Today we’d like to introduce you to Rebecca Halpin.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Like many before me, I moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in Acting; I had graduated five years earlier with a BFA in Acting from New York University’s Tisch School for the Arts, and after a half decade of doing theater and film in NYC, I was ready for the warmer weather and shiny lifestyle that Los Angeles promised. And like many before me, I took a few “side jobs” (or “day jobs”) to pay bills and get me through the day-to-day.
Sometimes these jobs became more full time than I had warranted and acting took a sideline, but each time, I came back to pursuing my acting career while working another job that could provide me with the funds to sustain a life in this bustling city. Eventually, the call of the film industry subsided, and I found myself working for a prominent catering company, which had recently been pegged to become the interim exclusive in-house caterer for a synagogue in Pacific Palisades that boasted two (and sometimes three) Bar or Bat Mitzvahs each weekend. I had dabbled in planning Mitzvahs in the previous few years, so I was assigned to this synagogue client, and within two years, I had helped plan and manage several dozen events. Over time, I built up a steady clientele of private events and officially launched my own business – RAH Events – which almost exclusively works on Bar and Bat Mitzvah events.
It was looking like 2020 was on track to become my best year yet… and then the Pandemic hit. I had eight events between March and June 2020 that all got postponed, falling like dominoes as the stay-at-home order went from three weeks to three months and longer. Eventually, exhausted parents and impatient 13 years old decided they could postpone no longer, and they started to think about ways they could move forward with their services (virtually and micro in-person) and still celebrate in some way after. Just as birthdays proceeded during the Pandemic with drive-bys and socially distanced ice cream truck gatherings, the Bar and Bat Mitzvah world adapted as well. I’ve transitioned to helping families plan their own virtual/hybrid/micro events in this new normal we’ve all come to recognize.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
A global Pandemic that limits gatherings based on group size and number of households is the antithesis to a career in event planning. You may be familiar with the Jewish “hora” that is performed during celebrations, where the honoree(s) is lifted in a chair while guests join hands and dance in a circle around them. How do you do the “hora” when we’re told not to touch others and stay six feet away? This is just one of many ways that families planning their children’s simchas (celebrations) have had to reimagine their method of celebrating.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about RAH Events?
RAH Events is a full-scale event planning sole proprietorship. I work with families to help them celebrate their teen’s promotion within the Jewish community. For years, I have acquired new business exclusively through word of mouth, working with entire families to plan siblings’ events every few years, and I’m very fortunate that my clients tell their friends to call me to work with them as well. I work with each family to help them plan a unique event that celebrates their teen. I had one client where the Bar Mitzvah boy was a self-described “foodie”. Not only was he intricately involved in selecting the menu for the event, he went so far as to elect to have cooking classes take place DURING the party! We even brought in a sushi chef and the kids (and adults!) lined up to roll their own maki!
During the pandemic, as everyone transitioned to working from home and avoiding gatherings, I’ve pivoted to help families find ways to celebrate safely. I worked with a family who wanted to keep their August 2020 Bat Mitzvah date, so we set up a beautiful “bima” in their backyard with a rented hedge backdrop and floral framing for the Zoom-ed service, then had a few close friends come over after for a socially distanced backyard movie night, complete with comfy seating, monogrammed blankets, and fresh popcorn and sweets.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I am creative and like to think outside the box when planning these kids’ special days. My clients aren’t the ones trying to “keep up with the Steins”; instead, they want to find just as much meaning in the party as they get in the ceremony. So while fun is certainly at the top of the list when planning the parties, they also want to celebrate their kids in socially (and environmentally) responsible ways as well.
Pricing:
- Full-Scale Event Planning – starts at $3,300
- “Day-of” Event Planning – $1,050
- Zoom Moderation – starts at $550
- Hourly Consultation – starts at $75/hour
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.rahevents.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rahevents/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RAHevents
Image Credits
Image 1 – Robin Aronson Photography
Images 2-4 – Gary West Productions
Image 5 – Rebecca Halpin
Images 6-8 – Stephanie Waisler Photography
