A few weeks ago, I had the surprise and honor of being asked to help design the tables for a bar mitzvah for a dear friend’s son. I love doing new things, and learning that the theme for the event was going to be centered on TREES…wow! Couldn’t wait to get started!!
Here is a picture of the prototype that I threw together as we prepared, using somethings I had on hand, and the materials that Mary Ellen, my client and friend, had purchased previously. 
We arrived early that Saturday morning, convinced the friendly but somewhat imposing police officer at the borough building to lend us the key to the adjacent hall, and swung open the doors to the space needing our attention.
I forgot to wear my photographer’s cap that day, but nonetheless, I have a few shots to show a bit of how the finished product looked.
I wanted to evoke the feeling of a forest floor on each of the tables, so we used a number of elements to bring a lush, textured collection for each arrangement. Using river rock, live plants, a variety of mosses, small votives, and tree branches that Mary Ellen had gathered from her own yard, each table received its own vignette.
We had decided to use a tray on each table to pull the arrangements together. The ones that Mary Ellen had found were a textured glass, and to me they were reminiscent of a little creek burbling by.
The side table which was used for place cards and gifts, had its own treatment with sanded manzanita branches, burlap table cloth, and a big hunk of an oak tree. 
Here is the table with the branches lit. 
And the room ready for a celebration!
Mazel tov, Steven!
