We’ve all heard the expression, “You never get a second chance to make a good first impression.” So it’s no surprise that so much thought and effort is put into choosing invitations for a bar or bat mitzvah. They are the first impressions you will make on your family and friends for one of the biggest days in your child’s life. But there are many options and the styles are constantly changing. How can you make an informed decision that’s also on par with the latest trends? You’re invited to read on for some expert advice from three Westchester stationers.
SQUARE
From shape to color, texture to font, design embellishments and more, an invitation starts as a blank canvas that transforms to set the tone for the entire bar/bat mitzvah event. Michelle Schwartz of New Rochelle has been selling stationery through her business, Pretty Paper & Polka Dots, for the past eight years. She has seen it all, but says at the moment, many of her customers are choosing square-shaped bar/bat mitzvah invitations made of thick board. “It’s sort of simple, but when you feel it, it’s substantial,” she explains. Schwartz says she has noticed the size of invitations gradually going down. “Several years ago, everything was huge. I think things are definitely on the smaller side now.”
SPARKLE
That doesn’t mean customers aren’t making a splash on the space they do have. Laura Marks, who founded the stationery store Fine Lines of Katonah 20 years ago, says glitter and rhinestones are both “in” these days. “We’ve been seeing a lot of glitter recently, either as a design element … or a layer paper of glitter, or an envelope liner with glitter.” Marks has seen rhinestones make a comeback lately, being used as accents, “like a little motif at the top, three in a row, or something like that,” she says.
FONT & COLOR
Leslie Goldberg has specialized in bar/bat mitzvah invitations for more than seven years, founding Out of the Box NY, a full-service invitation company she runs out of her home studio in Rye Brook. She says she is seeing clients experiment with the use of font, by using different sizes or mixing fonts. Goldberg is also noticing changes in colors. “I think color trends in invitations follow the trends in decorating homes – using a basic color and then picking another color that helps make it pop.” So think gray and lime green, not the pink and brown or blue and brown combinations of years past. All three women do say purple remains a popular color among girls. They also see many boys choose a color scheme to match their favorite sports team.
But it’s not just the front of the invitation you have to consider these days. Marks says a very popular trend is printing on the backside, whether it’s “wallpaper or a design or the kid’s name repeated or a monogram or a motif related to their interests.”
TECH INVADES
Technology and the use of smartphones are also driving some different options when it comes to what’s included with the invitation. Schwartz reports that many of her customers are no longer printing traditional direction cards, but rather information cards. “They feel like everybody has GPS, but you also need to give a little information like bus and pick-up information for the kids, so you do need that extra card, but you may not need all that wording,” she says. She finds many people will just list the address, phone number and website of the synagogue and the venue for the reception, along with transportation specifics.
Response cards are also not a given anymore. According to these experts, there is a trend emerging with email RSVP options, where people choose a personalized email address for the occasion and allow the bar/bat mitzvah boy/girl to check responses online. But though the idea saves money and paper, Goldberg says it may involve chasing down people who forget to email. “When people don’t see a response card they don’t remember to respond!” she points out. Plus, you don’t get the excitement of checking that mailbox every day!
TIMING
Whatever you have in mind for your child’s bar/bat mitzvah invitation, remember it needs to be sent out two months before the event, so you should put in your order between four and six months before the special day. And while ordering online may be tempting, you can’t get the personalized service you’d get from traditional stationers. They can provide books of samples and allow you to see and feel all the many options available. And you never know, if you like the service, you could be going back to them in the future for wedding invitations, baby announcements and more.
Andrea White is an Edgemont-based writer. She distinctly remembers insisting on a square invitation with purple and iridescent layers for her bat mitzvah invitation many years ago.
