It was right after my big Seminar at Neiman Marcus that inspiration struck. Steve, Kathy, Lisa, Debbie, Gary and myself were seated around the Becker’s kitchen table eating pasta (Steve makes delicious pasta). Lisa Cohen started telling me about Abby and Andrew’s B’nai Mitzvah in February of 2007. So I took it upon myself to plan it on the spot and help create an event appropriate for both a boy and a girl…”The Cohen Family B’nai Mitzvah…A Magical Moment Frozen In Time”.
Abby is 13 going on 23 and Mr. Andrew is a very gifted young man with an old soul. We all agreed that we wanted the ultimate black and white party…modern and starkly beautiful. Abby and Andrew came in to visit and we chose black velvet overlays with a silver “diamond” effect. To me it looked like the winter night sky. For the adult tables we went with stark white overlays over black floorlength cloths. Dazzling white bengaline chair covers with crisp black satin sashes accented each adult table and complimented the glossy black chargers. The young adult chairs also had white covers but were sashed with a beautiful red and black knit scarf. Each young adult could take home their scarf and wear it all winter long. The scarves were embroidered with the monogram snowflake created out of the letter “A” with my tag line…”The Cohen Family B’nai Mitzvah…A Magical Moment Frozen In Time”. Too cute! I was fine till one little brat tried to take my scarf but I tossed a cookie at him and he ran away.
The adult tables featured amazing centerpieces created by Randy Felkey. Giant glass vases held masses of white, frosted branches. Snow filled the vases to the rim and hanging votives and icicles hung from the branches filling the air with twinkling light. Snow was drifted onto the center of each table and accented cut glass bowls frosted with white sugar. The bowls held assorted candy in black, white and red for guests to nibble. Silver vases were hanging from each wall sconce by white satin ribbons and held giant snowballs of white baby’s breath. GORGEOUS!
Abby was determined to out DIVA me and although the invitation said “Black and White Dress Only”, she wore a stunning red dress and looked like a star. I appropriately named her signature mock-tail “The Abbalicious”. It was brilliant red and quite delicious. I was quite fetching in my black suit, black and white chalk striped shirt and shiny white satin evening tie and so was Andrew. We toasted our good looks with his brilliant blue drink…”The Andrew Igloo”.
Dr. Billy Cohen came through for me and suprised the family with one of the coolest special effect machines on the market…the snow machine. When guests walked into the Coronado lobby, real snow was falling from the ceiling. It was damp and real and gathered into drifts on the floor. Guests were speechless and the children loved it! What an amazing gift to the family. I will never forget how the lobby looked with snow falling in it.
Lisa Cohen decided to really treat her guests and we created an old-fashioned cookie and cocoa station. I decorated the table to look like one massive snow drift using cotton batting and tons of artifical snow. White frosted trays of cookies were at different elevations and featured gingerbread men with little iced scarves, double fudge cookies dusted in powdered sugar and mexican wedding cake cookies… to name a few. Silver urns held piping hot cocoa and was complimented by bowls of marshmallows, cinnamon sticks, chocolate shavings, etc. It was amazing and very different.
I could go on and tell you about the giant icicles and snowflakes suspended above the young adult tables, the delectable “Chilly Billy” peppermint martinis or giant black and white portraits of Abby and Andrew but I won’t. Let’s just say that a little pasta dinner started the snowball rolling and became a vision of beauty and sophistication.
To Lisa and Billy, thank you for your faith in my vision and creative freedom to make things beautiful. I enjoyed this event as much as I did making your birthday parties so special. And to Abby and Andrew, I thank you for inspiring me. Uncle Rob is always available for Sweet 16 Parties, Graduations and LAVISH Weddings.
Just leave Dr. Billy and the martinis to me…
Rob Schaefer
