On Friday night, the quarterfinals of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic heated up at the William H.G. Fitzgerald Tennis Center in D.C.’s Rock Creek Park, as defending champion Andy Roddick was ousted from the tournament. At the same time, and just down the block, event planner André Wells opened the doors of his home for the Unofficial Legg Mason Tennis Classic Lawn Party, co-hosted with DC magazine. The evening marked the second Legg Mason event for Wells, and boasted a larger guest list of 150 thanks to the success of last year’s party.
“How often does it happen that you live right down the street from a popular event that everyone goes to? It’s a Washington landmark,” said Wells, who was clad in crisp tennis whites, naturally.
The Legg Mason theme was obvious, thanks to a tennis photo station from Washington Talent, Photo & Video in the front yard. Guests posed on the lawn with tennis rackets and oversize tennis balls on a big red velvet couch from A Vista Events. A parked Good Humor cart from Berliner Specialty Distributors also kept the soiree light, while two buffet tables from Windows Catering dished out Southern picnic treats such as shrimp and grits and open-face crab cake sandwiches.
“When you have things at your home, you want to make sure it’s perfect and that everyone is comfortable, and that can be stressful,” said Wells.
Of course, keeping the neighbors happy was key. Luckily for Wells, his neighbors generously offered up part of their yard for the event, doubling the amount of space available. Rain almost thwarted the evening’s plans, as guests retreated to the house an hour into the event. But soon people were back outside, sipping signature drinks from SurReal Vodka and taking in tunes from DJ Adrian Loving and DJ i:Wah, who were set up on either side of the yard, spinning house music and hip-hop beats.
