Inauguration Party Ideas: Going Red, White, and Blue—But Not Hokey

Design Cuisine Caterers served beverages in red, white, and blue-colored glasses at the 2012 Ball on the Mall, the only gala allowed on Washington's historic lawn.

At Politico's inaugural 50 to Watch cocktail party in 2011, the red, white, and blue theme extended to the signage. The event took place at Barcode in Washington.

Last year's U.S.O. gala—which drew nearly 1,100 guests, including Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and General Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff—featured red, white, and blue table decor. The event, which honors members of the military, was held at the Washington Hilton.

At the National Association of Catering Executives' 2011 Capital Style gala in Washington, a patriotic cocktail hour fit the theme "NACE Salutes the 1940s: Heroes to Hollywood."

Fittingly, red, white, and blue provided the color palette for a private breakfast before the Foundation for the National Archives' 35th annual reading of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2011. Jack H. Lucky Floral Designs' oversize floral arrangements of red roses, blue hydrangeas, and white daisies topped the buffets.

The invitation for Food & Wine's 2009 Best New Chefs event in New York used propaganda-style red, white, and blue graphic design with a culinary tweak—a nod to Shepard Fairey's poster for Obama's 2008 campaign.

At the 2012 Ball on the Mall, the Trust for the National Mall used red draping, blue lanterns, and stars projected onto the tent ceiling to create a sophisticated patriotic atmosphere.

Also at the 2012 Ball on the Mall, A Vista Events designed two spaces with an Americana theme, using silver and gold furniture to accent the of red, white, and blue draping and decor.

The 2012 Adam Smith Awards gala June 6 at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington had a red-white-and-blue theme.

To kick off the one-year countdown to the 2012 election, Yahoo News D.C. hosted a party in Washington that projected red and blue hues as well as stars onto the ceiling of a tent.