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.
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.
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 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
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.
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.
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.
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.
