While the evening’s theme was omnipresent, so too was its purpose: raising money for the ballet. Costumed students presented tableaux of poses from the Cinderella during the cocktail reception, while two ballet dancers performed as Cinderella and Prince Charming shortly before the main course.

A rose-pink and gold palette decorated the dining room, with a mix of low and high arrangements (some as tall as five feet) of roses, hydrangeas, sweet pea, orchids, and cherry blossoms. Nay added a shimmery, ribbon-embellished tablecloth to the pink-, yellow-, and blue-topped tables, a design that debuted at the Corcoran Ball earlier this month. 

The decor was detail-driven, evident in handmade calligraphy table assignments, menus, and place cards, with embellished stars on the menus that matched the twinkling version projected onto the ceiling. Crystal jars holding Marie Antoinette-worthy pastel petits fours sat on the tabletops among the rose bouquets, crystal glasses, and candles.

After dinner, attendees danced to music from Sound Connection and picked up gift bags filled with Tivoli soap from Saks Fifth Avenue, specialty chocolates, and a voucher for two tickets to the Washington Ballet’s upcoming Rocketman. As guests left the ball (scheduled to end at the stroke of midnight), they discovered a giant foam pumpkin outside the venue—one last detail to end the night’s storybook theme.   —Adele Chapin