Table Top Ideas

LoLo Event Design also creates message-in-a-bottle place cards for beach-inspired events.

British-born chef Ro Howe helms New York's Barraud Caterers. Although the firm tailors menus to individual events, it does have quite a few English classics in its arsenal, like these tea sandwiches, filled with crab-celery salad, beets, and walnut goat cheese butter, and topped with heart-shaped beets.

Chicago-based catering firm Boutique Bites serves British-inspired hors d'oeuvre pairings of beef-and-potato puffs and mini shots of Guinness.

Other English-inspired snacks on the Boutique Bites menu include Shepherd's Pie gougères, presented on sticks atop a bed of wheat grass.

Ted Baker, a British brand known for its cheeky, irreverent style, opened a Midwest flagship store in Chicago last year.  After the in-store launch event, guests were whisked to the after-party via a quintessentially English mode of transportation: a branded double-decker bus.

When Ted Baker opened its Boston store on Newbury Street in 2009, the in-store cocktail bash had a Mad Hatter's tea party theme underscored by precariously stacked teacups and saucers placed throughout the store.

British brand Ben Sherman also opened a Newbury Street shop in 2009. At its opening celebration, models clad in dresses based on the Queen's Guard's uniforms greeted guests at the store’s entrance.

At the Ben Sherman bash, servers offered guests Union Jack napkins and Svedka vodka cocktails garnished with English rose petals.

Newbury Street eatery Cafeteria and KiBar created passed hors d’eourves for the Ben Sherman event that were adorned with miniature British flags.

In 2011, the Royal Wedding inspired countless viewing parties replete with over-the-top English tropes. TLC's 1,000-person viewing party in Times Square had a photo opp area complete with a carriage and costumed British guards.

TLC's party also had a V.I.P. tent that was decked out with British decor, including Union Jack rugs and a classic London telephone booth. For those who hadn't dressed for the chilly early morning weather, TLC supplied branded red Snuggies.

The snacks at the TLC event stayed on theme. Abigail Kirsch's menu included a breakfast spread of scones and other pastries, as well as a selection of sausages, potatoes, and fresh fruit.

At "Couture and Crumpets," an afternoon tea service and Royal Wedding viewing party at the Four Seasons Chicago last April, a monogrammed chocolate tart, scones with Devonshire cream, and tiers of foie gras sandwiches—allegedly one of Kate Middleton's favorite snacks—lent a British vibe. Tea selections included Earl Grey, mint, and citrus-chamomile.

Thematic goodies filled the gift bags at the Four Seasons' Royal Wedding viewing party. Guests left with English-themed items such as Burberry Brit hand cream, tea, and a map of the London Underground system.

About Face Theatre's 2011 Wonka Ball in Chicago took place around the time of the royal wedding, and the motif infused the quirky evening. One photo opportunity let guests pose in the center of a gilded frame with a performer dressed in Queen Elizabeth I-inspired drag.

Continuing the gender-bending theme at the Wonka Ball, a quartet of female performers performed as The Beatles. The women lip-synched classic songs such as "All My Lovin.'"

A Beatles tribute band—this one comprising male singers—also appeared at the Make-a-Wish Foundation of South Florida's gala at the InterContinental Hotel Miami in 2009. Event producer Bruce Sutka of Sutka Productions International decorated the lobby with Union Jack flags and LED walls displaying scenes representing the British Invasion. Stretched spandex created a tunnel over the escalators, at the top of which stood a facade of the Fab Four's famous London studio, Abbey Road. Floor-to-ceiling draping separated the mezzanine level into multiple spaces, each representing a different Beatles song, such as “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” and “Strawberry Fields.”

In 2010, Target created a pop-up shop in New York to showcase its Liberty of London collection. To highlight the products, event producer David Stark evoked London's famously blustery weather, adding movement to static displays by using fishing line to position items like umbrellas, hats, and scarves.

Larger-than-life props provided playful surfaces for the projection of flowery patterns at the Liberty of London launch. With 12,000 flowers, the space had overtones of an English garden, a look inspired by Lewis Carroll's classic English story Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

To celebrate 20 years of nonstop service between LAX and Heathrow, Virgin Atlantic Airlines hosted a party intended to promote quality, style, and, the U.K. in 2010. At the event, held atop the London West Hollywood, British flag-emblazoned throw pillows were displayed on lounge chairs from Classic Party Rentals.

The London West Hollywood created British snacks, including fish and chips wrapped in paper torn from Biritish gossip magazines, for Virgin Atlantic's rooftop party.

Football (a.k.a. soccer) brand Umbro unveiled its new sportswear collection with a soccer-themed party in Toronto in 2010. In a nod to the brand's history, event organizers displayed items like vintage football shoes and images of players from England's national team. On the Move Catering provided British staples like fish and chips, mincemeat pies, and beans at the buffet.

Back in 2007, the Frick Collection’s Young Fellows ball was planned around the museum’s exhibition of British artist George Stubbs’ paintings. The dress code on the invitation read, “Black Tie, Britches, Dress to Exhilarate.” Staffers, outfitted in horse-riding apparel, guided the crowd through the topiary-filled entrance hall. The English theme also carried through to the food, with passed hors d’oeuvres from Mary Giuliani Catering & Events such as mini beef cottage pies and filet of beef on Stilton crostini with horseradish crème.

Warner Brothers promoted the 2009 release of Sherlock Holmes in New York with a post-screening party at the Metropolitan Club. Event producers recreated the film's Victorian setting with antique furniture and costumed actors. At the base of a giant ice sculpture shaped like Big Ben and the Tower Bridge, there was an assortment of seafood.

More than 100 pieces of antique Victorian furniture from prop houses made their way to the Sherlock Holmes party. The buffet menu—from the in-house catering team at the Metropolitan Club—included classic English fare such as roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, and trifle.

Based in New York with locations in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Dubai, Magnolia Bakery crafts thematic cupcakes. When Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her 60-year reign with the Diamond Jubilee in May, Magnolia churned out treats emblazoned with images of the Union Jack, English currency, a double-decker bus, and the monarch herself.

Several hundred shoppers were treated to a free cup of tea when Visit London kicked off its "Only in London" campaign with a complimentary tea party inside New York's Time Warner Center in 2010. Staffing vendor Eye5 provided the models, clad in traditional butler uniforms, to preside over the tea service.

Despite some London-style drizzle, Burberry forged ahead with an outdoor event atop the New York Palace Hotel to celebrate the opening of its new American headquarters in 2010. British TV presenter Alexa Chung served as the celebrity guest DJ for the evening.

Furthering the national-pride vibe, British band One Night Only also performed at the Burberry party.

The Trust for the National Mall hosted its inaugural benefit luncheon under a series of tents near the Washington Monument in May 2008. New York-based planner David Tutera envisioned an English garden setting for the lunch, creating tiered centerpieces of roses, moss, and small plants, tied and fenced by pussy willows.

The U.S. Department of State hosted a luncheon as part of British Prime Minister David Cameron and Samantha Cameron’s visit to Washington last March. The garden-inspired decor included pink, white, and green centerpieces of roses, sweet peas, and hyacinths as well as arrangements of towering quince branches. Pastel tablecloths, floral-patterned china, and candles completed the look.

Though it's a Scottish brand, Hendrick's hosted a 2010 promotion in Chicago with plenty of ideas that could work for an English-themed event. With a croquet-tournament format, the daytime activation had guests ladling flower-and-fruit-filled punch into teacups with martini-glass stems.