Despite chilly temperatures, thoughts of spring were in the air at the National Cherry Blossom Festival’s 95th anniversary gala, which kicked off fund-raising efforts for the five-year run-up to the festival’s 100th anniversary. Held at the Renaissance M Street Hotel (it was the venue’s first event since its ongoing $26 million renovation began), the February 28 gala instituted a pink-tie dress code, to which most of the 160 guests adhered.
The decor followed suit, with Cherry Blossom Festival program manager Lillian Iverson taking her inspiration from—what else?—the blossoms themselves. “We wanted to turn it up a notch and really make it eye-catching,” Iverson said.
This meant incorporating hotter pinks, complemented by black, gray, and aquamarine tones, into the programs, signage, and lighting. In the dining room, pink-and-white-draped tables featured centerpieces of pink roses paired with burgundy-hued tea leaves in clear globe vases. Each place setting included a party favor: two cherry-filled chocolates wrapped in pink foil nestled on a small blue Japanese dish from Beaucoup.com. Pensare Design Group’s stage backdrop featured a five-panel cherry blossom photo, which was adjacent to the projected logo of the event’s sponsor, Comcast.
