Themed Events

The entrance at Sowden House in Los Feliz was marked by a large step-and-repeat tent that had been erected directly at the foot of the residence. Inside, while V.I.P.s posed for photos, a looping LED video showcased the film Sofia Coppola directed for the Marni for H&M collaboration.

Immediately beyond the step-and-repeat video wall, guests walked up stone steps, a runway-like path lined with hurricane candles and palm trees.

A maze of rooms inside the house allowed guests to explore. Bureau Betak redecorated the space in a style that mixed Marni's relaxed and modern mood with hints of Coppola's film throughout and Tony Duquette in the prints used in the pillows.

Each room offered a different motif and scheme.

All the rooms of the house were furnished with hundreds of pillows, poufs, sofas, and low tables, all bathed in warm candlelight to create a cozy atmosphere.

The in-ground pool and Jacuzzi in the center courtyard was covered, forming an al fresco area for guests to mingle. Multiple entry points allowed for ease of flow, while custom light boxes illuminated and heat lamps and cashmere blankets provided additional warmth.

The pairing of the Mayan-style architecture with kilim rugs and cushions formed an ideal backdrop for the Marni for H&M collection's tribal-meets-modernist aesthetic.

In the large bathroom and dressing room, H&M showcased its Marni collection as it might appear in a real house situation, placing necklaces on a mirrored counter and clothes in the closet.

Hundreds of glass votive candles filled the space, adding to the intimate atmosphere of the event.

Akasha Richmond provided the night's catering, serving locally sourced fare from the open kitchen.

The home's architectural elements, including sand-colored concrete blocks emblazoned with images in homage to Yucatec Mayan temples, made for a striking backdrop against which Bryan Ferry performed.

The producers erected a stage for the entertainment, creating a 22- by 16-foot platform for the English musician to perform from.

The Chicago-based company held its massive holiday party at Chicago's Aragon Ballroom on December 14. Event Creative's decor included 8- by 12-foot masquerade masks, which had illuminated, color-changing crystal columns as "handles." Event Creative created patterned gobos meant to look like the draped materials on a Mardi Gras float and collaborated with Sound Investment on the lighting.

On November 12, the beer brand took over New York's Masonic Hall with a masquerade-themed promotion. Mirrorball produced the event and brought the theme to life with costumed actors wearing elephant trunks, Marie Antoinette-style wigs, and masks.

Wearing white body paint to match the tufted bar, actors crouched on pedestals surrounded by candles. Purple lighting added to the moody, Gothic effect.

The Breeders' Cup, the unofficial end to the thoroughbred-racing season, took over Santa Anita Park on November 2 and 3. Kicking off all the festivities and welcoming the event back to the region was a reception at the mayor's residence, the Getty House, on Halloween night. Brown Hot Events' deep purple, masquerade-inspired design for the affair included a welcome table at the entrance with 300 designer masks from which guests could select.

Chandeliers encased in Lucite made for eye-catching high-top tables in the bar area.

CyberCoders hosted its annual holiday party at Newport Beach Dunes Resort on December 15. At the entrance to the masquerade-themed event, a performer on stilts ambled down a purple carpet. The event's logo, a feathered mask, appeared in lights on the wall. Kapture Vision handled production.

Colorful eight-foot-tall letters spelling \"Love\" added to the 1960s ambience.

The Recording Academy's "Grammy Celebration" took over a massive space in the Los Angeles Convention Center.

A painted bus stood at the entrance to the party space.

Macy’s returned to Los Angeles on Friday with its 30-year-old "Passport Presents Glamorama" H.I.V./AIDS fund-raiser fashion show. The event took on a "British Invasion" theme that saw dancers shaking their stuff in front of a colorful '60s-inspired backdrop.

Along one wall of the Kate Young for Target pop-up shop was a chalkboard with a tongue-in-cheek interpretation of the brand's logo surrounded by pink, red, and white streamers.

Studio 54 inspired the look and feel of the Recording Academy's Grammy after-party at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

A truss surrounded a giant mirror ball.

Curtains made from reflective beads added a vintage touch, and lots of sparkle.

A laser light show added drama in the massive space.

Roller skaters in the party space added a bit of whimsy and nostalgia.

Aerialists performed for the crowd.

Fluffy, textural chandeliers hung overhead.

At CyberCoders's Gatsby-theme event, a tightrope walker from Zen Arts hovered 30 feet overhead, surprising guests at dinner and teasing the crowd with leg lifts, wobbles, and the splits.

To create a festive atmosphere throughout the space, performers entertained and roved in period costumes.

Zen Arts act Mr. Elixir, a so-called "alchemical mixologist" who makes his own moonshine, took guests through a series of tastings and cleansing exercises.

Acrobatic dancers entertained the crowd during the after-party.

Gatsby is so romantic, right?

But look closely at all these outfits. Doesn't all this frippery look really uncomfortable?

OK, well spats look ridiculous on everyone; let's start there. At the Lighthouse Organization's Posh Affair last Thursday, a decorator I really like had on a white and brown pair of Oxfords, and I couldn't stop staring at his feet. And not in a good way.

And the music from the era is great fun—for about 10 minutes. And it's not jazz. Anyone who has sat through the insufferable one-note theater musical The Boyfriend can tell you that all '20s songs sound the same, and the droning on the trombones can be a real headache.

The look is really hard to pull off, especially for women, and a costume party that doesn't make women look and feel good has real starter issues. You have to be bone thin, and willing to wear a ton of makeup that—once the dancing starts—tends to melt. And a giant marabou feather strapped to your head on a beaded choker might look alluring, but have you ever tried one on? It's both uncomfortable and distracting.

I’m not even going to touch the bathtub-full-of-booze concept.

There is a right way to throw a flapper party, and Juicy Couture did it for the first (and what should have been the only) Fashion's Night Out. Juicy hired about 20 actors, who came in full costume. Periodically, they would swarm the dance floor to do the silly period dances, with all the hand swinging and stuff which is great fun to watch, then they went running out onto Fifth Avenue blowing whistles.

Meanwhile, the rest of us got to enjoy the spectacle with the humiliation of participation discarded.

There is one main reason that Nights of the Caribbean parties are doomed to fail: location, location, location. What makes a Jamaican night so fabulous is that you are in Jamaica. The soft fragrant breeze, the lapping of the waves—no amount of pink lighting and umbrella drinks can conjure that.

It is amazing to me that people think of carting sand to a party. It always looks dirty (and never gets fully swept up; venue-owners beware!).

I love steel drums; when we were kids, my parents used to take us to see the Esso Steel Band, who miraculously always seemed to be on the island we were visiting (until I figured out there were a dozen of them). Sadly, when Esso became Exxon, the music died. And now no one can seem to find a real steel-drum band, and piped is simply not the same thing.

All of the sugar in the drinks gives guests a hangover, and the vibrant hues don't look so great on your shirt the next day. And I never really get why anyone thinks it is okay to strap on a grass skirt over regular clothing, do you? The only thing worse is seeing western undies peeking out.

I just groan whenever I arrive at a casino-themed affair. There are so many chores! First, you have to buy some chips after the measly amount they give you gets lost in five minutes. Then, while you fiddle with your paltry pile at the blackjack table, a really pushy couple has already gone and cashed in all their chips and won all the best prizes, leaving you with a choice of colored glass vases or an electronic scale. Casino night rewards selfish behavior, and that is a party don't.

Also, there's all this endless shuffling around, going from station to station, wondering if the next one will be more fun. Turns out losing at the roulette wheel is no more fun than pretending you remember the rules of Texas Hold 'Em.

So then you decide to opt out of the whole gambling thing—but now what do you do?

I always love the story about the sales meeting—I think it was for Teen People—when they hired "bandits" to surprise people on the bus as a way to announce the evening's premise. One lady, convinced by the ruse, swallowed her diamond ring to prevent it from being stolen.

But that’s the problem, isn't it? Isn’t the whole Wild West theme built around the idea of crime and gun violence? And the only interesting outfit choice for women is bar floozy. Nobody wants to dress up as Laura Ingalls. For men, the chaps and holster thing can easily veer into Village People territory—not that there's anything wrong with that. In fact, as I think about it, Wild West is a great theme for a gay sex party.

First of all, the music is great. Second of all, it is so easy. All you need is a DJ and a disco ball. Nobody really remembers what disco fashion was, so just about anything goes, which means no special shopping for guests.

And there is no such thing as disco food, so you're not stuck. Just take it easy on the vinyl record thing (no, it will not be cool to serve appetizers on one).

At the 2011 fete, ballerinas performed an excerpt from the ballet The Great Gatsby just before the live auction and DJ began.

Entertainers dressed as 1920s flappers served as greeters.

Live musical acts are borrowing inspiration from the evocative 1920s period. Costumed entertainers took the stage at a collaboration between the New York Botanical Garden and Stephen Starr Events in March.

A Great Gatsby-themed wedding planned by Swank Productions Inc. featured escort cards arranged inside of a vintage card catalog.

The Chicago zoo’s July benefit had a theme inspired by The Great Gatsby. Designers from Frost and Event Creative aimed to bring an East Coast-mansion feel to HDO Productions’ dinner tent, stringing bunches of chandeliers over the dance floor.

In celebration of the upcoming film, the Plaza recently transformed its champagne bar into a Moët & Chandon pop-up. The space holds an old-fashioned champagne cart, meant to resemble a fixture at one of Gatsby's parties.

A Perfect Event and BBJ Linen recently collaborated on a Great Gatsby-inspired birthday celebration in Chicago. Customized, mini champagne bottles stood in for place cards at each setting. BBJ's pearl-strewn napkin rings evoked the fashions of the jazz age, while A Perfect Event's ostrich-feather place mats, orchids in silver dip-dyed glasses, and gilded Moroccan votive holders "added true Jay Gatsby excess to the tables," said Debi Lilly of A Perfect Event.

Revel Decor recently brought in 1920s-style decor for a photo shoot with Carasco Photography at the Art Institute of Chicago. BBJ provided Art Deco-style linens while Okyne Medialab brought in sepia-hued lighting.

For the photo shoot, Hall's provided vintage-style champagne glasses, including a coupe adorned with polka dots.

At a 1920s-style private event in Chicago, Jewell Events Catering served a blackberry-champagne sorbet intermezzo in a cored apple. The palate cleanser was presented on Hall's Gothic Gold china set on gold Sunburst chargers, with Amber glassware; Private Label Linen created custom, Art Deco-style linens.

Toronto's AdBall, held at the Mod Club on January 31, had a Great Gatsby theme. Performers dressed in period garb entertained on a digital runway created by 5th Element Events; later in the evening, the runway held a fashion show that featured ad industry bigwigs as models.

Event Creative designer Meredith Treinen brought an East Coast look to the Ivy Room for the spirit's launch party in Chicago last summer. Decorative elements included fresh wheat in birch containers, blue hydrangeas in wood boxes, and votive-filled Mason jars. Lighting cast leafy projections on the walls.

Models in '20s-style dresses and white-tie tuxedos lined the staircase at the entrance. The dresses were loaned by Holt Renfrew, and L'Oréal Paris provided era-appropriate makeup and hairstyles.

In the cocktail space, a living fountain twirled around slowly. Planners mounted the statue and surrounding water trough over an octagonal hole in Windsor Station's floor, and the set up required reinforced struts covered by flooring and raised three feet above ground level.

This year's ball incorporated 50,000 daffodils—more than ever before.

In the dining room, tables were mostly rectangular, but were interspersed with circular tables for six to 10 guests. Linens were black and white, and guests sat in black chairs and ghost chairs. The centerpieces were tall, black and crystal candelabras with daffodils winding up their stems; there were also daffodils clustered into Art Deco-style vases.

The dining room held five massive crystal chandeliers, which were designed and installed especially for the event. Lighting designer Nol van Genuchten used a golden-hued scheme that reflected the gold-on-black graphics used in the promotional materials for the new film version of The Great Gatsby.

Palm trees and fountains surrounded the dome near one of the tightly guarded entrances.

Obscura Digital's views of Dubai allowed guests to move through the streets without ever leaving the small room.

Projectors stationed throughout the room displayed seamless footage of Dubai's coastline while guests sipped cocktails at the bar.

The panoramic ceiling allowed guests to see 360-degree shots of the new hotel.

Stiltwalkers spouting feathery fronds marched near the entrance, ushering guests into the party.

The only light in the party's backroom emanated from flashbulbs and the massive, electronically equipped model of Trump's new home in Dubai.

An example of a baby-theme catering presentation: New York-based event firm Rock Paper Scissors Events recently housed striped straws in baby bottles.

Ladyfingers Letterpress created a book-like baby shower invitation with quotes and sentiments from the mommy-to-be’s favorite children’s stories. The cover was hand-sewn with gray-and-white baker’s twine, and a library card served as the R.S.V.P. card. Guests were encouraged to bring their favorite children’s book to help build the little one’s reading library.

For baby showers, Truffleberry Market in Chicago presents desserts in small vessels that resemble baby food containers. The snacks are served with spoons that read: “Cute as a button.”

Washington-based event designer André Wells planned a baby shower that had an untraditional guest book. Guests could snap Polaroid selfies and leave the images, along with a note, in the book.

At a travel-theme baby shower planned by Andre Wells, guests left notes detailing their best baby advice.

At the Ritz-Carlton South Beach in Florida, the catering team surprises guests at social functions with a “sushi cupcake” setup. The station presents the whimsical cakes on a boat-like stand.

Rock Paper Scissors Events designed a shower with a “lavender” theme that included purple candies and lavender in the floral arrangements by Cristina Lozito. Because showers are usually held during the day, planners like to use a light, cheerful color to design a cohesive look.

Paramount Catering and Events in Chicago offers whimsical pretzel ­stations. The pretzels hang on stands, and guests dip them in sauces, including whole-grain mustard and tomato-bacon jam.

Paramount Events suggests utilizing a tabletop pegboard to present breakfast items like bagels and doughnuts in a fresh, new way for a bridal brunch.

The wedding-theme event hosted by Mindy Weiss and Wedding Paper Divas in Los Angeles featured the D.I.Y. trend: one station invited guests to customize cookies with watercolor-inspired paints.

Guests at the Los Angeles event hosted by Mindy Weiss and Wedding Paper Divas could also create custom bags of potpourri.

Lollipops can be sweet or savory like the seared tuna version with togarashi, avocado mousse, arare, and micro shiso from Paramount Catering and Events.

Chicago’s Meatloaf Bakery, which got its start making cupcake-shaped meatloaf topped with mashed-potato “frosting,” now makes entire savory cakes. The centerpiece-worthy snack can be served as lunch at ­afternoon ­affairs like bridal showers.

To divide up or lend warmth to a sprawling reception space, planners are using fresh alternatives to draping. At the Knot Gala in New York, ribbons and bistro lights offered the illusion of a lower ceiling.

The Knot Gala also featured a fresh method for engaging guests during the cocktail hour. At one food station, globes filled with tuna ceviche hung from trees, and guests were encouraged to “forage” for the items with help from staffers.

Lace is also showing up in wedding decor. At a Los Angeles luncheon hosted by Beverly Hills event planner Mindy Weiss and Wedding Paper Divas, a room with heavy draping by Revelry showcased a lace-topped table.

Wedding cakes are being lavished with gilded touches. Ron Ben-Israel Cakes in New York creates confections tinged with lace patterns and metallic hues.

Invitations are straying from more classic designs to embrace quirkier patterns and themes. For a “sci-fi circus”-theme commitment ceremony, designers Arley-Rose Torsone and Morgan Calderini of Ladyfingers Letterpress in Black Forest, Colorado, created an invitation design featuring funky hand-drawn characters.

Instead of, or in addition to, traditional flowers, some couples are incorporating paper floral backdrops into their wedding decor. Lil Epic Event Design in Chicago provides such structures.

San Francisco firm Events of Distinction incorporates custom fabrics based on clients’ preferences into bar façades, lounge furniture, and pillows for receptions.

Some couples are opting for daytime weddings and serving brunch instead of dinner—or serving brunch items at cocktail parties. Toronto catering firm Eatertainment serves elegant, miniature versions of breakfast dishes such as French toast and pancakes.

Instead of traditional wedding favors, couples are donating to charities on behalf of their guests, says Jessica Jordan, Trump SoHo New York’s senior catering manager and certified professional bridal consultant. Many are also including philanthropy as part of their registries with help from organizations like the I Do Foundation.

Chicago-based event planner Debi Lilly of A Perfect Event put a new spin on a bride’s “something blue,” designing a thematically hued “hers” cocktail.

A Perfect Event has also worked on wedding receptions featuring high-end sweets as an alternative to cupcakes or a wedding cake. One example: ending a meal with the delicate French pastry croquembouche.

Austin, Texas-based Caplan Miller Events set up a personalized whiskey bar cart in honor of the groom at a wedding at the Four Seasons Austin.

The Humana Challenge (formerly known as the Bob Hope Classic and to be known as the CareerBuilder challenge for its next iteration) is part of the P.G.A. Tour’s early season West Coast swing each winter in California's Coachella Valley. In January, producer Toast brought new ideas to rework the tournament’s opening and closing parties at the Renaissance. At the opening event, a putting challenge pitted amateurs against pros in a contest to make the most holes in one. Models in custom caddie wardrobes staffed the challenge.

Throughout the party, Golf Channel commentators Scott McCarron and Rich Lerner discussed the pairings as well as the events for the week ahead at a sports-TV-like set.

Toast custom built the 19th Hole Bar for the Humana Challenge. It included real marble countertops, LED backlighting, and mirrored shelves.

A second flag-style centerpiece created visual variety at the Humana Challenge closing party.

Northern Trust Open and TaylorMade Golf hosted a drive-in movie screening during Oscar week in Los Angeles. But instead of watching from their cars, the crowd of about 400 watched from golf carts.

Tide launched a new laundry detergent in 2010 with with a Miami party that included four sports activations, each branded with the new product's logo. At a golf station, logo flags flew over a three-hole putting green.

During a Washington event last September known as Parking Day—a way for community members to collaborate on creating temporary parks in parking spaces—the retailer Flor created a putting green using its own modular carpet tile product.

An illuminated tunnel was a budget-friendly way to make a highly visual impact at the 25,000-square-foot booth for TaylorMade-Adidas Golf at the P.G.A. Merchandise Show in 2012. The 51-foot green exhibit showed the distance golfers gain when they use brand's RocketBallz equipment.

At Lacoste's Coachella party in 2013, guests who scored a hole in one at a putting green took home headphones from the brand.