Women's Conference ideas

Zagat's "30 Under 30" series honors young talent in the culinary industry, and an event to celebrate Chicago's winners took place at Nellcote on March 25. Shiraz Events produced the sleek affair, which had a marquee-style "Z" to honor the host brand.

"This fall, we are seeing lots of eucalyptus greens being used,” says Intrigue Designs’ Sarah Campbell. "The muted green tone of the leaves accents the rich fall color palettes perfectly. Eucalyptus is being used in everything from bouquets coordinating with oranges, reds, and amber tones, to long garlands running the length of the table."

For fall, Bloom Floral Design’s Jennifer Haf is using a variety of dahlias, Japanese anemone, grapes on the vine, fountain grasses, foraged foliage, fruit on the vine, and more. She chooses “layers of texture and color that exude the calm fall brings,” she says.

“A change of season is always inspiring,” says Karen Amit of Among the Wildflowers. "This fall, I’m excited to create with autumn-toned garden roses, hops on a vine, antique lace hydrangea, luscious dahlias, rose hips, echinacea pods, fruiting branches, edible herbs, and fall foliage."

“This fall we are using more plants and mixed containers to create lush, complex tablescapes “ says Flora Fauna’s Judy Bourgeois, who is also mixing vintage and modern vessels for presentation. She says her team is using more live plants, especially air plants and cacti, which “offer unique shapes, varieties, and colors," and are an ecologically sound choice as well.

Jes Gordon’s designs center on masculine burgundy tones accented with bold metallics, such as copper and rose gold. Magnolia, pear, plum branches, chocolate cosmos, and black scabies are all among her team’s seasonal picks. Beyond that, Gordon’s been working with what she perceives as a trend of using florals to accent the existing architecture of venues.

"This fall, I'm incorporating a variety of metals to accent the warmth of the fall colors,” says Krissy Price of Pollen Floral Design. "A copper urn filled with creams dahlias, pink garden roses, and burgundy foliage looks lovely on a reclaimed wood table. I love working with a color palette that nods to fall, but isn't overly ostentatious. This year, I'm loving a palette of cream, peach, tomato red, and burgundy. It creates a mood that evokes fall, but doesn't need a pumpkin or a gourd to do it."

"In this year's fall display, we chose to use chrysanthemums because they are a flower that grows in seasonal shades of red, yellow, orange, and burgundy, serving as vivid representations of fall,” says Patricia Streeter, the conservatory manager at Bellagio Resort & Casino responsible for the conservatory and botanical gardens. “In addition, we incorporated a 40-foot-tall watermill, a talking tree, animated squirrels, a 12-foot-tall harvest basket, and mythical wooden creatures. To bring a mix of wonder created by nature, we also placed live pumpkins ranging from 450 to 1,200 pounds throughout the conservatory."