Decor

California-based rental company Archive Rentals offers a large collection of authentic vintage Western and camping-themed items, including reclaimed barn-wood tables, camping trailers, Airstream trailers and canoes.

For the grand opening of the Miami Airport Convention Center in Miami earlier this year, the venue's catering team created an edible garden using toasted pumpernickel crumbs as "dirt" with spears of baby carrots, asparagus spears, and zucchini, as well as baby tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella "flowers."

A garden-inspired dish featuring seasonal vegetables by Great Performances in New York can stand in for a traditional floral centerpiece.

At Stella McCartney's Resort 2013 collection preview, waitstaff passed citrus-infused cocktails in Mason jars.

Also at Stella McCartney's Resort 2013 collection preview, dessert stands offered sweets from Coolhaus and Pie Corps (pictured). At the latter, guests could also pick up prepackaged jars of fruit cobbler.

As part of Colgate's White Beauty Bar event in Los Angeles, Skintimate treated attendees to a self-serve sorbet station.

For a fun spin on a summer favorite, LoLo Event Design has caterers serve passed bite-size ice cream cones and ice cream sandwiches.

At this year's Tony Awards gala in New York, guests could serve themselves cups of YoArt's frozen yogurt. There were 80 different toppings, including fresh fruit and gummi candies.

Tabú nightclub at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas is offering several Fourth of July-inspired cocktails this summer. The White Night (pictured) is a sweet and savory blend of Malibu rum, Frangelico, Rumplemintz, and cream strained and served over ice, then garnished with raspberries and blueberries.

At Barbra Streisand's fund-raiser for the Cedars-Sinai Women's Heart Center in Malibu, colorful floral arrangements in wooden vases played off the outdoor setting.

For the Central Park Conservancy's annual "Taste of Summer" event in New York, designer Marc Wilson punched up the all-white furnishings with drapes and throw pillows in bright pink, green, and yellow hues.

Markus Daly Ryan produced Univision's Deportes launch in New York, where picnic tables formed the bulk of the seating and found lumber was turned into cocktail tables for a neighborhood-block-party feel.

For the picnic-inspired Absolut Orient Apple launch party in New York last summer, organizers covered the floor of the indoor venue with sod, and brought in live trees and wooden barrels filled with thousands of apples.

At a Belvedere-sponsored event during the 2012 Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, guests sat on haystacks covered with bright orange blankets and chevron-patterned pillows.

Chevron-patterned linens were also used on cocktails tables, and sunflower bouquets served as centerpieces.

Megavision Arts created 2-D and 3-D wall projections as a nod to the pool theme at a party to celebrate newly renovated Los Angeles venue Nic's Beverly Hills.

At the Power Ball in Toronto, piñatas made for a kid-friendly activity.

At Sunglass Hut's summer block party in Miami, family-friendly games included corn hole, bocce ball, ping-pong, and hopscotch.

Pop-a-shot basketball was a popular activity at Sunglass Hut's summer party.

Dubbed "Hannah Mermaid," model Hannah Fraser is available for corporate events, and specializes in underwater "aquabatics" and open-water diving.

At the 2012 Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, presenting sponsor Belvedere offered refreshing beverages made with their Lemon Tea vodka, including the Lemon Tea Classic Punch, a drink that featured sherbet, black tea, and a mint sprig garnish.

At Barbra Streisand's recent fund-raiser for the Cedars-Sinai Women's Heart Center in Malibu, guests helped themselves to a raw fruit and veggie bar. In place of a tablecloth, organizers used a quilt to match the vintage-inspired aesthetic of the event.

Nothing says summer like fresh seafood. At the Power Ball in Toronto, V.I.P. guests helped themselves to shrimp and freshly shucked oysters at a chilled seafood bar provided by Petite Thuet.

Petite Thuet also served a colorful dish of seafood paella at the Power Ball.

En Ville Event Design & Catering in Toronto created a picnic-themed display of fruit, bread, and cheese for a summer event.

For Heineken's Inspire Tour in 2010, the food was adapted to the New York market with items like Reuben sandwiches, Chinese dumplings, hot dogs, and falafels served from street carts.

Guests at Stella McCartney's 2011 spring preview were treated to shaved ice by People's Pops in New York.

McCartney's carnival-themed presentation also had a mac 'n' cheese station. Guests could grab a mini serving wrapped in a spinach cone from a Ferris-wheel stand, or opt for a full cup that could be topped with veggie bacon bits, truffle oil, jalapeños, scallions, or sriracha sauce.

At this year's Luminescence gala in Chicago, passed canapes included cured salmon lollipops, displayed on beds of wheatgrass.

Boston-based event design firm LoLo Event Design recommends setting up self-service bars at summer events. The display includes premixed drinks in large Mason jars, along with fresh herbs and seasonal flowers.

For the dinner, held inside Streisand's home, the summery atmosphere featured neutral tones and fresh-picked centerpieces.

The centerpieces at Diffa's Garden gala in Chicago this year included candelabras wrapped in greenery and white flowers surrounded by Mason jars holding tealights.

The V.I.P. area of Toronto's Power Ball was styled with rustic elements for an English-picnic look. Designers used loading palettes as banquet seating and cocktail tables.

At Stella McCartney's Resort 2013 presentation, a large cart overflowing with roses and peonies stood near the entrance to the venue. As guests left, they were given small bouquets or single stems as festive gifts.

At Glossed & Found's Meredith Wendell luncheon in Chicago, A Perfect Event placed giant, colorful pool inflatables throughout the venue to set the tone for the pool party theme.

At this year's Casa de Don Julio event in New York, the outdoor terrace was decorated with Mexican-inspired decor, with barrels and wooden benches used for guest seating and cocktail tables.

This year's Adam Smith Awards gala, which took place in Washington, D.C., had a red-white-and-blue theme.

LoLo Event Design offers hand-painted handkerchiefs that can serve as table numbers at a garden event. Geraniums in a terra cotta pot have a more casual feel than an elaborate formal centerpiece.

LoLo Event Design also creates message-in-a-bottle place cards for beach-inspired events.

At Sears' and Kmart's 2012 collection press preview, the design team brought in foliage, benches, and six live canaries. The birds chirped from freestanding cages placed around the product vignettes.

For a recent pool party, the team at Swank Productions kept the decor streamlined, with a mostly white color palette, mirrored furnishings, and plenty of sheer draping.

For an indoor summer-themed gathering, Swank producers used beach balls to create playful "chandeliers." Tables were covered in summery yellow and orange linens.

At Glossed & Found's book launch party designed by A Perfect Event, guests took home summer cocktail recipes provided by Grand Marnier.

The recent Beverly Hills Hotel & Bungalows 100th anniversary bash kicked off with a performance by the Aqualillies, a troupe of water-ballerinas.

At the Seersucker Ride and Social in Washington, D.C., guests enjoyed music from a 1920s jazz band. As a nod to the theme, participants dressed in seersucker and Jazz Age fashions.

Guests also played lawn games like croquet at the Seersucker Ride and Social.

At last year's Stella McCartney spring preview, guests played ping-pong at a table set up outside.

Zen Arts in Southern California offers an array of entertainment that can take place in or around a pool, including their transparent spheres that hold performers and float on water.

At the Power Ball in Toronto, guests took a ride on wooden swings in the main party area.

For Yahoo's Genome relaunch party in New York, organizers brought in a trio of synchronized swimmers from Gotham Synchro to swim in the venue's indoor pool. The water dancers sported alien-inspired body suits as a nod to the event's futuristic theme.

The digital-love-story segment also included a gymnast inside an inflatable globe being passed around a crowd of spectators. Zen Arts offers a similar act, where performers move inside "bubble spheres" that can float on water.

Owners Erin Mulcahy and Nicole Michels launched their Philadelphia-based studio, Bird and Banner, in 2006. They create hand-drawn, whimsical stationery suites using surprising materials like vintage handkerchiefs. Add some hometown love to an event by handing out locally made soft pretzels in Bird and Banner’s City of Brotherly Love pretzel bags, $80 for 100.

Send a few favorite photos to Texas-based Manjar (Spanish for “delicacy”) and the bakery can turn them into edible Instagram posts for you, as well as create sugar cookies frosted to look like the popular social media company’s camera icon. There is no minimum order, and clients can send in as many different photos as they’d like. For larger orders, call at least two weeks in advance. Also on Manjar’s hipster-approved cookie menu are sweets shaped and frosted to look like Wayfarer sunglasses, mustaches, Polaroid photos, and vintage cameras.

Cotton candy gets a sophisticated makeover in the hands of Sugar & Spun. The company uses all-natural and artisanal ingredients, including organic raw sugar and dried toppings and powders, to create unconventional flavors such as black sesame, spiced mango, salted chocolate almond, and latte. The spun sugar comes in 32-ounce tubs for $4.50 each, or 16-ounce tubs for $3 each (additional sizes are available on request). There is a 20-count minimum; pickup at one of the company’s locations along the San Francisco Peninsula is free, and delivery within San Francisco costs $20. Allow three days' advance notice.

Gourmet flavors take a simple-sounding treat—chocolate-covered pretzel rods—to another level at Fatty Sundays: think pumpkin spice, peanut butter and jelly, banana cream, peppermint crunch, berry granola, and more. Bonus: The colorful, dipped pretzels would look especially eye-catching on display at a candy station. Custom labels, flavors, and color combos can be created for events and favors, with a minimum of 20 boxes of two or five pretzels. The treats can be shipped throughout the United States.

Boston’s Wicked Good Cupcakes puts a new spin on the classic dessert with its Wicked Good to Go cupcake-in-a-jar treats. Each glass jar holds the equivalent of two cupcakes, and there are 15 flavor options, including vanilla birthday cake, sea-salted caramel, and red velvet. For corporate orders, the jars can include custom labels or colored sprinkles and fondant toppers. Custom Wicked Good to Gos start from $8.50 for an eight-ounce jar; shipping is available nationwide.

New York-based Stick & Pop has whipped up its cake pops and bonbons for brands including Swarovski, Tory Burch, Valentino, Joie, and Patrón. In addition to the company’s original menu of cake-ball flavors such as Griswald (vanilla graham cake with a marshmallow center and chocolate chips dipped in dark chocolate) or Nutty Bunny (carrot cake dipped in white chocolate with walnuts), it also specializes in custom-designed packaging, as well as custom flavors, colors, and toppings. Place orders five business days in advance for 100 or more.

It’s obvious Robyn Frank, owner of Thumbs Cookies, makes her tiny shortbread cookies by hand—her thumbprint is pressed into each one. A mixed batch of 60 cookies costs $30 and includes signature flavors such as ginger clove, apricot with pistachio and cardamom, candied pecan with rosemary, and original cinnamon-sugar topped with a chunk of Mast Brothers chocolate. Frank also makes Thumb Pies (pictured), miniature cookie sandwiches bonded together with colored frosting or chocolate hazelnut filling. The cookies can be customized with tiny edible letters and can be packaged as favors or gifts. Large orders of 500 or more must be placed two weeks in advance, and price breaks are available for large quantities.

For unique candies that will get guests talking, check out online sweets shop Sugarfina. The California-based company travels the world in search of gourmet candies and chocolates (think Belgian ale gummies, absinthe chocolate cordials, and matcha green tea caramels). The treats can be ordered for candy buffets in five-pound boxes ranging from $65 to $80, and consultants can be called upon to recommend a mix of candies for certain themes. Also available: stylishly packaged corporate gift options.

For events in Manhattan, Brooklyn, or Queens, Heartbreaker Baker offers its chewy, heart-shaped bar cookies. The treats come in 10 main cheekily named flavors, including Stuck on Yous (chocolate with gooey caramel and sea salt) and Fig It About Hers (oatmeal fig with an orange glaze). The mini versions go for $1.25 each, while the regular size costs $2.50, with a minimum order of 40 minis or 20 regulars. The cookies can come on platters or come individually wrapped with custom labels. Three days' advance notice is required, or five days' notice for custom labels; delivery is $15.

More stylish than your average Blow Pop: Designer Lollipop peddles spherical sweets that contain edible images—everything from fireworks and vintage lace, to world flags and the Aurora Borealis. Owner Priscilla Briggs can also create custom corporate logo lollipops. The handmade, individually wrapped treats start from $14 for six and can be shipped worldwide. There is a discount for orders of more than 120; large orders of from 600 to 1,000 take between 10 and 13 weeks to process.

Handmade, in small batches, Crack Caramel creates its addictive caramel bites using only brown sugar, sweet cream butter, organic heavy cream, Madagascar vanilla, and pink Himalayan salt. Individually wrapped two-bite caramels can be purchased by the quarter, half, or full batch (a full batch costs $45 for 40). Or opt for the Crack Pops: paper-wrapped caramel lollipops on wooden sticks. Order at least two weeks in advance.

The Beverly Hills Brownie Company offers—yup, you guessed it—brownies. With 23 unconventional flavors, including new arrivals s’mores and no-gluten classic buttercream, the brownie boutique makes the rich treats individually, so each one has a crisp-edged crust and moist center. For events in the Los Angeles area, there is a brownie bar service that includes a full display setup and uniformed servers, and it typically involves a 10-dozen minimum order (but owner Bobbie Greenfield says there is flexibility). The company also offers custom brownie flavor and logo options, and gift packages can include custom parchment inlays and tags. Signature brownies are $39 for a dozen, with special pricing available for volume orders.