Each year, the Washington National Opera's midwinter gala—among Washingtonian's top 10 social events for D.C.—aims for an evening of decadence, with a taste of the exotic. (Stockholm was the muse last year, and Japan's Edo Period before that.) This year was no exception, with the theme of "Taj Mahal by Moonlight" filling the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium with romantic Indian decor.
The 500 well-dressed guests (some appropriately decked in exquisite saris) were transported into the evening through an entrance draped in pink and orange sheer fabric, with gold statues from Nivanjoli Props and Scenery and a sitar player perched high on a throne. Staffers dressed in Indian-style garb handed out sparkly bracelets and donned bindis, while waiters in black uniforms and gold turbans offered up mango cosmopolitans with a purple orchid garnish.“We wanted to bring everyone in and make them feel special and important to the event,” said Elizabeth Early, special events coordinator for the Washington National Opera. She realized the evening's theme with the Women's Committee of Washington National Opera chair Caroline Boutté, who found inspiration on a recent trip to India and even held sari demonstration courses for committee members in the weeks prior to the gala.
Upon entering the venue, the crowd moved through spaces filled with tables of everything from high-end jewels to extravagant trips up for grabs as part of a silent auction. “The effect when you enter is that you're coming into an Indian bazaar, with the staff approaching you like vendors,” Early said. The rows and rows of auction items continued to the auditorium's green and gold rooms in the rear. Passed bites from Occasions Caterers included mini crab cakes and curry chicken puffs.
After the cocktail hour, several traditional Indian performers from Dhoonya Dancer Performance Company swept through the rooms, inviting guests into the main space, where a large mural of the Taj Mahal was set in front of a white tile dance floor reminiscent of a reflecting pool. “We wanted everything to be serene on the inside, and romantic with the Taj Mahal in front, shown at moonlight,” Early said.
Palatial decor filled the already ornate venue, with gold umbrellas and traditional Indian canopies covering the tables and orange fabric hanging between the space's large columns. The place settings featured several different looks—one combined cracked glass plates with silver cloth and silver-rimmed glasses; another mixed a gold and green tablecloth with all-gold fixtures—set with various Indian sculpture centerpieces, glass bowls with floating votives, and scattered rose petals.
Once guests took their seats, dinner began with an Indian menu of carrot ginger soup with spiced prawns, lamb rogan josh curry, and individual Taj Mahal replica desserts, which were assembled on site, combining a coconut and white-chocolate cake with a pistachio crème anglaise “reflecting pool” flanked by raspberries and strawberries.
The 500 well-dressed guests (some appropriately decked in exquisite saris) were transported into the evening through an entrance draped in pink and orange sheer fabric, with gold statues from Nivanjoli Props and Scenery and a sitar player perched high on a throne. Staffers dressed in Indian-style garb handed out sparkly bracelets and donned bindis, while waiters in black uniforms and gold turbans offered up mango cosmopolitans with a purple orchid garnish.“We wanted to bring everyone in and make them feel special and important to the event,” said Elizabeth Early, special events coordinator for the Washington National Opera. She realized the evening's theme with the Women's Committee of Washington National Opera chair Caroline Boutté, who found inspiration on a recent trip to India and even held sari demonstration courses for committee members in the weeks prior to the gala.
Upon entering the venue, the crowd moved through spaces filled with tables of everything from high-end jewels to extravagant trips up for grabs as part of a silent auction. “The effect when you enter is that you're coming into an Indian bazaar, with the staff approaching you like vendors,” Early said. The rows and rows of auction items continued to the auditorium's green and gold rooms in the rear. Passed bites from Occasions Caterers included mini crab cakes and curry chicken puffs.
After the cocktail hour, several traditional Indian performers from Dhoonya Dancer Performance Company swept through the rooms, inviting guests into the main space, where a large mural of the Taj Mahal was set in front of a white tile dance floor reminiscent of a reflecting pool. “We wanted everything to be serene on the inside, and romantic with the Taj Mahal in front, shown at moonlight,” Early said.
Palatial decor filled the already ornate venue, with gold umbrellas and traditional Indian canopies covering the tables and orange fabric hanging between the space's large columns. The place settings featured several different looks—one combined cracked glass plates with silver cloth and silver-rimmed glasses; another mixed a gold and green tablecloth with all-gold fixtures—set with various Indian sculpture centerpieces, glass bowls with floating votives, and scattered rose petals.
Once guests took their seats, dinner began with an Indian menu of carrot ginger soup with spiced prawns, lamb rogan josh curry, and individual Taj Mahal replica desserts, which were assembled on site, combining a coconut and white-chocolate cake with a pistachio crème anglaise “reflecting pool” flanked by raspberries and strawberries.
The Mellon Auditorium glittered gold for the midwinter gala.
Photo: Lara Shipley for BizBash
The Mellon Auditorium glittered gold for the midwinter gala.
Photo: Lara Shipley for BizBash
Staffers in Indian garb greeted guests with signature cocktails.
Photo: Lara Shipley for BizBash
Several schemes decked the tables, including an all-gold setting.
Photo: Lara Shipley for BizBash
Dancers performed in the central space, in front of a Taj Mahal mural.
Photo: Lara Shipley for BizBash
The individual coconut and white-chocolate cakes featured a pistachio crème anglaise "reflecting pool."
Photo: Lara Shipley for BizBash
Well-dressed guests mingled for cocktails in the green room.
Photo: Lara Shipley for BizBash
Indian sculptures served as the table centerpieces.
Photo: Lara Shipley for BizBash
The dance floor was set to look like water under moonlight.
Photo: Lara Shipley for BizBash
A sitar player sat at the venue's entrance.
Photo: Lara Shipley for BizBash
