Lebling’s 28,000-square-foot mansion drew attention as the crowd perused its spiraling front staircase, 11 fireplaces, and 13 bathrooms. But the main event took over the home's two-tier marble deck, which Hargrove decorated like an island oasis with two orange chiffon banners draped from the second-story balconies.

Exquisite Design Studio provided arrangements of ferns and tropical flowers and two full-sized palm trees, while Ridgewells offered up a raw bar with oysters, clams, and jumbo gulf shrimp, passed empanadas and chicken skewers, and warm-weather drinks such as Jamaican rum ginger zingers and Caribbean limeades.  

Since the weather was already steamy when the party kicked off at 7 p.m., guests made use of the neon sunglasses and miniature hand-held fans placed at each table. But as the sun went down, and the temperature cooled, the three-acre lawn glowed with multi-colored lighting. Dozens of tennis ball-sized orbs decorating the grass lit up and flashed different colors as the crowd danced to Motown classics performed by the eight-piece band Millennium, courtesy of Washington Talent, Photo & Video.    —Adele Chapin