When I set out to plan my son's Bar Mitzvah, I knew I wanted to make a great first impression. After all, with six weeks between invitations going out and the actual event, I knew friends and family would be talking about the party and their enthusiasm, whether they realized it or not, would stem from the envelope and enclosures they received in the mail.

Besides, while the party lasts for a few hours, the invitation would be lying around for weeks, visible on a refrigerator, bulletin board, kitchen counter, wall calendar. Something with that much visibility needed to be spectacular, it needed to jump out at you, it needed to set the tone for an unforgettable event.

Lucky for me, I knew just where to go to get all of that and more... Thefrontdoor.com

My sister-in-law introduced me to the website when she was planning her daughter's Bat Mitzvah. Thefrontdoor.com was her one-stop shopping source for her invitations and thank you note cards. And they were such a hit that I knew when it came to my turn, I wouldn't look anywhere else for my invitations.

My son, Tyler, is really into music so we decided to go with a club theme for the party after the service. Each table would be recognized by a different club name - House of Blues, Viper Room, Studio 54 - you get the idea. Tyler wanted the party room at the temple to be dim and we decided together that all the decorations would be in dark colors. This was an evening affair so the "club scene" would be more on the formal side with a more grown-up flair (Tyler is wise beyond his years already).

We settled on black, silver, crimson and dark gray or slate for our colors. So with that to work with, my mission to find the perfect invitation would hopefully be easy to accomplish.

I clicked on Thefrontdoor.com and within minutes had found exactly what I wanted. Understated, yet classy, the style I envisioned in my mind was right before my eyes. The invitation consisted of a shimmering slate base card with Tyler's name printed at the top in silver ink. Then a smaller white card containing all of the party information lay on top of that. Three Star of David seals held the cards together. A matching response card was included. I was able to personalize the invitation however I wanted and the outer envelopes were pre-printed.

Phew. It was such a load off my chest to get the invitations taken care of quickly and easily. And I didn't have to leave home to do it! When the invitations arrived in the mail, they looked even better in person.

The real gratification came when RSVP's started coming in and many family and friends commented on the uniqueness and quality of the invitation. I knew the consideration I took to find the perfect invitation was already paying off and all of our guests were looking forward to the Bar Mitzvah with bated breath.

The night was a huge success. Not only did Tyler do a wonderful job with his Mitzvahs, he took it upon himself to greet everyone as they entered "Club Tyler." What thirteen-year-old does that? Guests were delighted to find their table by the large three dimensional club signs standing tall at each seating for ten.

There was no distinguishing between young and old at this party, so the room was evenly distributed with tables and chairs and a DJ was set up in the middle of the room at one end of the dance floor. Couches with black slipcovers were placed along the edge of the room for comfortable and more intimate seating. The music was already blaring as everyone entered and either headed for a chair or the dance floor. The kids were cutting a rug in no time and thanks to some choice music by the DJ, adults weren't far behind.

When I made the rounds to visit with attendees, everyone shared their delight at being a part of such a special occasion. They had been waiting for the day ever since their invitation arrived in the mail and the night was exceeding their expectations. As it finally neared midnight, Tyler came up to my husband and I and thanked us for putting on such an awesome party. Already, he's such a nice young man.

I know I have Thefrontdoor.com to thank for starting the ball rolling toward an unforgettable event and will be visiting them again - when my younger son has his Bar Mitzvah in a few years!