Plan Your Event with BARRY'S LET'S RENT IT ( everything, We extent your quatet An Expert's Guide To Destination Functions JNS.org oday, with families more spread out than they used to be, the idea of a destina- tion function is more appealing than ever. Having guests travel to one location can be efficient, fun and serve as a vacation at the same. When it comes to The Santa Elena Skywalk through the Costa Rican weddings, destination rainforest. functions can actually be less expensive for convenient for their family but, the couple getting married than more importantly, on what is of paying for 150 guests at a fancy interest to the special boy or girl. venue. Hosts can choose the Honeymoons are, by their friends and family members they nature, vacation affairs. Trendy want to spend the week with (no destinations that I recommend need to invite the other 125 "less exploring include Tahiti, Fuji and close" people). A week in a more the Maldive Islands. Couples love exotic place can be smaller and the Costa Rican rain forest and more intimate, and people really its beautiful waterfalls for explor- get to know each other. ing and photographic memories. There can also be cost savings While we're used to the idea with a destination bar mitzvah or of booking a hall and caterer in bat mitzvah. It can cost less to go our hometown, the idea of doing away for a week than to pay for it in another city, state or country one large three-hour event. can be intimidating. But with the All sorts of options are avail- Internet you can see, and some- able. Among popular destina- times even go on, "virtual tours" tions for bar mitzvahs and bat of venues. You can also maintain mitzvahs are the historic syna- close contact with everyone you gogues with sand floors (used to need to work with to make the muffle sounds when prayers were day perfect. Of course, the servic- held secretly) in St. Thomas and es of a professional makes things Curacao, the Costa Rican rain smoother, easier and gives you forest and the centuries-old syna- access to places and people that gogue in Barbados. you may not otherwise find. ❑ Bar and bat mitzvahs on Ellen Paderson owns Smiles and cruises are also a great option Miles Travel. She has arranged — really fun for multigenera- more than 5,000 trips, including tional families. They can have at 300-year old synagogues in San the ceremony in the St. Thomas Juan, St. Thomas and St. Martin. synagogue during the port call or See www.barmitzvahvacations.com in the ship's and www.smilesandmilestravel. chapel. I work with a cantor who com. prepares the child for the cer- emony and usually joins us at the (This story was first published by resort or on the cruise ship. www.Jewish.Travel, the new online Families should choose the Jewish travel magazine.) destination based on what is DIRK VAN DER MADE. Ellen Paderson I LET US TRANSFORM YOUR EVENT SPACE 248-855-0480 4297 Orchard Lake Road, Ste. 250 West Bloomfield, MI 48323 (Crosswinds Mall) www.barrysletsrentit.com 1903800 Make beautiful fused ?lass artwork in your home or at your event Give your guests something unique to remember your event We bring all materials to your event and you and your guests create one of a kind art pieces ladies Night In-Home Parties Bridal Showers Bar and Bat Mitzvah's Carmen Kennedy (734) 395-8107 carmenkennedy40@yahoo.com Birthday Parties (both children and adults) Psychic Sundays Psychic Readings every Sunday after the show! A BACHELORETTE PARTY stops off to see a psychic TWO PAIMS TilLAIRL on the way to the bar in The Current inside the West Bloomfield BARNES & NOBLE 6800 Orchard Lake Road (south of Maple) For Tickets or more information go to WWW.TWOMUSESTHEATRE.ORG or call 248.850-9919 celebrate! I March 2014 1903560 C 5 1