I have been very remiss in posting lots of my more recent work. I’ve been very blessed with loads of client work so some of my other work, like blogging, has taken a backseat. I’m very happy to finally have a few days to get caught up. Starting off is, quite honestly, one of the most complex & awesome Mitzvah’s i’ve had the pleasure capturing since I became a Raleigh Mitzvah Photographer. This is the 2nd Mitzvah i’ve photographed for this family – the first being for Sami’s Bat Mitzvah at the Wonderful Prestonwood Country club.
Brett’s Bar Mitzvah ceremony took place at Beth Meyer, a synagogue in Raleigh, NC and the reception was held at Vaughn Towers – the building overlooking the NC State football field. Beth Meyer didn’t allow for photos to be taken at the ceremony, so we captured the rehearsal session the day before. This actually works out very well as I am not constrained in where I could go unlike the actual ceremony. We ended up with some great photos from the rehearsal and got to prepare for the reception on Saturday.
Now, calling this a reception just does not do it justice. This was two floors, 300+ guests complete with a 3d video on the jumbotron, 15+ games, a money grab station, Mr. & Mrs. Wuf, a Pinata, 15 professional dancers and so much more that it’s difficult to give more details. Needless to say, this was a huge celebration and something I am very, very proud to have been a part of.
The night started out upstairs with the cocktail hour, the pinata and numerous other games like a putt putt hole, a “fear factor” challenge to drink a disgusting, um, cocktail, fake snow and huge banner to write a few notes to Brett on. After the cocktail hour ended, we moved downstairs for Brett to make his entrance. Of course, this could be no “regular’ entrance so Brett, our man of the hour, busted through a white paper barrier which was showing a video of him with the NC State football team. Wearing an authentic helmet and Jersey from the Wolfpack, he charged through the paper to greet all of his guests. That’s when the festivities really got started and rest of the events were open to the guests.
At the risk of leaving out some important things, I’ll just hit the highlights here – dome hockey, “guess the flavor” of the jelly beans, free throw basketball, pop-noggins, the money booth, and so much more. As the reception got going, we moved everyone outside into the stadium seats to watch a 3D video created just for Brett on the Jumbotron. I ended up sprinting about a ¼ mile to and from the opposite side of the stadium so I could get a photo of just how massive this Mitzvah was. As the night ended, I can assure you every single person in attendance left knowing THIS is how you throw a mitzvah.
I wanted to mention two vendors who, without them, this night would simply not have been the same:
Amazing Video Creations
Split Second Sound
I remain proud, humbled and honored to have been part of such an amazing event. Of course, you can see a choice selection of photos below!
