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  4. A California teen hosted a bat mitzvah inspired by some of Gen Z's favorite brands — Glossier, Crumbl, and Starbucks. See inside.

A California teen hosted a bat mitzvah inspired by some of Gen Z's favorite brands Glossier, Crumbl, and Starbucks. See inside.

Jennifer Ortakales Dawkins   

A California teen hosted a bat mitzvah inspired by some of Gen Z's favorite brands — Glossier, Crumbl, and Starbucks. See inside.
A Glossier-themed bat mitzvah. Trisha Harrison Photography
  • A California teen hosted a bat mitzvah inspired by her favorite brands.
  • The Glossier-themed party had giant Cloud Paint and Boy Brow tubes.

You know a brand has reached cult-following status when a loyal customer makes it an all-out party theme.

Stella, a California teen, loves beauty and makes TikTok videos trying out different products. So it was natural that her bat mitzvah was inspired by her favorite makeup brand, Glossier.

"She was doing a lot of Glossier reviews," her mom, Alexx, told Insider. "She was always asking me to go to the Glossier store." (The family was granted a request to use first names only because they feared for their safety at a time of cultural and political conflict.)

So the Regent Beverly Wilshire ballroom was converted into a Glossier-meets-Soho House nightclub. It included mini shops with two other brands Stella loves, Crumbl cookies and Starbucks coffee.

Lisa Friedman and Marisa Lainer, who run the boutique event-planning company LA Party Stylists, were the masterminds behind the transformation.

Their clients, who often work in finance, entertainment, law, or real estate, come to them almost exclusively by word of mouth.

"We don't advertise," Friedman said.

"Unless you've been referred to us, it usually doesn't work out," Lainer added.

That's because parents who approach them by referral have talked with their friends and know that these blowout bashes will cost them. Budgets for their bar and bat mitzvahs can range from $100,000 to $1 million, but the typical budget is between $300,000 and $500,000, they said.

Part of that price tag comes with the guarantee that no two events are the same. "Each of our parties is extremely different," Friedman said.

"We don't want anyone to say, 'Oh, it's another one of those,' because then you're just doing a conveyor-belt party," Lainer said.

Take a look inside the Glossier-inspired party.

The event planners transformed the ballroom

The event planners transformed the ballroom
Dim lighting gave a warm ambience.      Trisha Harrison Photography

The bat mitzvah took place at the Regent Beverly Wilshire ballroom in Beverly Hills.

Friedman and Lainer spent a year planning the party, and it took them three days to set up the space.

"The ballroom was disgusting carpet. Nothing was pink. Nothing was cute," Friedman said. "So we definitely had to work hard to transform that."

First, they had to bring in custom lighting

First, they had to bring in custom lighting
The event planners created a tube mimicking the one of Glossier's Boy Brow.      Trisha Harrison Photography

They killed all the house lights and brought in a lighting designer who washed the room with a purple hue and added dimensional accents.

"Stella and her mom were talking about how everyone looks great with candlelight," Friedman said. "We wanted to recreate the experience of a candlelit room but without open flames all over the place."

Then they added pink carpet, drapes, and panels

Then they added pink carpet, drapes, and panels
The event planners created a giant tube of Glossier's Cloud Paint.      Trisha Harrison Photography

"We had to pick the correct color Pantone of the drapes to be the exact shade that we needed," Friedman said.

They also covered the railings with pink, corrugated panels to match the walls of Glossier stores.

They installed a shopping area for guests

They installed a shopping area for guests
The shopping area was filled with Glossier pink.      Trisha Harrison Photography

They created a shopping experience where the guests could pick out swag.

"We set up a little department store, which was so fun," Friedman said. "They got to go to the counter and pick out what they wanted."

Guests picked out on-brand merch

Guests picked out on-brand merch
The merch was also Glossier pink.      Trisha Harrison Photography

Guests shopped at the mini department store, where they could choose between pajama pants or sweatpants and a zip-up hoodie or a crewneck sweatshirt. They also got socks, hats, and a tote bag.

Everything was the same color pink, of course

Everything was the same color pink, of course
Stella's name became the logo on the merch.      Trisha Harrison Photography

Friedman and Lainer outfitted their staff in boiler suits, which they dyed pink to match the ones Glossier employees wore.

A 'Stella' logo in the Glossier font was on swag and decor

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Pink, corrugated panels mimicked the store design of Glossier.      Trisha Harrison Photography

All the merch was branded with a special logo they made of Stella's name.

They had a pink claw machine with more goodies

They had a pink claw machine with more goodies
A pink claw machine and arcade games were covered in branded decals.      Trisha Harrison Photography

They covered a claw machine with "Stella" decals and filled them with goodies like stuffed animals, lip gloss, Glossier makeup bags, and cosmetic brushes.

"Whatever the kids can't get from the claw at the end of the night, we open it up and they raid it," Friedman said.

Guests got temporary tattoos on a pink tattoo chair

Guests got temporary tattoos on a pink tattoo chair
Guests got temporary tattoos on a parlor chair.      Trisha Harrison Photography

They wanted the activity to look like a tattoo parlor, so they brought in a professional chair. This elevated it "from being something that you would see at a fifth birthday party to something more adult and more edgy," Friedman said.

They built out a Crumbl store for dessert

They built out a Crumbl store for dessert
For dessert, guests got their own boxes of Crumbl cookies.      Trisha Harrison Photography

"We went to Crumble and picked up 500 boxes of cookies," Friedman said. "Then we had our attendants wear a Crumbl T-shirt and hats and pass them out."

And a Starbucks store for drinks

And a Starbucks store for drinks
Guests could order copycat versions of Starbucks drinks.      Trisha Harrison Photography

They recreated a Starbucks store and had their drink vendor copy the company's specialty drinks.

"So they weren't really Starbucks drinks," Friedman said. "They were bootleg," Lainer added, laughing.

The shops were a surprise for Stella and came together like her own Main Street in Disneyland, Alexx said.

They painted the bar for adult drinks

They painted the bar for adult drinks
There were separate areas for the adults to hangout.      Trisha Harrison Photography

Everything had to be the same shade of pink, and that included the bar that served the adults' drinks.

Lounge areas were inspired by Soho House

Lounge areas were inspired by Soho House
Seating was modern and sleek.      Trisha Harrison Photography

Instead of traditional reception tables, they arranged seating areas inspired by the famous members-only club.

"Mom said that she had wanted the vibe to be like Soho House," Lainer said. "She's like, 'I want it to feel like a nightclub where instead of traditional seating, there's little vignettes of lounges.'"

Floral arrangements were eclectic and boho to reflect Stella and her mom

Floral arrangements were eclectic and boho to reflect Stella and her mom
The flowers were a variety of pinks and complementary colors.      Trisha Harrison Photography

Alexx wanted nontraditional floral arrangements and loves a natural, bohemian look.

"She really wanted something that was contemporary and artistic, just like Stella and her mom. They're both very fashion-forward," Lainer said.

The florals were done by Enso Creative, the same company that built the Crumbl and Starbucks stores, railing covers, and LED wall installations.

The party was also a way for Stella to be proud of herself and her traditions, her mom said

The party was also a way for Stella to be proud of herself and her traditions, her mom said
Stella celebrated her bar mitzvah with a Glossier-themed party.      Trisha Harrison Photography

Stella was in "utter shock" when she saw the party come to life, her mom said.

"She was just overwhelmed with excitement. She was like, 'This is my dream,'" Alexx said. "It was a dream come true."

It was also an opportunity to celebrate her Jewish heritage, especially at a time when there's a lot of fear in the world, she added: "It was so beautiful to have my daughter so excited too and proud of herself, of who she is and her traditions and the payout of studying hard."

And now the giant Glossier Boy Brow and Cloud Paint bottles sit in her bedroom.

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