Forget the huge “sweet 16” parties teenagers are having these days. Bar/bat mitzvahs are taking over as the new “in” thing, and everyone wants to have the biggest and most memorable event to celebrate their journey into adulthood.

Trick Pic Productions is one company that helps to provide just that with creative pictures called Morphables. The company goes on-site to each party and they take the guests’ pictures. Artwork is then added to each picture, with almost any theme imaginable, and printed out for each guest to take home as a souvenir from the party.

“They are a memory that you’ll get to keep for an awfully long time,” said Norma Peterson, who co-owns the company with her husband, Paul. “Everyone that we’ve run across has just loved the whole thing. We’ve slowly been building up our clientele through a lot of word of mouth, and it’s been working very well.”

The company provides their services for about two to five bar/bat mitzvahs a month usually. Some popular themes that have been used in the past are American Idol, peace signs, tie-dye and baseball.

A big party is hard to plan by yourself though. That’s where Parties & Props, Ltd. comes in handy. They can plan any and everything for a party, from different themes and food, to centerpieces and creative entrances.

“We can create an atmosphere and provide the ‘wow’ factor for any budget,” said Mary Allison, owner of Parties & Props, Ltd. “Everyone is different, so we customize each themed event. I just think that it’s such a fun business.”

Allison started her business 15 years ago in her basement, and would have clients come to her house. Now she is running the company with her two daughters, and 10,000 square feet of warehouse space available.

“We take care of guiding our customers through the process,” Allison said. “We’ve worked at every hotel, at the Convention Center, restaurants and high school auctions. We do everything.”

First impressions are often the most memorable for people though, and the first impressions for a party are the invitations. The Stationery Lady, aka Sally Kaplan, can work with individuals and help them find the perfect invitation as well as personalized napkins for their event.

“People don’t want just simple white and blue invitations anymore,” Kaplan said. “In the past a lot of people were just wanting pretty invitations. Not they’re going back to putting more of a Jewish theme to them.”

Kaplan has been in business for over seven years, and does about eight to ten bar/bat mitzvahs a month.

“I always like to encourage the kids to use their individuality and to choose something that reflects them,” Kaplan said. “This is a time when a child can show their personality and select what they like.”