Luau Mitzvah

No matter what the season, everyone will love the warmth of a Luau Bar or Bat Mitzvah party. What better way to celebrate this milestone occasion than with wonderful music, delicious food and favors that will make your guests feel like they just came home from Hawaii!?

Luau Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah Party Invitations

Since this is a once in a lifetime party, spice up the invitation a bit - mail your party invitation rolled in a mailing tube and include a flower lei!

A fabulous photo ticket invitation in a tropical color is another way to go and will make everyone believe that this is one party not to be missed.

For a really memorable invitation, why not use a custom caricature invitation? Customize it with a picture of your child on the beach surrounded by luau items and dressed in a grass skirt. This great image can be used for welcome signs, a sign in board and centerpieces too.

Welcome and Cocktail Area
As your guests enter the party, have the Bar Mitzvah boy or Bat Mitzvah girl there to meet them. A personalized life-size cutout of the guest of honor (remember the caricature invitation?) is the perfect way to welcome everyone. Set inflatable palm trees on either side of your cutout. (These are so great, you'll want to get a few and spread them around the room!) A basket of leis, or better yet, someone to hand them out, should also be right near the door!

While they’re standing there meeting and greeting, be sure to offer tropical drinks, with or without the little cocktail umbrellas! It doesn’t matter whether you’re serving traditional cocktails or a special palm tree punch, adults will love having their beverages in a flashing margarita glass or a neon margarita cup. Make the kids drinks special too! Even water will taste better in a neon Tiki cup with a tropical flower straw coming out. A tropical wall mural will look great behind the bars (or by your band).

Hawaiian shirts and floral shorts are a must for any Luau. (You may want to tell them to dress "tropical" on your invitation.) Add to your guests wardrobes with a tropical lei and folding fan. Hats and sunglasses are a must since rain or shine this will certainly be one bright party.

It can be awkward finding your seat at a party, but not with great seating cards! Attach Tiki mask glasses to a traditional seating card or write the name and seating information directly onto tropical neon maracas. Everyone will be shaking the seating cards all night! Not only do your guests find their place, they receive a small party favor too.

Add a grass skirt to your seating card table - a small extra with big impact. It will look great!

Sometimes it’s hard for guests to really talk to the Bar or Bat Mitzvah child so it’s nice to have a sign in board or book available for everyone to leave a message. Place a Luau theme 3D custom sign in book near the entrance to the party. The "girl on beach" or "beach boy" sign in book covers are perfect for a Luau party. The caricature that was used for the invitation also makes a terrific sign in board.

It’s always fun to add a little extra pizzazz to the dance floor. After all, no beach party or Luau would be complete without beach balls. Scatter brightly colored beach balls around for guests to toss back and forth.

Tropical music courtesy of a Luau CD is a must! It can be used for dance music or a limbo contest. (First be sure to see if your DJ or band has tropical music already!) Reward the limbo winner with genuine maracas. Be sure to have extras because all your guests will want them. No Bar Mitzvah or Bat Mitzvah would be complete without glow necklaces. They’ll shine brightly all night long. For a touch of elegance, provide white orchid leis. Your guests will wear them even after the party is over.

Luau Bar or Bat Mitzvah Table Decorations
There are as many ways to decorate your tables as there are colors in the leis. Bright tables with great accessories will make whatever you serve taste even better! Centerpieces can be as simple or as elaborate as you choose. Make a centerpiece from tropical fruits – pineapple, kiwi, mango and papaya – surrounded by colorful leis. It’s basic but will look great and can become a wonderful fruit salad when the festivities are over. A bouquet of tropical flowers is always a great choice. Here's a picture of a centerpiece we used at a Bat Mitzvah luau.

Choose linens in an assortment of bright colors - lime green, magenta, yellow and turquoise work great! You can mix them around the room and alternate napkins in the same colors. Or, use a tropical bandana as a napkin and a favor!

Decorations become jewelry when you wrap napkins in silk flower bracelets or cool luau slap bracelets! Brighten the night with bamboo torches with flowers. These great candle holders are a perfect accent to the tables. Substitute LED candles for real candles on the kids tables. Or, instead of candles, choose personalized mini tabletop lanterns with your child's photo on all four sides. The all come with LED candles and look great surrounding a centerpiece.

A fun at the beach hat or a beachcomber hat also make wonderful centerpieces. Hire a balloon company to make and attach balloon bouquets to the top of them. You can even turn the hats over and fill them with chips or candy that your guests can snack on throughout the party. If you're having nuts or candy on the table, don't use an ordinary bowl - try a wooden pineapple bowl. Remember, it's the small touches that make a party extraordinary!

Don't forget to scatter white seashells around the center of the tables.

Raffia skirts are a must at any Luau! If your guests don’t want to wear them, why not use them for table skirting? Cover the buffets or bar tables with raffia flower tableskirts. They will add a perfect touch of island flavor. Hang Tiki island lights or flip flop lights on the tables, bar or buffet. Lights are one of the easiest ways to make any room look more festive. Luau flower garlands or flip flop garlands will look great over the bar, doorways or draped across the ceiling.

Luau Bar or Bat Mitzvah Party Favors
Memories of special times with friends make wonderful souvenirs, but sometimes it’s nice to have a tangible favor too.

Girls love luau bucket hats! They’re cute and fun to wear – what could be better?! And boys will feel totally cool in beachcomber hats. These hats will appear everywhere, no matter what the weather!

Everyone loves chocolate. Delicious milk or dark chocolate candy bars covered in a luau theme candy bar wrappers guarantee a sweet end to a fabulous party. Pass them out when guests are leaving or scatter them across the tables. Or try a luau theme personalized mint tin - pass them out at the end of the evening or have one at each place on the dinner tables. You can choose from over 25 designs and 5 different mints and candies!

Aloha! Congratulations on having a memorable Luau and Bar or Bat Mitzvah - From the Party Girl!