A few weekends ago I went up to Cleveland to photograph a huge milestone for Nathan and his family – Nathan’s Bar Mitzvah! The weekend was a tremendous celebration, bringing together around 300 family and friends from across the country.
In observance of religious rules, I photographed the rehearsal at Park Synagogue in Cleveland Heights on Friday, not the actual service on Saturday. We went through the entire service on Friday, so there were plenty of special moments captured between Nathan and his parents and extended family.
I joined them again on Saturday evening for the NFL Draft Bar Mitzvah reception, at Executive Caterers at Landerhaven, to celebrate. His reception was a blow-out bash, full of lots of color, light, and all things football! The reception space was extended to an outdoor tent, and every square inch was decorated with colorful uplighting and super fun football-themed details. During cocktail hour, adults mingled in the tent, while Nathan and his friends enjoyed inflatables in the neighborhing reception hall. Cleveland DJs Rock The House Entertainment had an amazing stage set up with lights and LED screens, and kept the entire night packed with great music, dancing and games. And yes, there was a group photo of all 300 guests at the reception – stage, stepstool and wide angle lens to the rescue!
But to me, the most meaningful moment of the entire weekend was back at Park Synagogue, when his father Rubin put Nathan’s talit around his neck on the bima. You can tell his family is so proud of him and all that he has accomplished. Mazel Tov to Nathan!
On to the rockin’ reception!
