Although summer's official start is June 21, Memorial Day is behind us and spring benefit season is winding down. As planners catch their breath and prepare for months of barbecues, picnics, and alfresco cocktails, here's a look back at the best ideas we spotted at this year's springtime galas. From adorable schoolchildren as greeters to festive bunting made from photos and clothespins, here are ideas to inspire design at your next fund-raiser, or keep in mind for next spring.
The Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario hosted its annual gala at the Liberty Grand Entertainment Complex on April 20, and the innocent, whimsical nature of the fund-raiser's beneficiaries inspired the evening's vibe. Lounge furniture was asymmetrically positioned and sectioned off into areas that held pink, yellow, or purple rentals, and giant pinwheels hung overhead.
The Chicago Botanic Garden's Antiques & Garden Fair Preview Evening took place on April 23. Landscape architect Maria Smithburg and Manifredini Landscaping & Design lined the entrance with red buckets of varying heights that held lush, cheerful arrangements of purple tulips.
Vibrant colors reverberated throughout the themed rooms of the Corcoran Gallery of Art for the Corcoran Ball in Washington in April. The Rotunda had a Mexican-themed look with white and gold linens accented by tall centerpieces filled with green, yellow, and red tulips.
The Friends of the High Line benefit returned to New York's Pier 57 in May for an evening dubbed the "Photo Party." Overhead, strings of café lights hung with bunting crafted from photographs of the park attached to clothespins. Eclectic-looking chandeliers also dotted the ceiling.
The Museum of Modern Art’s annual Party in the Garden took place in New York on May 21. Overhead, dense arrangements of tropical plants were suspended between white pillars, creating a jungle-like canopy effect.
At the Pratt Institute Fashion Show and Cocktail Benefit on April 25, models walked a ribbon-shaped runway. Held at Center548 in New York, the show displayed edgy looks from 17 student designers, and Blumlein Associates Inc. designed a runway that let the collection be viewed from any angle in the room.
The Horizons for Homeless Children's gala took place at Boston's State Room on April 6 and had a dinner of organic herb-roasted chicken with lemon-thyme nage. To enhance the light, delicate dinner, Winston Flowers topped tables with floating white orchids. Surrounded by candles in black and white holders, the simple arrangement had the serene vibe of a Zen garden.
Industrial elements dominated the Tate Americas Foundation's Artists Dinner on May 8. Designer David Stark used giant metallic tubes, florescent lights, and galvanized metal accents in New York's raw event space Skylight at Moynihan Station.
The May 29 fund-raiser at the Ritz-Carlton, Toronto had a Versailles theme; naturally, the sweets table was rife with gilded, opulent confections. The table was designed by Ashley Elizabeth of Made With Luv cakes and Natalia Fernandez of Velvet Rope Floral.
The staircase at the May 6 gala in New York was flanked by oversize American and British flags made entirely of 150,000 red, white, and blue roses
At the Adrienne Arsht Center's annual gala in Miami April 26, rows of marquee-style lighting lined the Knight Concert Hall. After dinner, singer Harry Connick Jr. performed for the 400-person crowd.
Dubbed "Passport to Discovery," the American Cancer Society's Discovery Ball at the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel in Chicago had a time-travel theme that nodded to the society's past, present, and future as it celebrated its 100-year history. At the registration area, the 900 guests checked in at a desk that resembled an old-fashioned ticket counter, and HMR Designs' decor included worn suitcases, vintage train schedules, and other tropes that brought the year 1913 to life.
Although the dress code was black-tie and the champagne flowed at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum's Butterfly Ball in Chicago on May 3, the gala had a farm-like atmosphere. Playing off the event's "Savour Nature" theme, which highlighted the new exhibition "Food: The Nature of Eating," Event Creative brought in vegetable-centric decor. Tables were decked with miniature gardens potted with tomatoes, colorful peppers, asparagus, and kale; around the centerpieces, fairy lights in miniature Mason jars added to the elegant yard-party vibe.
Billed as the most successful cancer-related fund-raising gala in Canada, the Daffodil Ball in April had a Great Gatsby theme that brought the 1920s to life at Windsor Station in Montreal. In the cocktail space, a living fountain twirled around slowly. Planners mounted the statue and surrounding water trough over an octagonal hole in Windsor Station's floor, and the set up required reinforced struts covered by flooring and raised three feet above ground level.
In March, the Chicago History Museum hosted the Costume Ball to celebrate the opening of its then-new exhibition, "Inspiring Beauty: 50 Years of Ebony Fashion Fair." As a nod to the evening's sartorial focus, Kehoe Designs dressed chandeliers in purple fringe.
On May 9, nearly 300 artists and art patrons celebrated the Santa Monica Museum of Art’s 25th anniversary. The event raised a record $600,000 amid a rarefied dining experience: The dinner was prepared by Suzanne Goin of Lucques and envisioned by iconic chef Alice Waters of Chez Panisse. The meal was served on fresh-cut, organic banana leaves selected by Chez Panisse’s special events chef, Samantha Greenwood. Dates and tangerines made a colorful presentation in the menu.
Syzygy Events International returned as the visionaries behind the staging and decor for the Washington fund-raiser in April. Designers took inspiration from fashion designers Jason Wu's and Louis Vuitton’s 2013 spring collections with sleek, black and white decor with checkered details.
Sponsored by Toys "R" Us, the event took place at Toronto's Fairmont Royal York Hotel on April 6. With the goal of raising money for sick or injured children, organizers created a whimsical bash filled with circus-inspired ideas. Dinner tables were topped with miniature Ferris wheels that held cupcakes topped with colorful frosting.
Karl Lagerfeld designed the Bal de la Rose du Rocher, a fund-raiser for the Foundation Princesse Grace that took place at the Salle des Etoiles in Monte Carlo on March 23. In the dining room, Lagerfeld evoked the casino of Monaco's famous Hôtel Hermitage. Tables were draped in cotton sateen printed with a game-table motif, then topped with dice and custom gaming chips. Gold and silver vessels held red Baccara roses, peonies, and poppies.
Held in Chicago on May 18, the Goodman Gala celebrated the theater's upcoming production of The Jungle Book. Kehoe Designs transformed the Fairmont Hotel's ballroom into a tropical setting replete with lagoon-colored lighting, leafy centerpieces, and giant cutouts of animal silhouettes.
At the April New Museum spring gala honoring artist Christian Marclay, guests arriving at New York's Cipriani Wall Street were met with a larger-than-life live installation of white PVC balloons that set the tone for the duration of the event, a four-month project in the making.
Held at Chicago's Navy Pier on April 13, the American Heart Association's Heart Ball had an all-red lounge that served as a plush activation for sponsor Redd's Apple Ale. Kehoe Designs handled decor, and Deseo Events planned the event.
The first-time event at the Art Institute of Chicago May 16 raised money for local public charter school the Academy of Global Citizenship, and students from the school were on hand to greet guests, give them directions, and remind them of the evening's cause. Though the event was relatively small, guests bid high all evening, raising more than $1 million.
The fund-rasier took over the Artists for Humanity Epicenter in Boston on April 27, and an abstract sculpture hanging over the dance floor underscored the eco-conscious theme of climate change. The piece was meant to evoke the ghostly, transparent look of melting glaciers.
Held in Tampa on May 18 at A La Carte Event Pavilion, the ball had a French flea-market theme. Using a backdrop of Parisian cafés, the silent auction had a look that blended in with the evening's vibe. Gold Productions created the decor.
The April 22 ball was held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. On a central staircase, candles were arranged to dramatically spell out "H" and "W," the initials of sponsoring company Harry Winston Inc.
Held in Chicago on May 18, the ball had comic-book-inspired decor from Kehoe Designs. A cartoon-like, illuminated city skyline served as a fitting backdrop on the stage where comedian Martin Short performed. Crystalline centerpieces were meant to look like fallen kryptonite.
Event Creative did the decor for Chicago's Steppenwolf Gala in early May, bringing what designer Jeffrey Foster called a "dark and sexy" decor scheme to a raw event space. Arty light fixtures featured lightbulbs in wire spheres, and strands of lights hung from the ceiling.
The American Cancer Society hosted its Key Gala in Boston at the Park Plaza Castle on April 4. Geared toward a crowd of young professionals, the event had a late-night menu from the Catered Affair. Laid-back snacks included hot pretzels with ballpark mustard.
With the tagline, "Rock the Cradle of Civilization," the Royal Ontario Museum's "Ancient Prom" took place on April 6. Hosted by the Young Patrons Circle, the benefit's theme was inspired by a new exhibition called "Mesopotamia." Sponsor Ceramic Glaze offered nail art that used patterns from the museum's ancient collections.
Steppenwolf auxiliary council's hip fund-raiser took place at Chicago's Venue One on April 5. Geared toward a youthful crowd, the event offered a Magnolia Photo Booth with fun props such as fake mustaches and—to underscore the theatrical theme—a movie slate.
