Cora Rose’s Bat Mitzvah at Woodmont Country Club in Bethesda
Working with Cora and her family was an absolute joy. Truly from day one, they were genuinely excited about celebrating this big day with their family and marking such an important milestone for Cora. Michelle had clear intentions that she wanted this day to be as amazing as it could be for Cora.
Woodmont Country Club is a special place in the Greenberg family, as Cora’s parents got married there, making it an obvious choice to celebrate their daughters bat mitzvah.
Michelle wanted to make sure that the adults had their own dining space so her guests could really engage with each other, and step away from the ‘coraziness’ if needed. We dedicated the front part of the ballroom for this, giving the adults their own bar, lounge are and of course dining tables.
Cora’s full name is Cora Rose, and lucky for us, she wanted to incorporate that into the theme. She also loves volleyball, so we wanted to make sure we had a touch of that in there as well. Did I buy multiple types of volleyballs before finding the perfect ones for the bar… yes, was it 100% worth it… 100% yes!
We also had some volleyball pillows made and the kids drink sign featured a volleyball.
Cora also had some awesome swag, in addition to dj giveaways, we had custom pj pants, t-shirts and fun slippers in the claw machine. Oh, and we had to brand the claw machine.
A few other fun things we did for Cora was a custom candy bar, and a patch station where guests could customize a hat or a cosmetic pouch. This is a great way for the guys to have fun too!
We’re so thankful to this family for entrusting us with creating the most memorable day for your loved ones, and we would love to help your family too.
VENDOR TEAM:
Planning + Design: LR Events
Venue: Woodmont Country Club
Decor, fabrication and lighting: Revolution Events
DJ: Purnell with Washington Talent Agency
Photographer: Michael Bennet Kress
Games: Snap! Entertainment
LED dance floor: Washington Talent Agency
Videography: Washington Talent Agency
Rentals: Nuage Designs and DC Rental
Logo: Mitzvah Logos
Swag: LR Events
Glam Bar: Glam on the Go
How to Choose a Bar or Bat Mitzvah Theme
If I’ve learned anything from my time planning Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, it’s that 12 year old’s don’t necessarily like the same thing for two years. So how on earth should we pick a theme? We’re here to share some of our planning expertise.
There are a few different tips I can give you to help jumpstart ideas for a theme. The first and most obvious one is their hobbies and interests. For a lot of kids, they play sports and that is their #1 interest, making it an easy theme to carry throughout an event. Whether it’s baseball, football, swimming, horseback riding, or hockey- we’ve done it all. Sports isn’t your kids thing?
Do they like reading, art, broadway or acting? We can turn any interest into a theme.
If that type of theme feels too specific, thank about any recent trips you’ve taken or an experience they loved. It could even be less specific and just be more travel in general.
My kid doesn’t like any of my suggestions so far”… my next suggestion is more about design. Is there a specific article of clothing or brand they love (think Aviator Nation), a pattern they like or even just their favorite color or two. Another great way to spark an idea is to start with a logo search. I always recommend the logo being the jumping off point for décor.
Start going through different mitzvah logos and seeing if they find something they like, maybe it will spark an idea they hadn’t thought of.
Think outside the box. You don’t necessarily have to include a themed centerpiece or invitation to relay that, it could be a smaller detail with just a nod to the interest. For this Bat Mitzvah, one of the favors were cookies, which had a few different equestrian details on them.
For Cora, while she loved volleyball we didn’t want to put volleyballs on every single inch of the room. We had volleyball pillows and a few other nods to volleyball throughout the room, without it being overwhelming.
There are so many places to get inspiration for a theme, sports, hobbies, recent trips, colors, favorite brands, the list is endless. We are always here to make your child’s mitzvah dreams come true, so drop us a line if you need more mitzvah inspo!
Three Non-Hotel, Luxury Venues in the DC area.
Here are our top three picks for non-hotel luxury venues in the DC area!
One good thing about living in the DC metro area- there is no shortage of great event spaces. No matter what kind of event you are hosting- Bar Mitzvah, wedding, corporate event, there is certainly a venue that will match your needs. But, we’re all tired of the seeing the inside of a hotel ballroom, so we’re outlining our top three picks for luxury non-hotel ballroom event spaces.
The Schuyler in the Hamilton Hotel (14th Street in DC).
About the venue: Okay so hear me out, while this venue is technically inside a hotel, I would not call it a ballroom. You walk into the lobby of the hotel and you go down a beautiful marble staircase into a meeting level area underground. There are multiple spaces that can be fully opened to accommodate bigger groups or kept smaller for storage. There are also LED lights in the ceiling that you can make whatever color you want.
The cocktail hour space is pretty typical, but what it may lack there it makes up for in the main area. When you leave cocktail hour, you head through a tunnel.
Once you emerge, you step into the space and WOW. You and transported into a 12,000 square foot space, sky high ceilings, 8 massive LED columns and a second level and wraps around the entire space. The tile floors blend seamlessly and allow you to go with any theme or color.
VENDOR TEAM: Photo-Washington Talent, Caterer- Spilled Milk, DJ- NYX Events, Linens- DC Rental, Decor- NYX Events, Games- Talk of the Town
It’s hard to pin point one word to describe the feel. At first glance, the columns almost give off old Miami night club vibes, while also being corporate- BUT, once the lights are dimmed and you bring in your own decor, it truly looks like whatever you want it to.
If you want to completely wow you guests, this is the spot
COST:
The Schuyler offers two different ways to rent the space. You can use their in house catering or bring your own in.
Using their in-house catering: The rental fee is $15,000. The in-house catering cost is about $30,000 (not including ++), for 140 people.
If you want to bring in an outside caterer, the rental fee is $20,000. *You should note that The Schuyler requires you to go through them for alcohol and beverage service no matter which way you go. https://www.hamiltonhoteldc.com/event-venues-dc
2. The Showroom, DC. (Also located on 14th Street).
About the venue:
The Showroom is what I call sleek industrial. Want a blank canvas, big open floor plan, tons of windows and big white walls- this is your spot. The Showroom is actually located in Franklin Square, just down the street from The Schuyler.
This space is great because you can truly turn it into anything. For the Bat Mitzvah I did there in March of ‘25, we transformed the place into Talia Town. One of the great things about this venue is the AV/power. They set it up specifically for that kind of thing, so there is no worrying about running into power issues or sounds issues- the whole ceiling is sound proofed.
VENDOR TEAM: Photo- Washington Talent, Decor
+ Lighting- Revolution Events, Balloons- Sweet Gifts, Games-Ultimate Amusements, Catering- Susan Gage Caterers, Cotton Candy-Fluffness, DJ- Washington Talent, Custom Lip Gloss-Lip Bar, Glam Station- Glam on the Go, Valet- MJ Valet, Florals-Mulitflor
For Talia Town, we brought in a lot of vendors, dj, arcade games, cotton candy machine and a Photo Booth just to name a few (literally 4 out of 13). Because the venue is so power accessible you are not limited to where things have to go- a luxury any planner will tell you they need if they’ve ever experience a photo booth shorting out during an event). The concrete floors are perfect for floor decals; we featured a 21’x21’custom branded decal which acted as the dance floor.
We also created an entrance sign decal and little map locaters in front of each station to indicate where in Talia Town you were.
The other perk (in my opinion) about the space is the walls. Big white walls, while they may sound boring, are great for projecting light. Whether you are using uplights, gobos or washes, they all project beautifully in The Showroom.
Lastly, even though the space is raw and industrial, it still feels nice enough to be able to transform it into a soft and beautiful event. By bringing in flowers, soft lighting, rugs and lounge furniture, you can create a romantic and warm feel.
COST:
The rental fees are totally reasonable given it’s prime location.
$1250/hr for 1-7 hours
$1000/hr for 8-12 hours
$500/hr for each additional hour over 12 hours (so 13 hours is $12500, 14 hours is $13000 and so on). https://theshowroomdc.com/
3. 2941 Restaurant: Falls Church VA.
About the venue: 2941 is kind of in an unsuspecting spot. As you pull into the general area, you almost can’t figure out how there is going to be a restaurant there. When you pull through to the front entrance, you are all of a sudden in this different world. A large koi pond with a waterfall is in front of the all glass walls. Beautiful landscaping, and tons of trees surround the rest of the property, making you feel like you are in some faraway place.
VENDOR TEAM: Photo- Ellie Mae Photo, DJ- Bialeks Music, Florals- Kate and Lily Floral Design
The patio space makes the perfect adult cocktail hour area, quiet and serene. Inside, the kids will go right to the main dining space to play games with the dj. The dining room has floor to ceiling windows, high ceilings and fun and unique lighting fixtures- this does not look like your typical restaurant dining room.
VENDOR TEAM: Photo- Cyndi Lee Photography, DJ- Washington Talent Agency, Dance floor- WTA, Decor- Edge Floral Design, Games- Talk of the Town
There is a main bar in the front where guests can get their drinks, and there are also two smaller rooms that you can use for kids games and food if needed. If food is important to you, and you want an elevated dining experience for your guests, 2941 is the place for you.
The space is slightly limited, so I personally say around 125 is a great number to have plenty of room- however I’ve done a Bar Mitzvah there for 175 and while we were tight on tables, but we were still able to fit everything (including a 16x20 dance floor).
COST:
The rental fee is $4,000 with a $22,000 food and beverage minimum (these were from September of 2024) however if you want to do a full buy-out the cost goes up. In general you can expect to be all in around $45k. https://www.2941.com/
That wraps up our top three non-hotel picks. There are of course tons more venue choices as well, so please don’t hesitate to reach out to find out the other spaces we love working at!
-LR
Should I hire an event planner?
So, you just got the date for your child’s Bar or Bat Mitzvah. What now? Planning a milestone event like this can be a huge undertaking, so do you need to hire an event planner? Here are three simple things to consider if you should hire a planner:
Do you have the knowledge you need to plan your celebration on you own?
It’s always fun to be a guest at an event, but do you actually know what goes on behind the scenes that made it all happen? Planning a big event such as a Bar or Bat Mitzvah involves a lot of moving parts, probably way more than you even realized. Sure, there are the basic decisions to make;
-which venue to choose
-the dj
-photographer
-colors/theme
…but do you know how much space a photo booth takes up, how many people can sit comfortably at a 6’ round table, or how much time to allocate for a candle lighting on the timeline? What happens if one of your vendors can’t find the loading dock? Does the venue have enough power to supply the dj, photo booth and any other AV needs?
These are just a fraction of the things that can come up during planning. Each event we plan is unique, which means the set of questions and circumstances are also unique each time. Don’t get stuck
2. Do you have the time to plan your child’s mitzvah?
Let’s face it, life is really busy. Most of us can barely find time to go to the gym or do something for ourselves. With a full time job, kids, social obligations, do you have time to add on another part time job? For each client we have, there are hundreds of emails and dozens of calls and text messages, we put in over 40 hours of work for each event, not including event day itself.
3. Do you have the resources to hire a planner?
Like any good expert, hiring an experienced event planner is an investment. When considering if hiring an event planner is the right move for your family, you should consider your overall budget and how the planner’s fee factors into that. Most clients do consider our fee as part of their budget, so it’s important to keep that in mind when starting the budget conversation for your event.
Each family’s situation is different and it’s important to get all of the information you need. We’d offer a free phone consultation to see if LR Events would be a good fit for your planning needs. Don’t miss your spot, each out to us today!
