Three Themes, Three Ways

Alice in Wonderland, water, and paper are three popular event themes.

In October, Toronto's Bell Gala had fairy-tale decor by Solutions With Impact, with several nods to Alice, including oversize playing cards, chairs, and flowers suspended from the ceiling.

Among David Stark's Lewis Carroll-esque touches at Washington's Meridian Ball in September was a red and white dessert buffet reminiscent of the Queen of Hearts.

At Advanstar's Magic Marketplace, a fashion trade show held in September, Disney hosted a Mad Hatter-style tea party in the Las Vegas Convention Center's grand lobby.

The Museum of Arts and Design held its first Paperball in October, with paper flowers, lanterns, and origami, as well as art installations using paper fashions and the museum's exhibit "Slash: Paper Under the Knife."

Post-It notes were the inspiration for David Stark's decor at the New Yorkers for Children fall gala in September. The event's step-and-repeat, a giant tree, and some tabletop items were made of thousands of sticky notes.

Paper magazine's 25th anniversary party in September filled the New York Public Library with hats, flowers, luminarias, and other decorations made of paper.

Designed by Windows Catering Company and Amaryllis Inc., the Washington chapter of the Commercial Real Estate Women association's October award reception was decorated with goldfish-filled fishbowls, treasure-chest table toppers, and a raw bar station with a giant clamshell.

The sea was the inspiration in a room at the Toronto International Film Festival gala in September. Designers from Party Barbara Co. used blue lighting, hanging jellyfish decorations, and vases filled with sand, shells, and sponges.

Held in September, Canada's Walk of Fame inductee ball, designed by Kyriacou & Associates, had ripple-effect lighting, blue linens, and clear furniture.