Fiesta Bar or Bat Mitzvah

Ole! What could be more festive than a fiesta? Bright colors, fun music and great food all combined together for a fabulous party! Consider a fiesta theme for your Bar or Bat Mitzvah (or any party!) and your guests will be in for a night to remember!

Fiesta Party Invitations
You'll be sending out a formal Bar or Bat Mitzvah invitation, but that doesn't mean you can't have fun with your party invitation. A fabulous fiesta themed invitation will get everyone excited for your party.  You can include it in the same envelope as your formal invitation or mail it separately. If you're mailing it separately, make sure to mail it shortly after your formal invitation is mailed.

For such a special occasion, a one of a kind caricature invitation is perfect. We can have the celebrant dressed for a fiesta, standing with his or her dog and holding the Torah! The possibilities are truly endless! Once your art is drawn we can use your caricature to create seating cards, sign in boards, centerpieces, cutouts and more for your party!

Whatever invitation you choose for your fiesta, be sure to include some fiesta theme confetti in the envelope for a bit more fun.

Fiesta Decorations and Party Supplies
When guests arrive make them feel like they have arrived in Mexico! Hang lantern garland in the welcome area and have a lifesize cutout of your child, complete with a speech bubble, dressed as a mariachi band musician. Ask your DJ to play a variety of salsa music in the entry area or set up a portable stereo playing salsa music. It would be fun to hire a small mariachi band as well! They can play during the cocktail hour or all evening if you'd like.

Have bouquets of Mylar sombrero balloons mixed with coordinating latex balloons around the room to add to the fun! If you're having a larger party, you may want to hire someone to set up the balloons for you - most balloon companies will be able to create great fiesta theme bouquets.

At the bar and during the cocktail hour, be sure to offer the adults drinks in light up margarita glasses. Decorate the bars with fun lights and even a sign that says "[Your Last Name] Cantina" hanging over the bar. Since you'll likely be using linen napkins at dinner, the cocktail hour is a fun time to use fiesta theme napkins. Ask your bartender to create a signature drink for the adults at your party. Maybe a fun blue margarita?

Use a fun sign in board or a personalized 3D sign in book for a wonderful memento! The sign in books can be customized with details about the Bar or Bat Mitzvah celebrant, so make sure one of the items you choose is Fiesta related, just to have the theme a bit on the cover.

For your seating card, attach a card with the guest's name and table number to a neon maraca. Or just write the guest's name and table number right on the maraca! We like the have a small sign at the seating card table to draw people to the table. You don't want them to miss their seating card! Have this sign say: "Ole! The Fun Begins When You Take Your Seat!" Bouquets of balloons at these tables will also help.

If there is a large wall inside the party room, use a fiesta big sky mural. It has a lot of impact for not a lot of money. Add to the southwestern feel of your party with an assortment of cactus decorations. Inflatable cactuses are very cute (and won't hurt if you touch them) and would be fun on either side of the DJ. Or there are 5' cactus wall graphics that can be added to walls around the room.

We love to draw people's attention to the dance floor. A great way to do that is by hanging a large personalized fiesta banner over the DJ. Try fun wording, like "Get ready to Cha-cha with (Your child's name) on the Dancefloor! Ole!" If you've hired a professional balloon company, ask them to create extra tall balloon cactus sculptures on either side of the dancefloor.

Along with dancing, why not have a great fiesta theme photo op? They are available with a mariachi man or woman, so you can accommodate all your guests.

Fiesta Table Decorations
Think bright, festive fiesta colors when choosing linens for a fiesta theme Bar or Bat Mitzvah. Alternate orange, lime green, yellow, red and purple linens on your tables and have the napkins match. If your party center only offers white linens, see if they can get you bright napkins in your event colors. Then add a Mexican poncho stretched across the table!

We think piñatas are a perfect centerpiece for this party! Alternate tables with a bull piñata and a sombrero piñata with balloons coming off the top to make a fun and inexpensive centerpiece. You can then scatter piñata filler on the tables instead of confetti. Or toss around mini maracas for confetti. Tie off the napkins with chili pepper bracelets. Everyone will wear theirs at the party!

A sombrero filled with tortilla chips, with balloons coming off the top makes a great centerpiece for the kids table. They'll appreciate having something to nosh on while they are waiting for dinner and running around.

Margarita glasses filled with red, orange and yellow M&M’s are a lot more festive than a regular candy dish! Better yet use a flashing margarita glass. Add a bit more chocolate by putting out a personalized fiesta theme candy bar at each place. You can choose from milk or dark chocolate.

Instead of candles on the tables use small tabletop lanterns, with your child's photo, around the centerpiece. They all come with LED candles, so they are even safe to use on the kid's tables.

Put one fiesta theme personalized camera on each table for your guests to use for pictures! They can take them home if you'd like, or leave them so you can see what great pictures everyone took during the evening.

Fiesta Bar and Bat Mitzvah Party Favors
You'll want to have plenty of maracas, red, white and green beads and sombreros for the DJ to pass out during the evening.

You may also want to choose one favor to pass out as your guests are leaving at the end of the evening. Here are a few ideas for your fiesta favors:

• Packets of Mexican hot chocolate in a personalized mug (we can order mugs for you, send us an email)
• Genuine maracas - the wood kind, very cool
• Jars of salsa or hot sauce - choose your favorite and wrap it in a cello bag.

Of course, Party411 can help with t-shirts, boxer shorts or any other favor you can think of for your Fiesta! Send us an e-mail for more information on personalized party favors.

Have fun and Mazel Tov, from the Party Girl and the Party-ettes!