This year's January 9 gala in Miami had less of a backyard-barbecue feel than previous iterations, with a look modeled on a French garden. Greenery, high hedges, silver tones, and amber lighting all added to the sophisticated, outdoorsy vibe. The event took place at the YoungArts Campus and Wow Factor handled decor. Starr Events also worked on the benefit.
“Wild, ripped-out-of-the-garden-inspired floral design has been a trend in the wedding industry for many years now,” says Jesse Tombs, managing partner of Alison Events Planning & Design in San Francisco. “We love working with bold color, pattern, and vibrant fresh ideas and are starting to see our corporate clients moving away from the everyday corporate blandness and wanting more editorial, unique designs that speak to their companies’ visions of creativity, success, and individuality.”
Pictured: An arrangement by Ariella Chezar.
A photo booth is a staple at any event, but Marcy Blum, president of New York-based event planning firm Marcy Blum Associates, recommends creating a stylized photo studio, such as this lush sofa setup with dramatic floral arrangements for group shots.
A floral and succulent wall announced sponsor Lincoln.
For a colorful, floral photo setup idea, PopSugar's Coachella hub at the Colony Palms hotel in Palm Springs featured a flower-covered swing in front of sponsor Ulta's logo. Agenc produced the event.
Elderflower liqueur brand St-Germain partnered with creative director Lily Kwong for the Los Angeles debut of Maison St-Germain, which took place August 2 at the Houdini Estate. The event had a magical realism and botanical fantasy theme, with decor elements that included a white silhouette of a house with hanging florals.
Keeping with the botanical fantasy theme, servers with painted florals on their arms and hands served St-Germain cocktails from behind bushes.
This is the most casual and whimsical style, marked by free-form design and a mix of bright colors. “There’s this whole group of consumers that love Etsy and love that hand-crafted look and feel," says Skaff. "So it’s like folk art, but in a youthful way. It’s spirited, upbeat, and quirky."
Very bright colors mark this style, including green, teal, yellow, pink, and orange. Butterfly and insect prints have also become popular in fabrics for fashion and home, and that will translate to floral design as well.
From a floral perspective, Skaff says bold choices such as alliums, Gerbera daisies, sunflowers, and even hand-dyed “rainbow roses” align with this trend.
Skaff says people are feeling more confident in the economy, so colors are getting brighter and more vivid. The deep, rich colors of Spain, Italy, Egypt, and other Mediterranean countries will prevail, including golds, cinnabars, blues, and yellows. Consumers are also looking for finely-crafted and one-of-a-kind items and interesting textures and patterns, so ceramic containers and hand-blown glassware will be popular. “It’s a casual, haphazard formality, because it does have a form, but we use a lot of vines, citrus fruit, and natural elements like jasmine vines and flowers like dahlias or sunflowers,” he says.
Decor at the lodge included a moss wall with a shape of the AT&T logo in the center.
Tablescapes featured floral arrangements in hues of burgundy with gold accents; the floral design came from Autumn Vine Design, Ron Carter, Eddie Zaratsian, and Tic-Tock Couture Florals. Candlelight accented the custom velvet table linens, and burgundy draping from Pipe Dream Events added an elegant vibe to the entire room.
“Icon Mann represents men of color who are at the top of the respective professions,” said William P. Miller, founder of W.P. Miller Special Events. “In my sixth year of producing this event, I stay creatively inspired. It is always an incredible feeling of honor to design an experience for such legends and change architects, and also to be recognized as an Icon Mann myself.”
The luxury car brand also hosted its annual Oscar celebration on Thursday night at Chateau Marmont, drawing a crowd of celebrities including Allison Janney, Tiffany Haddish, and Sarah Silverman. Event Eleven handled production and design.
Belvedere Vodka launched its new Ginger Zest product with a V.I.P. event at NoMad SoHo. Chef and wellness expert Candice Kumai hosted, and a step-and-repeat consisted of lemons, ginger, limes, and grapefruit—all ingredients that Ginger Zest is made with. Jack Morton Worldwide produced the event.
The Crispin Rosé hard cider bar displayed bottles of the new cider against a backdrop of greenery with oversize hot pink letters that read "Rosé all day." A pink bar was situated under a giant teepee with pink florals.
The event featured a photo-worthy floral tunnel created by floral designer Jeff Leatham.
The Chicago Botanic Garden’s fall fund-raiser, the Harvest Ball, took place on garden grounds September 22. To underscore the autumnal theme, Botanicals' arrangements of roses also held golden gourds and pumpkins.
Held in late September at Skylight One Hanson in Brooklyn, BAM’s 30th Next Wave gala featured floral decor by Fleurs Bella. Some guests dined at the former bank's deposit slip tables, where the built-in lamps were engulfed in greenery, roses, and calla lilies.
The reopening of the renovated Saks Fifth Avenue flagship store in New York took place earlier this month. The event, which was produced by Endeavor Global Marketing, featured an elevator that was transformed into a floral photo booth. Orchids and hydrangeas provided by Boho Blossoms decorated the interior of the elevator.
