Wedding Trend: Natural Elements
Weiss and her team sourced vintage furniture—a dresser, lamp, and chair—and Mark's Garden planted them with succulents and other greenery to create a dramatic, organic look for a display.
Photo: Tiffany Rose/Getty Images for Wedding Paper Divas
Wedding Trend: Natural Elements
Guests created their own terrariums using succulents, moss, and twigs for a D.I.Y. take on the living elements trend.
Photo: Tiffany Rose/Getty Images for Wedding Paper Divas
Wedding Trend: Lace
A room with heavy draping by Revelry showcased a lace-topped table, which also served as Instagram bait for the social media-minded guests. Social media prompts on the floor encouraged and guided their posts.
Photo: Tiffany Rose/Getty Images for Wedding Paper Divas
Wedding Trend: Lace
A lace runner topped the feminine table, where lace also covered chairs in varying styles and flowers included surprising and romantic choices such as jasmine buds.
Photo: Alesandra Dubin/BizBash
Wedding Trend: Color Blocking
Weiss used jewel-toned colors accented with gold to demonstrate the color-blocking trend.
Photo: Tiffany Rose/Getty Images for Wedding Paper Divas
Wedding Trend: Color Blocking
To further illustrate the color-blocking trend, Weiss and Wedding Paper Divas looked to another trend: nail art. At one station, manicurists decorated guests' nails in color-blocked styles.
Photo: Tiffany Rose/Getty Images for Wedding Paper Divas
Wedding Trend: Color Blocking
At a soup and sandwich bar from Heirloom L.A. catering, color-blocked paper wrapped sandwiches on the buffet.
Photo: Tiffany Rose/Getty Images for Wedding Paper Divas
Wedding Trend: Color Blocking
Jewel-toned pillows and a table runner accented in gold popped against a white furniture grouping.
Photo: Alesandra Dubin/BizBash
Wedding Trend: Watercolors
Guests painted cookies with watercolor paints to illustrate the watercolor trend. Cookies came from Joanie and Leigh's Cakes.
Photo: Tiffany Rose/Getty Images for Wedding Paper Divas
Wedding Trend: Watercolors
Purple flowers in ombre arrangements ran the length of the cookie-decorating table.
Photo: Alesandra Dubin/BizBash
Wedding Trend: Chinoiserie
The trend of chinoiserie is resurfacing, and Weiss accented an area of the party space with upturned parasols to offer an alternative take on the concept.
Photo: Tiffany Rose/Getty Images for Wedding Paper Divas
Wedding Trend: Chinoiserie
Complementing the hues of blue in the chinoiserie area of the party space were cocktails offered in varying shapes and sizes of feminine glassware.
Photo: Alesandra Dubin/BizBash
For a holiday event for Herbalife, Sterling Engagements designed tabletop vignettes using metallic and glass objects in visually interesting and varied shapes.
Photo: Michael Hedden/Evoke Photography
At a screening of the James Brown biopic Get on Up in Washington in July, André Wells incorporated such objects as old-school-style microphones and records into floral centerpieces to channel the movie’s musical premise.
Photo: Courtesy of Andre Wells
Floral and event design company Amaryllis hosted an industry New Year's Eve party in Washington where a golden bust surrounded by an orb was part of an effort to weave in some statement-making European flair.
Photo: Kate Headley
For an event for Munchkin baby products in Los Angeles in November, Jeannie Savage of Details Details used toys on the tabletops to "evoke childhood memories," she said, for the bloggers, event planners, and influential mom guests in attendance.
Photo: Jessica Claire
At the Miami Heat Charitable Fund annual gala in January, A Joy Wallace Catering, Design & Special Events created a tropical-looking table with centerpieces comprising Mokara orchids, calla lilies, and roses with accents of blue thistle—all built around a 3-D acrylic cube that encased replicas of the three Miami Heat championship rings.
Photo: Cendino Teme Photography
For the 2010 St. Patrick’s Episcopal Day School's sports-theme benefit in Washington, held in the school's gymnasium, centerpieces were oversize versions of athletic objects by commercial sculptor A.J. Strasser.
Photo: Stephen Elliot/Mud Productions for BizBash
The Bafta Los Angeles Tea Party, held on Golden Globes weekend in Los Angeles, used various decor pieces and objects to advance its British theme—including a Union Jack-splashed tea kettle holding white roses.
Photo: Angela Weiss/Getty Images for Jaguar Land Rover
During Golden Globes weekend this year in Los Angeles, W hosted an event at A.O.C. in celebration of its picks for so-called "Hollywood It girls." Covered glass dishes on the tabletops provided feminine flair alongside pink blooms.
Photo: Donato Sardella/Getty Images for W Magazine
At the Lakewood Ranch Community Fund gala in Bradenton, Florida, in 2007, coffee beans filled cigar boxes on high-top tables to match the event's tropical theme and mood.
Photo: Courtesy of Showorks Inc.
In what could be described as a meta interpretation of a traditional floral centerpiece, David Stark used twine to create flower-shaped centerpieces at the Museum of Arts and Design's Visionary Awards gala in New York in 2007.
Photo: Gustavo Campos
At the Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS' Dining by Design benefit in New York in 2012, David Stark's installation for Benjamin Moore used real books and hand-made pop-up books to highlight the concept behind the brand's slogan: “A whole new chapter in paint color technology is being written.”
Photo: Ronnie Andren for BizBash
In September, the renovated Riverside ballroom at Austin, Texas's Radisson Hotel & Suites Downtown opened with a food-centric event that saw produce contained in veggie cartons as decor.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
Rock candy made for a more budget-friendly and unexpected—not to mention edible—centerpiece at Chicago's Children's Ball in 2008.
Photo: Barry Brecheisen for BizBash
The Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center's Bunny Hop took place at New York's F.A.O. Schwarz in March 2013. Small topiaries shaped like the animal of honor spruced up the family-friendly event, which also had a balloon artist, face painting, and a station for decorating cookies.
Photo: Beth Kormanik/BizBash
Green: Nature, Health, Renewal, Growth, Healing, Harmony
Lush canopies of natural greenery popped against neon green Lucite tabletops at the Museum of Modern Art’s 2013 Party in the Garden benefit in New York.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
Photo: Courtesy of Trump Chicago Hotel & Towers
Ronen Bar and Furniture Rental provided the grass-covered bars.
Photo: Artist Group Photography
Ikea provided the green chairs in the dessert room, which, along with Nuage's linens, inspired Braun's design.
Photo: Artist Group Photography
In November, when it was springlike in Los Angeles, baby brand Munchkin hosted a luncheon for bloggers, event planners, and influential mothers at the James Cagney estate. Jeannie Savage of Details Details designed the event with vibrant colors as well as Munchkin products and toys throughout the space.
Photo: Jessica Claire
Made by Meg catered the luncheon at a tabletop decorated with boldly colored ribbons and Munchkin products.
Photo: Jessica Claire
Old Navy invited an all-ages crowd to celebrate spring at Fig & Olive in Los Angeles with the brand's style ambassadors Emily Current and Meritt Elliott. The so-called “On the Road” event had an Americana road trip theme with a colorful map motif. A bluegrass band performed at the Old Navy event on an unfinished wooden stage in front of a colorful backdrop that resembled wide-open road trip scenery.
Photo: Michael Simon/startraksphoto.com
At the Old Navy event, a cheery bar display featured citrus in boxes labeled in chalk, potted succulents, and details of the Big Sur-theme signature cocktail in colorful frames.
Photo: Alesandra Dubin/BizBash
Last March, the Los Angeles PR firm BWR hosted an event for media to preview its clients' spring and summer products. Held in the company's offices, the intimate afternoon included a candy bar rendered in preppy pink and green.
Photo: Courtesy of BWR
Call It Spring celebrated its summer campaign last June at the Sixty Beverly Hills, where a Jamaica theme included playful island-style decor and hefty doses of color in the poolside space—as well actually in the pool, where toy roosters riding citrus wedge floaties caught the attention of many Instagrammers.
Photo: Courtesy of Call It Spring
Last summer, Svedka hosted a Rio carnival-inspired party in Beverly Hills to fete its new mango-pineapple and strawberry-lemonade flavors. The colorful event design included fruits arranged in a logo decor piece that floated in the pool.
Photo: Michael Simon/StarTraksPhoto.com
In 2013, Hermès hosted its “Les Jeux d’Hermès”—or Hermès games—in Palm Beach, where a croquet field section of the party space sat beneath colorful tenting inspired by the brand’s famous prints and scarves.
Photo: Matthew Carasella
At the Coachella festival last year, Forever 21 hosted its so-called “Party in the Sky,” where two cranes hoisted the event’s DJ booth into the air. The booth was made out of a shipping container painted in bright neon colors.
Photo: Courtesy of Forever 21
Also at last year’s Coachella fest, the Ace Hotel hosted its annual Desert Gold event program, where color-blocked flags at the hotel’s entrance nodded to the eyewear designs of new title sponsor Marc by Marc Jacobs.
Photo: Paige Jones Photo
In February, Mindy Weiss and Wedding Paper Divas feted their social stationery collaboration with a Los Angeles party meant to show off specific wedding trends represented in the new collection. Among them was Chinoiserie, represented at the event in an area decked with upturned blue parasols strung overhead.
Photo: Tiffany Rose/Getty Images for Wedding Paper Divas
Another of the wedding trends represented at the Mindy Weiss and Wedding Paper Divas event was color blocking. A white seating area demonstrated the look with jewel-toned pillows, and a vibrant runner topping a mirrored table.
Photo: Alesandra Dubin/BizBash
In February, the Anheuser-Busch-owned beverage brand Shock Top launched its summer seasonal Lemon Shandy beverage at a Southern California lemon grove. There, guests dined on warm-weather fare served at a long banquet table, dressed simply but eye-catchingly with citrus-colored buckets of the brand’s beverages.
Photo: Casey Rodgers
Held in Los Angeles in November, the J. Paul Getty Trust’s medal presentation at the Getty Center featured illuminated tabletops inset with distinctly springlike butterflies.
Photo: Ryan Miller/Capture Imaging
Last year, Chicago’s Moto Restaurant offered a new dessert that conjured sunny vibes: It painted coconut macarons to look like striped beach balls, and decorated the plate with chocolate seashells, pineapple starfish, and sand made from brown sugar.
Photo: Amy Stallard
Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS held its second annual Picnic by Design fund-raiser on a New York rooftop in 2013. There, the interior and lifestyle design company Steilish created a scene inspired by The Wizard of Oz that included fabric poppies, votive candles covered in ruby-red glitter, gingham napkins, and a picnic basket designed to mimic the look of a hot-air balloon.
Photo: Becky Yee Photography
At the TEDActive conference in the Southern California desert in 2013, the La Quinta Resort & Club provided a sprawling venue where individual seating groups in intimate settings encouraged interaction. Oversize orange lettering spelled out words to inspire conversation and creative thinking.
Photo: Marla Aufmuth
For an Arizona Jeans Company event targeting millennials in New York last year, Mexican-style paper lanterns and flowers hung from the ceiling for a vibrant look and feel.
Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
Fotio brought in a vintage-style camera decked with a roll of carnival tickets. Guests posed with colorful balloons and signs that referenced songs from Carousel.
Photo: Bob Kusel
A balloon backdrop behind a glowing bar set the stage for the Institute of Contemporary Art's 75th Anniversary Gala’s after-party in November 2011.
Photo: Liz Linder
A stilt walker outfitted in a balloon spaceship greeted fans at the world premiere of Disney’s Tomorrowland, which took place at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, in May 2015.
Photo: Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney
Hermès threw a beachside party in Palm Beach, Florida, in March 2013 with balloons wrapped in the luxury brand’s silk scarf prints at the entrance.
Photo: Matthew Carasella
At the Friends of the High Line’s opening summer benefit in June 2009, held at the Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers, hundreds of green balloons hung overhead in the cocktail area; the attached strings were intended to look like blades of grass.
Photo: Roger Dong for BizBash
Self-taught “balloon twister” Addi Somekh makes unique, larger-than-life balloon installations, such as the pink poodle that greeted guests at the event registration area at BizBash Live: The Expo Los Angeles, which took place in July at the California Market Center. In addition to funky decor, Somekh can provide live demonstrations for events, creating balloon hats and inflatable crowns custom-designed for guests’ personalities and style.
Photo: Michele Kyle Photography for BizBash
In April, event designers Tinsel & Twine created an ethereal balloon canopy installation for a media party introducing LeSportsac's latest bag collection at the Glasshouses in New York; the balloons were reflected in the mirrored-top tablescape.
Photo: Courtesy of LeSportsac
For its 20th birthday, Old Navy held a “selfiebration” in Times Square in October 2014, complete with a “balloon billboard.” Covered with 1,000 custom balloons, the 15-foot billboard was created by Deeplocal, which referred to the creation as a “selfie machine.” The marketing agency’s software grabbed images from Twitter that had the “sefliebration” hashtag and rasterized the photos to display them on the billboard via inflated balloons.
Photo: Deeplocal
Balloon Express constructed a floating, multicolored display for the Wildfox pool party in the Boulan South Beach pool during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim in July 2014.
Photo: George Martinez
The cocktail reception at the Canadian Cosmetic, Toiletry, and Fragrance Association’s annual Mirror Ball fund-raiser, held in November 2014 at Toronto’s Liberty Grand, included a silent auction and a balloon burst from sponsor Hudson’s Bay; the balloons contained prizes, such as gift cards. The gala benefits two programs—Look Good Feel Better, a workshop for women with cancer that provides makeup and skincare products, and FacingCancer.ca, an online support community for women with cancer.
Photo: George Pimentel
At a Vogue Eyewear launch party, which was held at a private home in Los Angeles in March 2013, a wall of colorful branded Mylar balloons served as an eye-catching step-and-repeat.
Photo: Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Vogue Eyewear
Chicago-based Balloons by Tommy creates a wide range of balloon decor installations, including centerpieces, arches, bouquets, sculptures, and more. For a wedding at Ovation in July, the company designed a floating wall of balloons in various sizes. Pricing ranges from $250 to $20,000, depending on the style and size of the installations.
Photo: Courtesy of Balloons by Tommy
For a Coca-Cola event at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, a ceiling installation design was inspired by a burst of bubbles exploding from a Coca-Cola bottle. The installation lit up in gold whenever athletes won a gold medal.
Photo: Tiago de Paula Carvalho
Skincare brand La Roche-Posay's street promotion in 2013 brought a colorful suspended installation of branded parasols to New York's Madison Square Park.
Photo: Courtesy of La Roche-Posay
At the Friends of the High Line spring benefit in 2014, more than 1,000 linen panels hung from the ceiling in the dining room. Designers dip-dyed them by hand in a dozen inflatable children's pools, and they changed color based on the lighting.
Photo: Christian Oth Studio
The Museum of Modern Art in New York honored writer and director Alfonso Cuarón at its 2014 film benefit. Large metal sculptures, trimmed with LED lights, were suspended from the ceiling of the museum's lobby.
Photo: Cornelia Stiles/BizBash
For the Blaffer Art Museum’s annual gala in Houston in April, creative studio Matter designed a gilded meteor shower ceiling installation using NASA space blankets—an idea inspired by the event’s space theme, as well as the metallic trends seen on recent fashion runways.
Photo: Max Burkhalter
The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s 2015 Costume Institute celebrated all things Chinese. To create a feeling of intimacy in the expansive Engelhard Court, designers lowered the ceiling to 14 feet by hanging nearly 200,000 stems of wisteria overhead.
Photo: Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
More than 5,000 T-shirts created a colorful canopy overhead at the Jewish Museum’s Purim Ball in 2014. The custom tees were painted with tongue-in-cheek takes on classic slogans, like "Frankie Says Relax It's Purim" and "Got Spiel?"
Photo: Susie Montagna
Chicago hosted the U.S. Travel Association’s IPW conference in 2014. At the splashy opening-night party, hanging letters and signs served to divide the space and add a sense of intimacy throughout.
Photo: Timothy Musho Photography
At the 2012 Screen Actors Guild awards after-party in Los Angeles, a diamond-shaped, draped ceiling treatment created a dramatic effect.
Photo: Nadine Froger Photography
At Diffa Dining by Design in New York in 2015, Smartwater's space aimed to reflect the brand's natural water purification process, which is mirrored after rain clouds. The fluffy fixtures lit up like a storm above the simple table setting.
Photo: Cornelia Stiles/BizBash
For the Food Network's 20th anniversary party in 2013, dozens of prop macarons made from Styrofoam were rigged to create a 10-foot-tall chandelier that hung over a dessert station.
Photo: Amanda Schwab/StarPix
At the New World Symphony gala, held in Miami in March, decor included hanging floral installations made up of white flowers, moss, and driftwood.
Photo: Sonja Garnitschnig
Designers of the 2009 Bell Gala in Toronto evoked a fairytale theme with oversize flowers and playing cards hung from the ceiling.
Photo: Gary Beechey for BizBash
For the 2011 Design Exchange gala in Toronto, hundreds of balloons hung from the ceiling during the V.I.P. dinner. The space changed color with each course, starting with blue, morphing to pink for the main course, changing to orange for dessert, and ending in red.
Photo: George Pimentel
At the 2012 Steppenwolf Gala in Chicago, script pages from the theater’s recent production hung from round chandeliers on the ceiling.
Photo: Kyle Flubacker
Last year, Groupon hosted a “007”-theme holiday party at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago. Event Creative decked the venue with James Bond-inspired decor. One of the evening’s interactive activities, or “missions,” was to snap a photo in front of a step-and-repeat featuring a spy plane.
Photo: Marcin Cymmer
Fiber-optic panels hung from the roof of the City of Hope gala tent to create the look of a starlit sky.
Photo: Line 8 Photography
A half moon-shaped stage backdrop featured what appeared to be a lunar-like surface.
Photo: Line 8 Photography
Whiskey was served from a moonshine-like presentation from sponsor Stillhouse.
Photo: Line 8 Photography
The tribute journal was blown up and presented in the style of sheet music.
Photo: Line 8 Photography
A guitar-shaped fountain was a nod to the invitation and the decor; it will move to the City of Hope Duarte campus.
Photo: Line 8 Photography
Clean black-and-white seating didn't distract from the overall look and feel.
Photo: Line 8 Photography
Painted Alive
Dos Equis’s “Most Interesting Masquerade” in New York’s historic Masonic Hall in 2012 featured what at first glance appeared to be a painting of a lion. But a closer look revealed that the image was brushed across the bodies of two seated women, their feet just barely breaching the frame of the shadow box. Mirrorball commissioned New Orleans-based artist Craig Tracy to create the living canvas, a process that took approximately 10 hours. Guests were encouraged to pose for a photo with the models to share on social media via nearby iPads.
Photo: Courtesy of Mirrorball
The Living Vines
It really is a jungle out there thanks to Living World Entertainment’s the Original Living Vines, which come to life through a set of choreographed moves to create a fascinating leafy tableau for events. The human foliage can also interact with guests and comes in seasonal shades—including lush spring greenery or wintry branches. To book, contact Orlando-based Key Artist Group. Pricing is available upon request.
Photo: Courtesy of Living World Entertainment
Revlon hosted its annual philanthropic luncheon in Los Angeles in September in support of the beauty brand’s Women’s Health Mission, which in part served to raise awareness for this year's philanthropic initiatives including Revlon's second annual Love Is On Million Dollar Challenge. And from that initiative came a “love” theme executed in clean, graphic decor including centerpieces: clean white block lettering spelling out “Spread the Power of Love,” with red roses set in black vessels at the base, running the length of long, spare tables. The idea was to infuse Revlon branding into the space in a way that did not detract from the philanthropic messaging.
Photo: Donato Sardella/Getty Images for Revlon
When David Stark created the decor for a Culture Lab Detroit dinner in September 16, he took inspiration from Belgian artist Koen Vanmechelen's Cosmopolitan Chicken Project, a multimedia examination of chicken breeding; Vanmechelen incorporates the project in his solo exhibition at the Detroit art gallery Wasserman Projects, where the dinner took place. To pull in the theme, Stark topped tables dressed in natural canvas with raw wood risers that held open egg cartons, containing 80 dozen eggs. After the party, the eggs went to the Oakland Avenue Urban Farm to be sold alongside their produce.
Photo: Susie Montagna/David Stark Design and Production
“The Royal Chic tufted Chesterfield couches from Hire Elegance make a statement. They are impressive because they are so long, and when filling an event space, it is nice to be able to utilize large pieces of furniture like these couches.” —Brian Worley of YourBash in Santa Monica, California Royal Chic 13- and 20-foot tufted Chesterfield couches, $695 and $1,050, respectively, plus delivery, available in California, Phoenix, and Las Vegas from Hire Elegance
Photo: Sean Twomey/2me Studios
“Glassware can be mixed and matched to complement any color palette." —Jaime Geffen of YourBash in Santa Monica, California Colored glassware, prices upon request, available nationwide from Casa de Perrin
Photo: Courtesy of Casa de Perrin
“I like to rent a vintage car as the perfect accent for a period party." —DeJuan Stroud of DeJuan Stroud Inc. in New York Vintage car, from $1,500 to $5,000, available in New York from Model A Restorations
Photo: Courtesy of Model A Restorations
![“We have used linens by Party Tables in three recent events, including a party in Chattanooga [Tennessee], where I used a custom-made black-and-white pattern to fit the estate tables ranging in length from 16 to 60 feet. For a destination on Amelia Island [in Florida], Party Tables made custom jackets to fit over the venue’s existing wood barstools along with cloths for the highboys and pillows to accent the soft seating areas. It was one linen, three ways!” —Steve Bales of Bold American Events in Atlanta Linens, price upon request, available nationwide from Party Tables](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2015/01/chattanooga_blackandwhitelinens.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
“We have used linens by Party Tables in three recent events, including a party in Chattanooga [Tennessee], where I used a custom-made black-and-white pattern to fit the estate tables ranging in length from 16 to 60 feet. For a destination on Amelia Island [in Florida], Party Tables made custom jackets to fit over the venue’s existing wood barstools along with cloths for the highboys and pillows to accent the soft seating areas. It was one linen, three ways!” —Steve Bales of Bold American Events in Atlanta Linens, price upon request, available nationwide from Party Tables
Photo: Courtesy of Bold American Events
“The Montana collection from Blueprint Studios is made from reclaimed wood, has a strong, solid feel, and can be used to create a number of different looks—from rustic cabin to contemporary loft—depending on the furniture you mix with it.” —Brian Worley of YourBash in Santa Monica The Montana collection, pricing varies, available nationwide from Blueprint Studios
Photo: Irja Elisa Photography
Edison lightbulbs nodded to the theatrical stage setting for Rolex's Awards for Enterprise dinner.
Photo: Michael Kovac/Getty Images for Rolex Awards for Enterprise
Months earlier, Coach marked its 75th anniversary in December in New York with a high-energy runway show on a set that took inspiration from a motel parking lot. Cartoonish neon representations of a gritty urban landscape created the backdrop.
Photo: Courtesy of Coach
Gin Mare's Med Rooftops
A wall of wooden crates showcased the Gin Mare bottles paired with fruit and greenery. The giant installation also served as an unconventional step-and-repeat.
Photo: Charles Roussel/BFA.com
The event's most striking design element was an archway at the entrance created with colorful ribbons. "Glasses hung from the colorful ribbons that represented the Chandon American Summer bottle design and the ties that bind this American brand to its French roots," says Chandon's Christine Guzman. "A symbolic timeline was displayed through the passageway, representing key moments in Chandon’s French-American history."
Photo: Owen Kolasinski/BFA.com
