Event Decor

Shiraz Events provided decor for the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center gala in Miami in December. Tabletops were covered in silvery linens, and centerpieces of orchids and silver-coated ivy sat atop glowing white platforms.

Zak Events wanted to showcase "winter whites" at the 11th annual June Briggs Awards held at the Pierre New York in January. The look included custom-built white leather tufted highboy cocktail tables topped with icy-looking glass vessels filled with candlelight.

MillerCoors celebrated the introduction of the Coors Light resealable aluminum pint can in 2010 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tampa. The hotel's pool area was converted into a winter scene with fake snow, ice sculptures, and illuminated high-tops meant to resemble blocks of ice.

Inspired by a DNA double helix, the "red" carpet in the arrivals tent was patterned and hand-painted sisal, with a red-and-pink double helix extending up the steps and into the museum's Great Hall. It took six months to stencil the carpet, a first for Avila and his team. "We decided for the first time to bring the helix concept to guests the moment they arrived," said Raul Avila, the Met Gala's long-standing producer. "It’s the party of the year, so you really have to make it look like the party of the year."

At the center of the Met's Great Hall, the information desk was shrouded in red roses while a 65-foot double helix rose to the top of the ceiling, anchored in place at a rigged point. One strand comprised 250,000 silk roses while the other featured laser-cut off-white lace—both of which got lighter in hue as they extended into the dome. "This was my first time using artificial roses and my first time hanging something rigged from the ceiling," said Raul Avila, the Met Gala's long-standing producer. "Lightweight was key so as not to exceed [the weight restriction of] 1,500 pounds."

Thirty female models stationed in front of the transformed information desk served as ushers, guiding guests through the receiving line and then to cocktails and dinner.

Because this year's Costume Institute exhibit is located in the Robert Lehman Wing galleries on the first floor and ground level, the museum's grand staircase sat unused. Instead, Avila erected a 16-by-22-foot receiving wall at the staircase arch that was covered with 500,000 fresh red roses; cherry blossoms in urns also lined the room. The wall served as a backdrop for guests like this year's host committee and Vogue editor Anna Wintour.

For dinner, guests entered the Temple of Dendur through an arched doorway in a 70-by-20-by-10-foot wall made of 300,000 roses. Because no props could be hung from the ceiling in the room, decor was largely grounded to the floor. To maintain longevity, the roses were conditioned at Avila's Brooklyn studio for three days, then cut on Sunday morning and set in an environment where moisture was closely regulated. The wall was installed later that day.

In total, 300 table arrangements were created for the dinner, and 65 tables sat 610 guests.

The roses on the wall ranged from white to lavender to red, and extended from north to south across the entire width of the room. In total, 250 people spent 200 hours setting up, which amounted to 50,000 hours total.

Seven different types of flowers—including peonies, anemones, and ranunculus, all of which were flown 2,500 miles from Columbia to New York—were used in the centerpiece arrangements. White-washed cherrywood reception chairs featured beige linen cushions.

Dinner tables covered in pale blue and lavender cloths featured silver cup centerpieces with red, burgundy, and lavender florals. Custom-printed chargers had a deconstructed rose pattern, a nod to the "machina" aspect of the exhibit. "You can’t take the theme too literal … you have to think about what the party is about and let the exhibition shine," said Avila.

In a tongue-in-cheek nod to Met Gala underwriter Apple, Glorious Foods created a dessert of green-apple sorbet served in hollow apple shells that were resting on a spun-sugar nest with rhubarb compote. Also on the green-and-white-theme menu: an appetizer of green- and baby white-asparagus with white sturgeon caviar, and entrée choices of grilled lamb chops with wild mint or wild striped bass with California dill sauce. Both were served with Napa Valley wines.

The Weeknd performed at this year's gala. His more relaxed presentation style in comparison to past gala performers meant that producers only needed to ensure a proper stage was set for his use.

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.