I see a particular situation happen so often, and it never leads to a positive vibe in the creative space. I've experienced it with younger children having a Bar or Bat Mitzvah and older children planning a wedding. So a client's age does not seem to play a factor as much as dynamics with their parents.
Generally speaking, parents foot the bill—especially for a Mitzvah—so I get that they want it to be worth their investment. But if you find yourself grabbing the design steering wheel, I request two things of you:
Trust your kid. Whether they are preparing for their Bar or Bat Mitzvah or they met the person of their dreams and are ready to say, “I do", don’t worry if their design ideas sounds a little off-the-wall. Everything WILL look unique, beautiful, and appropriate, because…
Trust me. I have been doing this a long time and have worked with all types of families with all types of design aesthetics. I've had weird, random, and confusing requests. The good news? I can take almost any design idea and create something that will make everyone happy and get your guests excited to share in your celebration.
Your kid wants orange and black for their Mitzvah invitation and all you can think is Halloween nightmare? Trust me. I promise it will look amazing and you won’t have people showing up dressed like Freddy Krueger to your event.
The bride and groom want a Cinderella themed wedding? You just worry about getting glass slippers that fit and I'll take care of setting the tone for the ball of the year.
The design aesthetics of the printed materials should reflect the creative vibe and unique ideas of the honoree(s). There are no bad ideas if the execution of them is on point. Most of the events we celebrate are once in a lifetime—unless you are like my Grams and celebrate your 29th birthday for 30 years in a row—so let your kid's personality shine through and reflect the joy you are feeling about their milestone.