Summer has arrived, which heralds a new season of outdoorsy benefits. Before the season gets underway, here's a look back at a selection of this year's springtime galas from across North America. Several events featured giant props, such as six-foot-tall paper daffodils and pink prop flowers reaching to the top of a tent. At other benefits, details included hay bales as cocktail tables, cherry blossom trees flanking a DJ booth, and a miniature replica of the Berlin Wall. Take a peek at these ideas and others.
The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum in Chicago hosted its annual Butterfly Ball on May 2. This year's function had a theme of “Abundant Nature,” and Event Creative's decor brought a taste of the outdoors to the tented dinner space. Centerpieces held suspended jelly jars that were filled with tiny LED lights, resembling jars of fireflies. The tent was also decked with giant pink-flower fixtures.
Chicago's Steppenwolf Theater Company hosted its annual gala on May 3. The event started with a selection of scenes from Mona Mansour's play The Way West. The ensuing dinner dance, held in a tent spanning the theater's adjacent parking lot, had a look inspired by the production. Projections on the wall evoked prairie views from the window of a covered wagon, and lighting changed throughout the night. Frost handled audiovisual production and lighting.
In April, the gala took place at the Liberty Grand Entertainment Complex in Toronto. William Fulghum handled decor, and matched the "Odyssey" theme by hanging discs and circles that resembled planets floating in space. Blue and purple lighting complemented the look.
The springy function took place at the David H. Koch Theater in Lincoln Center on May 8. DeJuan Stroud provided decor, which included overhead fixtures of flower rings and dripping crystals.
At the March 29 gala, the Boston Ballet celebrated its 50th anniversary with a ball at the Castle at Park Plaza. To mark the occasion, appetizers were passed on trays that said "50 Years." Items included tuna and mango cubes with pickled-ginger glaze.
The Toronto-based company hosted its annual "Mad Hot Ballet" fund-raiser on June 11. Inspired by its production of Cinderella, the ballet gave its bash a fairytale-inspired theme, and the color pink was everywhere. Prop cherry blossom trees flanked either side of the DJ booth, which had a sign that read "Spellbound." The event also had pink drinks and snacks, including doughnuts topped with rosy frosting.
The May 13 fund-raiser took place at New York's Plaza Hotel, and the college wanted centerpieces to make a big splash. Accordingly, Patt Glenn Productions created paper daffodils that ranged from three to six feet tall. The springy works were auctioned off after the benefit, and proceeds went toward cancer research.
This year, the May gala coincided with the opening of the Science Center’s latest special exhibit, “Pompeii: The Exhibition." Tabletop flower arrangements in varying heights came from Chris Matsumoto and evoked the colors of lava, and costumed characters added to the Rome-inspired scene.
The June 5 event in Toronto had a Berlin theme. Accordingly, dinner tables were decked with miniature versions of the Berlin Wall, replete with graffiti. Guests found mini hammers at their place settings, and were encouraged to bang away at the wall. Many guests partook in the activity and also took home chunks of the "wall" as keepsakes.
At the April 10 fund-raiser at the Chicago Botanic Garden, Jewell Events Catering created custom carts to hold its hors d'oeuvres. Snacks included bite-sized terrines of beets and goat cheese and button mushrooms stuffed with herbed Boursin, garlic, truffle oil, and micro-greens.
On May 21, the fund-raiser for the children's chorus was held at Vibiana in downtown Los Angeles. In the past, members of the chorus hand-wrote thank-you notes for the guests, but this year featured a twist: The young singers recorded their thank-you messages onto videos that were loaded onto iPads and placed at each table.
On May 17, the organization hosted its whimsical benefit at the Tampa Convention Center. "It’s a huge space to decorate and was a challenge for our decorators to do on a budget," said a rep for the charity. The theme was "Madagascar," and the event had several tropes inspired by exotic animals—including tabletop flowers arranged to look like peacocks. The flashy centerpieces helped add warmth to the sprawling new venue. Gold Productions handled decor.
The bash, which took place on May 29 at Heritage Square in Santa Monica, California, served farm-to-table fare. To reflect the vibe of the food, lounge areas were filled with cushy white couches and hay bales that doubled as low tables. The bales were decked with white linens and candles in Mason jars.
Women in Film honored actress Cate Blanchett at its Crystal and Lucy Awards in Los Angeles on June 11. The event, which took place at Hyatt Regency Century Plaza, had tables preset with tiered dessert displays. Bright flowers topped the sweets. Event Eleven produced.
Raising money to restore the National Mall, the Trust for the National Mall hosted its seventh annual benefit luncheon on May 1. Held in a tent on the mall, the event spelled out the nonprofit's mission—literally—with decor that featured names of the monuments located on the mall and significant events held there cut out in oversize letters and suspended from the ceiling. Design Foundry created the panels, and Linder & Associates produced the event.
On March 15, Habitat for Humanity hosted its “Blueprint” benefit at the Hilton St. Petersburg Bayfront Hotel in Florida. The event had an “Artscape” theme, and guests ate in dining room vignettes created by interior designers, event producers, and boutique owners. One vignette, designed by a local home furnishings store Zazoo'd, was particularly demonstrative in playing up the arty theme. The table itself was shaped like an artist's palette, and roses were arranged to look like globules of paint. A giant prop paintbrush, also made of flowers, topped the table. The event was produced by Laura Fage of Laura Fage Signature Events and Design.
Alice in Wonderland is an enduring event theme, and the storybook set the tone for the May 17 gala at the Florida International University arena in Miami. To bring the theme to life, planners topped tables with giant, spotted mushroom fixtures. Mismatched tablecloths added to the madcap tone. The hospital's Jackie Nordstrom planned the event, with production help from Galaxy Productions. The event drew 720 guests for dinner and an additional 300 for the after-party, raising more than $700,000.
The Sound of Music recently played at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. To celebrate the classic musical, the opera's women's board hosted a thematic gala surrounding the performance on May 2. Calihan Catering provided Bavarian-style snacks. On the menu: pretzel twists with violet mustard, bacon-wrapped veal bratwurst, and sweet potato cakes with braised quail and fresh rosemary.
The fashion school hosted its runway show in Chicago's Millennium Park on May 2. Artist Nick Cave, who teaches at the school, created a special performance that employed his famous "sound suit" characters.
