If you want the best you call Jeffrey Best. So one can imagine the excitement when Tablevogue received a call requesting product for a first-class Bat Mitzvah in LA planned by the Best team. Party Planner to the stars, Jeffrey Best tells Tablevogue how to get it right for the junior a-listers.

What comes first budget or ideas?
Ideas first, we always want to understand the vision of our clients. Once we have the vision, we go to our budget and look and the have to’s and want to’s and find ways to make the vision come together within the budget. By starting with ideas and concepts it forces us to be creative and make it work overall.

What is on trend for Bar and Bat Mitzvahs right now?
We like to have fun with food at our events. We like to do customizable candy bars, fun mocktails, or donut walls. It is a great way to add some branding to the bar mitzvah, with branded candy bags, branded napkins, etc. Creating food stations throughout the room, allows us to do vignettes throughout the room/space and can feature different types of food.

How important is uniqueness?
Very, every client wants something unique to their event and wants to be remembered. There are small ways to be unique without going over board that are appreciated.

Pinterest - love or hate?
Pinterest is a wonderful tool. It inspirers us and allows our clients to put together a look book for their vision. Sometimes it is hard for clients to put their vision in words. A lot of time we ask our clients to start a board and “pin” photos they like. From their board we are able to fully understand their design and we can add onto the board with our thoughts. Once we have an agreed upon look and feel, we can begin fabricating and designing to fit the design concepts.

Must- Have?
Tablevogue of course! With Social media being intertwined so much in our lives and the importance of being able to say “I was there” we seem to always be looking for new and unique was to involve social into these events. There are so many unique photo booths and photo opportunities that you can make your event truly unique and special. We like to have photos printed as well as digitally so both parents and children are entertained! But we love to incorporate a photo booth.

Must-Avoid?
The focus should be on the child and not the parents. Sometimes we see our clients wanting throw an amazing party for the adults and lose focus on kid-friendly activities. It is a balance and a fine line to play, but important. The children need to have their own food and activities that are special to them.