Gillian's Bat Mitzvah

Oh My Gillian!

    Gillian Shenkman became a Bat Mitzvah on March 17, 2012 completing her services at Shaaray Tefila in Bedford, New York. The service was followed by an afternoon of excitement at her celebration, which was held at Pleasantville Country Club in Pleasantville, New York. 

   Gillian's theme originally came from the idea of the common phrase, "OMG." She and her friends decided it was only fitting for the theme to transform into "Oh My Gillian," considering her love for social networking. 

    Gillian and her mom, Betsy, decided it was best to make the party as kid-friendly as possible complete with entertainment and games that still gave the party a casual, but funky vibe for this kids only party. No parents to take over the dance floor at this party! Gillian's shimmery colors of teal  and silver were plastered as much as possible throughout the celebration. 

Customized Teal Yamakas that include Gillian's name and date!

    Photography was provided by the talented Chad Kraus and other companies or people who helped make this day special will be listed at the end!

Gillian's logo was created by graphic designer Jennifer Ives from her company Chives Creative. Alissa Harvey, who owns King's Scribe in Chappaqua, NY, is also responsible for the fun invitations that represented Gillian to the T.

Gillian's color scheme for the invites set the theme for the celebration. On the RSVP card, 
her logo was written on the side along with an iPhone.

The party was held at Pleasantville Country Club

The sign pictured was created by the owners of Auntie Penny in Chappaqua, NY

The white lounge furniture, lighting, and side tables was provided by Dancetime Entertainment.

Big balloons that matched the theme's colors were hung from the ceiling.

Dancetime Entertainment also provided the music entrainment and games portion of the party!

Gillian dancing her way into the party room to "Oh My God" by Usher during her entrance.

The MC got everyone up on their feet dancing!

Dancetime Entertainment set up the Shenkman's with some really fun games like:

A virtual  surfboard game

A balloon artist!

There were also some snazzy giveaways on the dance floor!

Gillian's brother,Matty, and her little cousin,Kyle, showing off their awesome looks of the night!

Personalized cupcakes were brought in from the family's favorite bakery, Flower and Sun Bakery!

Guests could even sign in on a card-board iPhone with Gillian's logo printed in the center!

The giveaways were handed out as each guest left. In each bag were grey

sweatshirts with the logo of the Bat Mitzvah printed on the back in teal! The 

image was created by Jen Ives.

Since Gillian loves working with young children and volunteering with them as much as she can, for her mitzvah project she decided to volunteer after school at the JCC (The Jewish Community Center). The JCC is a pre-school, but it also has an after school program for elementary school children whose parents are not home until after six. She worked once a week with kindergarteners and made strong relationships with many of the little kids.

The following vendors helped maked Gillian's day special. If you interested in using any of them for an event, their contact information is listed below.

Venue: Pleasantville Country Club, 914-769-2809
Entertainment: Dancetime Entertainment, 914-591-2100
Invitation: Alissa Harvey at King's Scribe, 914-861-2799
Graphic Designer: Jennifer Ives at Chives Creative, 914-589-5209
Decor: Dancetime Entertainment, 914-591-2100 

Gillian's Dress: All Dressed Up, Rye, NY
Hair: Baci, Briarcliffe, NY, 914-923-2224
Makeup: Via Michelle, Mt. Kisco, NY, 914-244-7000
Photographer: Chad Kraus, 917-532-3478

Cupcakes: Flower and Sun Bakery, 914-495-3232
Party Planner: Monique Banks, 914-714-2527