In your children’s lives, there are very few occasions that are more momentous than their bar/bat mitzvah. After the stress of preparing to recite Hebrew in front of the entire Synagogue, any teenager deserves a great party.

Of course, since most teenagers only communicate in various grunts and eye rolls, the planning and execution of the big event will fall almost entirely on the parents. These tips will help you make the first night of your kids’ adult life into one of the best they’ll ever have.

Be Prepared

Surprises will come up when preparing for any event. The best thing you can do is have a plan that you can adjust when those surprises strike. Your planning will start by finding the date of the event. You should be able to find out the date of your child’s bar/bat mitzvah from your synagogue two to three years in advance. That may seem daunting, but having that much time to prepare will allow you to schedule benchmarks to ensure that your stress level is as low as possible in the final weeks and days leading up to the party.

Careful Planning for the Bar Mitzvah

A year ahead of the event, start putting together a preliminary guest list and figure out your budget for your venue and catering. It’s also a good idea to reserve a block of rooms at a nearby hotel to ensure that your out-of-town guests will have a place to stay. If you already have a venue selected, picking a hotel that is either within easy walking distance or has a shuttle service to the venue is your best option. Then, as your child prepares for their Torah reading, you can finalize your guest list by sending out save-the-dates. Sometimes life gets in the way of the best-laid plans, though, so it’s a good idea to get some help.

Read More: Level Up Your Planning: The Ultimate Bar Mitzvah Checklist

Finding a Professional to Help

When work, family, and the desire to have some semblance of a social life pour down on you, it can be hard to keep your head above water. That’s when having a good event planner in your corner can be a godsend. There are many ways to find a good bar or bat mitzvah event planner.

You can look through online review sites or ask your friends for recommendations, but many venues like the Lumber Exchange Event Center offer in-house planning assistance. This can often be your best option because you don’t have to worry about miscommunication between your venue and your planner when they are one and the same. While you focus on your guest list and keeping your child on track for the big day, your planner can deal with the nuts and bolts of the event like the menu, music, and decorations. The assistance that a planner provides helps open the door to giving your soon-to-be-adult a spectacular, unique bar/bat mitzvah theme.

More than Simple Tradition

Every child is special and unique and tailoring their bar/bat mitzvah to them with a unique theme helps them feel as special and unique as they are. From a customized menu to individualized party favors and unique decorations, a well-thought-out theme can give your child and your guests an experience they’ll never forget. There are many paths you can take to find the perfect theme.

Is your child an avid baseball fan? You can pair decorations featuring their name written in the style of their favorite team’s logo with a stadium inspired menu. Do they love ballet? You can tailor your theme around their favorite piece—even going so far as to include spun sugar embellishments on the deserts that will remind your guests of the beauty and grace of a body in movement. Perhaps your guest of honor has a nickname they love that can serve as an inspiration or a favorite movie or musician. But those are only some strategies to find your theme.

Bar Mitzvah Themes

Sometimes the venue itself can inspire you. When touring a potential venue, the perfect bar mitzvah theme may jump out at you. You could find a room that screams “upscale nightclub” and you imagine your kid living the high life in the VIP area, getting (root beer) bottle service and dancing like there’s no tomorrow. The view from the room may remind you of a magical night in Paris. Some venues may have rooms perfectly designed to host a Dungeons and Dragons themed fantasy party. The possibilities are nearly endless. 

Party Down

A bar/bat mitzvah is a huge moment in a person’s life. Your child deserves a night they’ll never forget and with good planning, the right help, and the right theme and venue, you can give them just that.