Harrison’s Bar Mitzvah Was ‘Lit’

Harrison Miller’s bar mitzvah didn’t go up in flames, but it sure got a bunch of heat — A LOT! Party planner Melissa Miller arranged for Gastro Garage to serve desserts centered around a fire show.

Harrison’s bar mitzvah took place on May 3 with Rabbi Daniel Dorsch looking on with Parsha Tazria – Metzora which deals with the laws of ritual purity. Mom, Jessica, recalled, “Harrison did an amazing job! And since his Zayde [grandfather] blows the shofar during High Holidays there, we were excited to include the priestly blessings in keeping with tradition, having the grandparents and parents come up and drape the tallit over Harrison was our favorite part of the whole service.”

Harrison’s parents are Jessica and Rob, and his brother is Dylan. Grandparents are Allan and Vivian Levine and Robert and Kathy White. Another highlight was having them do the Hamotzi at the very top of the nightclub, overlooking the guests at the evening soiree. Jessica continued, “It was special to have them there; and we had a designated area where older guests could have their own space and enjoy a quieter dinner.”

A student at Ridgeview Middle School, Harrison is into sports: basketball, football, and lacrosse. For his mitzvah project, he worked with the Kyle Pease Foundation. Kyle suffers from spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy. Harrison also ran a 5K race pushing wheelchair athletes, cleaned wheelchairs and volunteered at other similar events throughout the year to connote Kyle’s completion of an Ironman Triathlon in tandem with his twin brother.

From 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., a rocking party took place at District Atlanta Nightclub at 269 Armour Drive, a bi-level weekend dance club known for its unique visual experiences. The décor was by YES Event Designs which pumped up the space with bright neon blue and black accents, along with groovy logos which were used throughout, and the end result was an incredible job of incorporating the space into a “nightclubby” atmosphere. There were smoke, lasers and an outsized DJ stage where DJ Rhythm knew how to engage the crowd and keep everyone dancing.

Zest Catering rose to the creative challenge and managed unique food stations all around the club, upstairs and down. Guests loved the Tot-cho Bar, the Asian noodle salad in takeout Chinese containers with chopsticks, original Philly cheesesteaks and a huge Mediterranean station. Special note: Tot-cho Bar is a nouveaux party trend — Tater Tot Nachos loaded with sour cream, heat, guacamole, and more.

A special treat was the flaming dessert presentation that morphed into a performance on the dance floor by Jessica’s renown brother, Chef Stewart Levine of Gastro Garage and Gastro Mechanics – straight from Los Angelos. Planner Miller said, “Flames were flying as he and his crew blowtorched brioche donuts with toppings for all to be entertained. It was a sight to see for sure, and it was delicious as well.”

Other vendors include: photobooth – Button It Up; swag – Emma Dix, logo, and Jen Immerman; hair and makeup – Hair Nicole Abbad and makeup by Jessica Marie; photographer – Grapefruit Photo; planner – MMEventsAtlanta.

Miller explained, “They had so much swag – everything from sweatshirts to specialty perfume by RX Candles – lots of hats, T-shirts, sweatpants, slides, slippers, they had it all. The swag station was so cool. It was lit up, and every young guest received a sweatshirt and perfume. Late at night, Bomba socks were handed out on the dance floor. It was epic!”

Harrison said, “I loved every minute of it, celebrating with all of my family and friends, and my mom did a great job!”

Melissa concluded, “This event was so special because we loved working with Jessica. She had so many out-of-the-box ideas, and we were thrilled to bring her vision to life. It was a grand night with surprises every time the guests turned around. Jessica wanted it to be a true nightclub experience, and we crafted the perfect team of vendors to make it all happen. Friends and family all left saying that they all had a blast!”