Allen’s Mitzvah Flowers
Bar & Bat Mitzvah Checklist
Planning a Bar or Bat Mitzvah in San Diego is stressful. Starting early and spreading out the planning overtime can help keep you organized and keep stress levels at a minimum. If you’re about to start planning a Bar or Bat Mitzvah, here is Allen’s Flowers Checklist for Planning a San Diego Bar Mitzvah Celebration:
2 years from Bar Mitzvah Celebration Day: Getting Started
While it may be difficult to believe your little son or daughter is just two years away from becoming a Jewish adult, it is important to start planning your San Diego Bar Mitzvah celebration early. Two years out, you should begin to:
- Book a Venue: San Diego Bar / Bat Mitzvah venues fill up fast. Book a venue as early as possible to avoid conflicts.
- Book a Caterer: Especially if your venue doesn’t have in-house catering, it’s time to secure a caterer as well.
- Book a Photographer: The best photographers are in high demand. Don’t get stuck with your second choice.
1 1/2 years from Bar Mitzvah Celebration Day: Choosing a Theme
Now that the venue is booked, it’s time to start planning for the theme of your child’s Bar / Bat Mitzvah celebration. A year and a half from the date, you should begin to:
- Choose a Theme: Sports, Candy, Music, Shopping….Spend time on Pinterest to see pictures of other Bar Mitzvah themes. Choosing a theme early will make it easier to make a lot of smaller decisions down the road.
- Choose Bar Mitzvah Colors: Bold, bright and wild is in or will you go with traditional Blue and Gold.
- Book a Band or DJ: Again, the top bands and DJs go quickly. Consider other forms of entertainment as well, including magicians, dancers, photo booths, etc.
1 Year from Bar Mitzvah Celebration Day: Flowers and Invitations
Now that the overall theme, venue and entertainment are taken care of, it’s time to think about a few of the details. A year from the date you should begin to:
- Set your guest list: While you may already have a guest list in mind, it’s time to get it down on paper.
- Talk to Allen’s about flowers: We offer beautiful centerpieces, bima décor, Sunday brunch flowers, etc.
- Choose invitations: No need to order so soon, but start looking at designs and pricing.
6 Months from Bar Mitzvah Celebration Day: Start Your Ordering
By now you should have a set-in-stone idea of your Bar or Bat Mitzvah theme. Now it’s time to start ordering. At this point you should order:
- Invitations
- Party favors
- Decorations
- Yamukas
- Any special clothing
- Guest books
- Programs/Party booklets
3 Months from Bar Mitzvah Celebration Day: Get The Party Started
As you approach the home stretch, it’s time to finalize as much of the party details as possible. At this point you should:
- Have a finalized guest list
- Mail the invitations
- Place an order with the florist
- Create a playlist for the band/DJ
- Choose which guests will be honored during the celebration and begin speechwriting
1 Month from Bar Mitzvah Celebration Day: The Final Stretch
This is it. The day is quickly arriving. Hopefully most of the planning is already done, but it’s impossible to not feel the stress during crunch time. During the next few weeks, parents of Bar and Bat Mitzvahs should:
- Give the venue/caterers a final headcount
- Arrange final clothing fittings, hair appointments, manicures, etc.
- Double check arrangements with Photographers, DJs, Florists, and other vendors to protect yourself against last minute confusion
- Make local travel arrangements for out of town guests and children without vehicles
- Finalize your child’s prayers, speeches and poems
- Try and take some time to yourself to take a breath, relax and enjoy this amazing day in the life of your child.
