A Bat Mitzvah is not something that I had ever photographed before and wasn’t really sure what to expect when the Wizwer’s asked me to capture their daughter, Natalee’s special day. When we met at their home for their consultation, Natalee had a very clear idea of how she wanted her day to be captured and I couldn’t believe how grown up she had gotten since we moved from next door 4 years ago. Her “Spring Fairy Tale” themed party was going to be so much fun.
We met at the Temple Israel the day before to capture some moments that would take place the next day at the actual Bat Mitzvah since photography is prohibited during the actual ceremony.
Natalee’s grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins joined her immediate family in the “practice run” and Rabbi David Ross Senter was amazing! He took the time to educate me on the ceremony and was even my “assistant” at times helping to pose the photos and even grabbing me a ladder at one point!
Not being Jewish myself, I was cautious about “doing something wrong”. This family and the Rabbi were amazing to work with and super helpful in explaining everything to me. I was in awe of how beautiful the temple was and the Torah is not only bigger than I expected but gorgeous!
The actual Bat Mitzvah was Saturday morning and the ceremonies continued at the Sheraton in Portsmouth. Natalee had a vision of how the night would go and wanted to recreate a lot of the photos in her parents wedding album – Seth and Rachel had their reception at the Sheraton too. I loved that she wanted a photo with all of her girlfriends on the staircase just like her mom did with her bridesmaids.
The evening’s festivities started with the candle lighting ceremony where thirteen people/groups came up to light a candle in her honor.
The cake was gorgeous as were all of the other details of this celebration. The candy centerpieces were by far my favorite!
I would have to say that the Hora, which is a traditional round dance of Israel, was my favorite part of the night. It really got the party started!
Once dinner was served, Natalee and her friends were ready to hit the dance floor and the party was a BLAST! Great dancing, lots of laughing and some really sweet moments.
Natalee and her dad shared a special father/daughter dance and it was truly special to watch. I could picture them dancing to the same song on her wedding day and I have to be honest, I shed a little tear. These kids are all growing up way too fast (including my own)!
The party continued into the night with glow sticks, balloon fights, funky glasses and sparkly hats. Sound Dimension did a great job making sure that the dance floor was full all night long! I even got out there with the girls to do a little twist.
I had such an amazing time celebrating with this special little lady and would love to be a part of your next event. If you are looking for a Portsmouth, NH Photographer to photograph your upcoming event contact me today!
