Sorry I made you wait over the weekend for the last installment of the fabulousness of Zoe’s day, but I hope you’ll think it was worth it. Lots of pictures so get comfy…

It started out somewhat sedate, but…

Making her grand entrance.And their grand entrance too!The other star of the show (who ran right up to Zoe for a biiiiiig hug as she was making her entrance. Too cute!)
A few shots of the candle lighting (if I put them all in we’d be on part 4 of the bat mitzvah!)Hora time!Love how Amanda’s expression and her dad’s expression (he’s in the lower right corner) totally match!I snuck in for one with Carly. (thanks Lara!)Slide show/movie.And there was singing. Or actually rapping. Totally so funny! Great job girls!Dancing with daddy.This may have been immediately after Mindy warned me to stay far away from the Cosmopolitans because the were mixing them way to strong. Or something.Presentations from friends.If memory serves, this was during “STOP. Hammer Time.”
Kids dance off. Any guesses which song?Adults dance off. Amanda and her cousin were AWESOME!And ended on the complete opposite side of the spectrum as the somewhat sedate beginning of the party.Thank you so much to all of Zoe’s family for letting me capture this fantastic (in every way) day! xo

As with the rest of Zoe’s bat mitzvah, no detail was overlooked. It was a lovely service, Zoe did a wonderful job, and actually made me tear up during her talk about what her Torah reading meant to her- she let everyone know that she would be donating a portion of her gifts toward “DougStrong“. Dougie is a boy in our town who is currently battling a cancerous brain tumor. Amazing, right?

Wearing the prayer shawl of her great grandfather. Omg, love. You think they’re a little proud of their girl?Grandparents doing a reading.Mom & Dad, too.My favorite photo bombers ever. Time for some wine. Notsomuch.A thousand blessings. Congratulations Zoe!! The party is up next, stay tuned.

So usually I post a bar or bat mitzvah all in one post, but there were so many awesome moments to capture on Zoe’s special day that I couldn’t narrow it down. Lucky you- you’re going to get 3 days worth of Zoe’s bat mitzvah for your viewing pleasure.

Mom booked me for this date about 4 years ago, so you can imagine how excited I was to photograph it!  (A little background: Zoe’s big sister Carly was Jack & Patrick’s safety patrol person back when they were in Kindergarten and she was in 5th grade and they share the same birthday. And then we figured out that mom’s cousin and I went to sleep away camp together about 10,000 years ago. Small world!)

Zoe’s a sweetheart and a dancer and was so fun to photograph. The whole family is pretty amazing with both older sisters in Ivy League colleges (Carly at UPenn, Amanda at Princeton), funny like crazy and so close and love each other so much. So without further ado, here is the beautiful bat mitzvah girl herself…

Love the moment caught between grandpa & granddaughter. Whenever I see them walking around town, they’re always holding hands. Not all portraits have to be boring and stuffy.

Lots of pretty ladies. Mindy, you’re so pretty! (and see, you gave me a great smile!)

More to come on the blog tomorrow. But first a big thank you to my photografriend and assistant for the evening, Lara for all your help that night. And for the laughs- you are crouching tiger, hidden assistant for sure!