and a half years, but due to COVID-19, the celebration looked different than what the family had originally anticipated. With the help of 84 West Events, the Fein family was able to throw a safe and beautiful celebration on the original date as planned.
Even before Corona became a household name impacting everyone’s life, most parents could relate to the fact that family life can sometimes feel like a circus. For the Fein Family – Mom, Dad, and three kids Marisa, Mateo, and Leyla – it was no question the theme for their B’Nai Mitzvah was going to be “Three Ring Circus”.
Originally the Fein family had planned to celebrate the B’Nai Mitzvah by throwing an elaborate, indoor celebration for 300+ guests. Then COVID-19 showed up uninvited and tried to ruin the party plans. Not wanting to disappoint her kids by entirely cancelling this much-anticipated event, mom Michelle quickly turned to 84 West Events to figure out how to celebrate this important milestone for her kids in a safe and beautiful way.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the guestlist had to be drastically trimmed down and the venue changed to an outdoor location. The Fein family decided to hold the event in their private backyard and invited only 116 of their closest family and friends. However, the theme “Three Ring Circus” stayed intact.
The backyard had 3 tents to keep guests safe and socially distanced: one tent for Refreshments, one tent for Food, and the Celebration Tent that included the Candle Lighting.
“This was a unique, but great way to make sure the celebration continued,” said Jeff Greene of 84 West Events.
Guests were welcomed with custom masks featuring a custom event logo designed by 84 West Events. First, guests arrived in the beverage tent to cool off and have a refreshing drink before they were called to the candle lighting in the Celebration Tent. Round cocktail tables with red linen and red roses were placed throughout the refreshment tent. The candle lighting was broken up into a course of several hours and different friends and family came in on different shifts to do their candle lighting. The candle lighting station included a fun mini tent fit for the circus theme with every kid’s name on the table. After the Candle Lighting, guests were ushered to another tent to have their meals.
84 West Events created a livestream so guests could see a simulcast of events underway in the other tents. The tent process and structure allowed for intimate time you wouldn’t have gotten at a regular mitzvah.
The kids all loved seeing family and friends they hadn’t seen in over 8 months due to the pandemic. Leyla and Mateo loved the catering, especially the funnel cakes and cotton candy that were right on theme!
“For anyone considering hosting an event during this time, think about what the celebration is really about and what’s important. Huge events don’t provide more meaning, it’s about celebrating a major milestone in life while staying safe. Everything else is secondary,” The Fein family said.
Creative Team:
Production, Decor, DJ, Entertainment, Music, Live Streaming: 84 West Events | Day of Coordinator: Kyle Fahnestock | Photographer: Alison Frank | Catering: Hugh’s Culinary Catering | Rentals: Sunshine Tents and Event Rentals | Dessert: Sweet Treats by Jen | Makeup: Ivy Leez Luxe Makeup and Beauty Lounge | Dresses: Susan Rose | Masks: Atlas Embroidery and Screen Printing
od grown in a sustainable manner not only reduces your impact on the earth, but also ensures the freshest, most delicious flavors. Don’t throw away the extra food or forget to ask your caterer about composting and recycling options. See if leftovers can be donated
ok can be a sign up for volunteer opportunities or a pledge to help your Mitzvah charity in the future. Even better, have a Mitzvah station at your event where there is information on your charity and even a place to plan an activity like plant a seedling, fill a backpack with canned goods, etc. Speak to your DJ about organizing certain games or dances that will result in you donating a certain amount to the organization based on guest participation. Instead of giving kids individual gift cards to stores and/or apps think about giving them a gift card where they can donate back to a charity of their choice like Tisbest.org. The mitzvah project can be interwoven throughout the ceremony and reception to ensure that invited guests (and your Mitzvah child) don’t lose sight of what’s important. If your bar or bat mitzvah child wants to make Tikkun Olam part of his or her life, investigate organizations that support a cleaner environment. There are many local and rewarding “green” opportunities to plant a community garden, clean up a local beach or hold a recycling drive for electronics.