Juliet celebrated her bat mitzvah on November 1 surrounded by her family and friends. I was able to join her for the reception at the Doubletree Hotel in Allston, MA. It was a smash success. The young guests played games and danced with exuberant joy throughout the day while the adults enjoyed each other’s company in the neighboring room. They came together to celebrate Juliet and this important milestone.

Juliet wore a smart skirt and jacket for the ceremony at her synagogue, but she changed into this gorgeous dress for her grand entrance at her party. Huge applause accompanied her walk in.

The DJ and MC from Siagal Productions had the kids entertained from the moment they arrived. One of my favorites was a Hoola-Hoop game that was sort of like Hot Potato; if you ended up with the hoop around you, you had to go in the center for a Hoola battle. These two young ladies were able to slap both hands together (aka give each other 10) while keeping the Hoola-Hoops in motion. Amazing!

Juliet was definitely the belle of the ball. And she granted a dance to her younger brother. So sweet!

The adults enjoyed the festivites as well. Gathering together brought smiles to everyone’s faces.

Juliet’s dad was warm and welcoming as he thanked the guests for joining their family in celebration and for their support of Juliet.

The young guests received all kinds of gifts, including fuzzy hats, sparkly hats, slap bracelets, photos from the photobooth, funky sunglasses, and glow in the dark necklaces. With all that fun stuff, I actually think this young man brought the "God" hat to top off his look.

From my last post, you may recall Juliet’s expression as she went up in the chair during the hora. After Juliet, her brother, sister and cousin also were held up. Sarah captured this image of Juliet’s sister and the crowd celebrating around her.

And one more from Sarah that I love. I think there must be some unwritten rule that boys have to lift each other up at a celebration. And it is clear they were having a mighty good time doing it.

The day really was so much fun. The spirit of the teenagers and the warmth of the adults made everything joyous.

If you would like to see more, you can check out Juliet’s Slideshow, her Sneak Peak, and her Rock Star Portrait Session.