Hello beloved mitzvah clients. I miss you! I’m not built like this. I want to hug you, document your happiness and laughter, and be surrounded by your family and friends on the day you’ve planned so carefully for your child. My heart breaks for your children as they diligently study their Torah portion, not knowing if they will be reading it virtually for family or in a traditional service. I get sad thinking about your parties, and how this pandemic is going to affect the fun and energy of the dance floors. Your children deserve the world, they deserve to be lifted up (literally!) and celebrated for all of their hard work being called to the Torah as a Bar or Bat Mitzvah.
But here we are.
I am navigating these waters right along with you. I’m happy to pass on what other clients are doing and include some best practices. If you are interested, read on.
- Do if at all possible, get vendors on the phone or a zoom call at one time. This will alleviate the back and forth frustrations of trying to reach out to multiple people separately via email to reschedule. Many clients are starting with their temple and venue for guidance, and not checking if the DJ or photographer is available for the new date. Please include us in your decision making process on the rescheduled date to ensure that we are free. Doing so will allow us to just move any funds paid to the new date.
- Don’t think planning needs to stop. I’m available for zoom chats, and I’m sure all of my favorite vendor partners are as well. My venues have virtual tours, and if I have photographed your venue, I can show you galleries!
- Do reach out to your temple and see if your child can keep their Torah portion the same, even if the date has moved. This will help keep the stress down, especially if your date is coming up soon.
- Don’t worry about a non-traditional date for the party. When rescheduling, consider a Friday night or Sunday instead of the traditional Saturday. Many clients are having better success for keeping all of the vendors and venue this way.
- Do consider virtual alternatives. Many temples are now offering a virtual service on or close to your actual date. This allows clients to focus on thing at a time, and save the party for later.
- Do consider a drive-by mitzvah or a mitzvah parade! For some, postponing the party isn’t really an option. In this case, a parade or drive by is a great option for family and friends who live close by to drive past your home, complete with balloons and signs, to celebrate your child! And don’t forget the Photography! Something like this can absolutely be captured in an acceptable socially distant way complete with 6 foot spacing and a mask. Then, it can be added to the album, or montage, or video as part of the memories.
- Do consider rescheduling the date far enough in advance to avoid a do-over…again. Since uncertainty is a main theme throughout this entire process, it is understandable that you may be a bit hesitant to put a date to the calendar again. I completely get it. Try to select a date that is far enough down the road where the distancing measures will more lax. Many clients are moving the 2020 dates to 2021.
- Do chat with me about socially distant ways to capture this time. I am absolutely able to photograph the temple portraits and pre-shoots all from over 6 feet away with a mask. If your party or service is outdoors, I can also adhere to these guidelines. Clients have counted me as one of the 10 people in an outdoor space, and we have been able to successfully hold the service and many elements of the party while being absolutely safe. Once venues open and we see what sort of plans they implement, I am certain we will be able to do something similar for the more intimate gatherings.
- Do know that I am not going anywhere! I will be here at the end of all of this ready to go. My business is adapting all the time, and I’m excited to get back in the groove, whatever that looks like.
- Do give yourself grace. This is a hard time, for everyone and it is changing by the day. I’m here for you.
One thing that I am certain about….photography for your bar & bat mitzvah will continue to be so important. Maybe even more so if extended family and friends are not able to attend due to gathering limitations. We will need to get creative. Maybe stage things that can’t happen in real time in order to ensure that memories are captured for your children. I’m ready for that challenge, and I will be along side you to see how we can make this happen.
If you have any questions, need any assistance, or just want to talk through this situation and how it may affect your event, please feel free to give me a call/text or shoot me an email. We are in this together!
Please contact me ASAP if you need to reschedule your date or need to brainstorm how best to handle your event or session.
I miss you all. We will get through this.
xo,
Jen
