1;
Country
Chic
An old-fashioned b'nai mitzvah
in the country celebrates the fall
harvest and the accomplishments
of a brother and sister.
Lynne Konstantin I Contributing Writer
Photography by Brett Mountain
hen planning her children's b'nai mitzvah, Cindy
Warren had to work within certain parameters. She
and her husband, Mark, of West Bloomfield, have
family all over the country, including grandparents Dr. William and
Geraldine Warren, so she wanted to ensure that no one's travel
plans were foiled by weather. And because her son, Joseph, and
daughter, Alison, are only 17 months apart, Warren decided to
throw one soiree for the both of them, rather than make everyone
come into town twice. "I just wanted to make it easy for every-
one," she says.
And easy it was. And elegant, and organic — and a whole lot of
fun.
Following the morning b'nai mitzvah service and kiddush at
Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, rented school buses picked up
Joe, Alison and 250 of their best friends and family members and
transported them to the Lazy J Ranch in the farming community of
Milford, just 45 minutes from West Bloomfield. There, a barn and
a tent nestled amid 50 years of history and 30 acres of sprawling
pastoral greenery beckoned guests to a sophisticated yet down-
home fall harvest barn dance b'nai mitzvah bash.
W
continued on page C20
Mark and Cindy Warren beam with daughter Deanna Lynn Hallet and
b'nai mitzvah Alison and Joe Warren.
C 1 8
celebrate!
I
March 2013
Joe and Alison put on their party clothes to welcome guests, along with a sign handmade
by Lauren Jackson.
Jackson found packages of miniature woven baskets at Michael's and filled them with
sour cherry candies to resemble apple-picking baskets. Warren handwrote the place cards
— luggage tags that Jackson picked up at Office Depot.