Today’s reader question comes from Deb via Facebook.
Any idea where I can get inexpensive benchers for a Bar Mitzvah (or other simcha)?
Can you help Deb out? I’ll be listening carefully to your responses, since we’re T-3.5 years to our first one.
Do you have a question about budgeting, couponing, menu planning or anything else? Please send me an email – I love hearing from my readers!
We ordered ours during Artscrolls 20% chanukah sale. If you want an artscroll one, nows the time to order, even if you leave it blank and get the stamping done later.
Mrs. Padawer in Brooklyn. Can get you anything you’d like or see on all the bencher websites. Her prices are the best. 718-853-4297 or fpadawer@yeshivanet.com
We went to Padawer, too! Got really nice interlinear Artscroll ones for a great price!
we just ordered for my son’s bar mitzvah, and I’m all into budgeting – the price range is enormous! Choose – do you want just a folded/laminated card? because you can get starting for .75 each from benchersunlimited, including personalization if you order 100. Once you’re into the booklets, you’ve driven up the price. Typsetting and layout and laminating on your own will be nearly the identical price, for triple the amount of work. Ultimately, if you know someone who will be in Israel, who can bring it back in their luggaged that’s the best price.
Ooh, I left this out of my wedding on a budget post — http://kosheronabudget.com/how-to-have-a-wedding-on-a-budget/ — because I wasn’t sure if the audience would be wide enough, but this was our plan:
Order benchers with plain covers. Buy LARGE opaque mailing labels (Avery or generic). Design your cover, which should be the size of the entire front cover. Print it out. Use a paper-cutter (at kinko’s or wherever) to cut them to the right size. Peel and stick them onto the benchers.
Want to save a little more money? Ask the vendor if they have any benchers that were printed with the wrong color foil, with a typo, etc. They can’t use them. They can’t get rid of them. I bet they will sell them to you at cost, and your opaque mailing label will cover up the previous printing.
How it played out for us: About 1/3 of our benchers were from another wedding–wrong color foil–and 2/3 had blank covers. With opaque mailing labels, a) nobody can tell which is which, and b) since we cut them to the exact size of the covers, you really do have to look carefully to see that a sticker is there at all!
We actually went through Eichlers and paid $1 per bentcher with the imprinting(we were particular about which bentcher we wanted — the artscroll simchon one). It’s much more expensive if you do a custom design, but we just had our names and wedding date. I agree that you need less than you think you do. We had a 250 person wedding and in reality we only needed 75-100 bentchers, absolute tops. We ordered 150 and have about 60 or so leftover.
Also for weddings, you need less if it’s an evening wedding because many will leave before bentching.
For bar mitzvahs, one of my aunts did a print out bentcher for two of her sons. It was just an 8×11 printer paper with bentching printed on it and pictures of her son along the top. Very cute, very cheap! She laminated them with regular laminating paper, so it was cheap.
Do you still have the 60 oh would sell to us?
Can I suggest you rent them and give a donation to a local gemach? We had hundreds of mismatched benchers from various simchas which all finally went to shaimos. I’d say save your money and put it towards something else or a different party favor…no one needs MORE benchers. Just my 2 cents.
For our wedding 11.5 years ago (!), we felt that most people we knew who would actually enjoy a bentsher already had plenty, but since we were getting married two days after Purim, we looked into it and you can get booklets with Megillat Ester with bentshing in the back! So, think creatively re: what your guests can use. I agree that the folding ones are less expensive (and very useful–one in the purse, one in the office desk, one in the car…)at less than $1/each the folding ones won’t be very expensive for 100 (which is likely already more than you need), but if you want actual booklets, there are other options.
PS we have heard from many friends over the years that our “bentsher” is the one they take to shul on Purim.
What is your definition of inexpensive? Skullcap.com has a number of benchers for under $1 each, including personalization, which I thought was a good price. I ordered my daughter’s benchers from there but haven’t picked them up yet; after I get them I will update how they turned out.
Also, remember that you don’t have to get one for every guest! Four or five per table is plenty. At my wedding I insisted on getting one bencher per person and we had tons leftover. Not everyone takes a bencher.
The sticker idea is interesting but it’s a lot of time & effort. I’m already making my own centerpieces and party favors (sewing 4 dozen fleece hats) so I chose to go the easier route with the benchers even if it’s not the absolute cheapest.
Sorry, for some reason the three comments before mine didn’t show up until after I posted, so I apologize for the repetition!
bentchers unlimited in brooklyn ny
We bought benchers for our daughter’s Bat Mitzvah at http://www.anybencher.com They have a good selection with good prices
try calling bp graphics in lakewood nj. i know u can get decent for 1.00 a bencher. could be there are cheaper options too.
Abramczyk in Lakewood cheapest we did our invites thru them also for 4 weddingd and the benchers quick and efficient service also
We ordered from Tuvia’s in Monsey, NY. (They have a website). We did Bentchers that we were also able to use as place cards. They were small, pocketsize bentchers.
keter judaica is great- they have a website with easy online ordering.
the chosson center in lakewood NJ