wrestling stadium.”
She added: “The trend right now is
not to follow trends and to be as untra-
ditional as people want to be and have
a great time celebrating with friends
and family.”
As for a move to more casual affairs,
Halpern doesn’t see it. “More personal
is the case.”
Food stations over a seated dinner
are for those wanting a more casual
party. “People are trying to get more of
a fun party vibe than the traditional
party,” said Hila Shiff of the Party Artist
in Philadelphia.

“We’re doing a lot of alternative
seating and open parties where the
kids and adults are eating from the
same buffets,” said Janet Silver of
Philadelphia Event Decor. “Today’s
kids have a little bit of a more mature
pallet than they once had. So, they
don’t just want chicken fingers and
French fries. They are happy with lamb
chops and sushi.”
Dessert bars are common with minia-
ture servings.

“Anything from cotton candy to cake
pops to brownie bites, anything that
doesn’t stop the dancing where people
have to sit down and eat it. Even
the mitzvah celebration cake is disap-
pearing,” said Valerie Felgoise of Let’s
Party by Valerie.

The mitzvah
candle-lighting ceremony is kept shorter, Halpern said,
so it stays, not dull, but an emotional
and unforgettable moment.

“Families are opting out of the full 13
candles,” Halpern said. I’ve had clients
do as few as three, like a past, present
and future candle.”
Another trend planners are seeing is
the creation of a bar/bat mitzvah teen’s
logo and its use in the decor and lots
of favors and event swag.

For Lyla Bronstein, the letters L and Y
played on a peace sign. She also used
a designed image of a VW hippie bus
for her February 2020 party. Robyn
Platoni at Chick Invitations & Design
brought the whole vision to life. The
message was “Live the LYfe You Love.”
“Lyla is a very free-spirited girl, so
that is where that came from,” said her
mother, Christie Bronstein, who now
lives in Vermont. After the services at
Temple Adath Emanuel, the family and
guests partied at SPIN Philadelphia, a
Ping-Pong club.

The favors, ranging from T-shirts to
hoodies to pajama bottoms and winter
caps – all branded with Lyla’s logo
– hung in a gift shop near the exit
at SPIN.

“Swag and logos have become more
popular than in the past. Instead of
just one favor, they’re giving away a
lot of swag; it’s New York-style giving,”
Felgoise said.

“The giveaways come at the end
of the night, and they are becoming
a big deal,” Silver said. “We set it up
like a whole retail store, and they get
a bag and get to pick one from this
wall and one from that wall, as many as
they want.”
The photo booth is still popular, but
what’s new are TikTok booths where
videos are made and uploaded to the
social media app.

Some families are still COVID
cautious and opt for a tent, making
sure there’s fresh air and space for
people to move around in, Halpern
said. “People love a good party in
a tent.”
“There is still a lot of charm to
tent parties in a beautiful backyard,”
Felgoise said. “They are lovely and
warm and inviting.”
The pandemic created a pent-up
demand for people to gather with
friends and family, Halpern said.

“They are looking for good causes to
celebrate.” A spectacular party took a backseat
to her daughter Lyla’s ceremony at the
synagogue, Bronstein said.

“The party was cool, super fun, super
well done, but the main event, her
actual bat mitzvah, was amazing. She
did a beautiful job.” ■
Celebrating years
Making Women
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JUSTA FARM SHOPPING CENTER
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Goldstein 's Men 's & Boys ' Apparel
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Ellen Braunstein is a freelance writer.

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