Decorating

"Transparency was a big message throughout the program," Production Glue executive producer Jennifer Kurland said of the decision to use a clear-sided tent. The hashtag #TalkingTransition was carved into plywood and displayed on the side of structure to encourage passersby to join the conversation online.

The Palmer House Hilton Hotel set up a tent to offer tastings from its Lockwood Restaurant and Potter's Lounge. To channel the venue's meld of old-world aesthetics and modern amenities, Event Creative designers filled the tent with plexiglass bars and crystal chandeliers.

The Skinny Girl section was decked in the brand's signature red-and-white colors. The space held a white bar with a red, tufted panel. The buttons in the tufting were black to mimic the black dots that also decorate the Skinny Girl branding.

Belvedere vodka's sleek tent had an illuminated bar and billowing white drapes. Fresh citrus fruits were displayed to highlight the brand's vodka flavors Lemon Tea and Pink Grapefruit.

Patron tequila had a bright, green-and-white space with oversize replicas of the brand's bee-shaped logo.

Christina Greenstein, senior manager of special events at Bon Appétit, consulted with her creative team to develop a vision for the brand's tent at the festival. "They were looking for me to pull together an overall theme inclusive of tasting tables, furniture, and ceiling decor to attract attendees to their 80- by 16-foot tent," said Wagner. The space housed five tasting stations and a lounge, and Wagner selected an autumnal color palate of mushroom, beige, and copper for the space. The stations had stained wood tabletops with custom acrylic insets. Landscapes growing from within the tables held broom corn, fountain grass, ferns, and fresh ivy. Vintage farm windows suspended from the ceiling added a sense of intimacy.

A "Whiskeys of the World" tent served as a showcase for four whiskey brands in a 20- by 20-foot space. "It was a challenge to design the tent since each brand needed a corner and a food station in the center," said Wagner.

The whiskey tent was open on three sides, and, to hide the backs of the bars without closing off the area, Wagner employed a wood-slat design that framed the front corners of the space. She also designed a burlap backdrop with stenciled brand names and brought in distressed bars and barrels. The overall look, Wagner said, had a "woodsy distillery feel."

Constellations Brands' "Passport to Wine" tent represented a departure from previous years. "The brand has typically executed this space using rich leathers and mahogany," said Wagner. "This year they asked for something that wouldn't be too far off from the brand's [traditional image], but would bring a modern, luxe wine-bar feel." To achieve that look, Wagner and her team used faux boxwood hedge as the backdrop and brought in silver mirrors on which servers wrote the featured wines of the day. Organizers accented the space with silver travel accessories such as chrome binoculars, lacquered books, and a model airplane.

For Blue Moon's autumnal tent, designers brought in dark-stained wood pergolas and clusters of mason jars filled with mixed floral arrangements that complemented the brand's trademark orange-and-yellow color palette. "To bring more of a harvest look to the space, I did a bright orange bar, which was the perfect pop for the brand," said Wagner.

Available to rent in the U.S. for the first time, Denver-based EPS-Doublet’s (800.227.0337, epsdoublet.com) Stretch Tent line, manufactured by RHI Tents in South Africa, is made with waterproof stretch fabric. Larger tents can have sides up or down, while poles can be repositioned to accommodate more guests; units can also be wrapped around trees, rocks, and walls. The tents can be custom-colored and printed.

Raj Tents in Los Angeles and San Leandro, California, launched its Beach Chic line for outdoor events last year. The tents, built around the frames of the company’s popular Pergola and Pavilion tents, come with a sea-spray or turquoise exterior and blue wave valance. Additional decor options include crystal chandeliers, mirrors, and hand-carved furniture for lounge settings.

Karl’s Event Services (917.449.3844, karls.com) in Belleville, New Jersey, recently developed a custom mezzanine-level option to be incorporated into clearspan structures, intended for extra seating niches or V.I.P. areas.

Classic Tents (310.328.5060, classictentrentals.com) in Torrance, California, reports an increase in requests for hard structures. The company was called upon to construct a custom, hard structure with glass and branding for last summer’s Nike U.S. Open of Surfing.

Based in California, Shelter Co supplies luxury tents—and can coordinate planning details—for corporate meetings and retreats. The European-style tents can be filled with couches, tables, and decorative rooms to create intimate gathering spaces.

At the Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic, a collection of six marigold chandeliers filled the V.I.P. tent ceiling, each standing eight feet high and made from thousands of strands of silk marigolds in the brand's recognizable yellow shade.

The 2006 Screen Actors Guild awards gala in Los Angeles had a striking but simple look from event designer Stanlee Gatti, with bunches of upside-down calla lillies hanging overhead. White furnishings were arranged in lounge-like formations.

The Women's Wear Daily Beauty Summit in 2013 had a sleek, all-white design from Shiraz Events. Guests sat in clear Miro chairs at communal tables topped with white linens and simple birch vases holding cobble moss balls.

At a benefit for New York's High Line in 2011, fresh vegetables provided by Bite were displayed on a simple buffet spread.

At the Elle Women in Hollywood awards this month at the Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills, long-time producer Caravents worked with Elle event director Katie Crown on the overall vision and event design. Blush tones in details from the linens to the roses created a feminime feel along with graphite mirror runners with clear cylinder vases.

Diffa's Dining by Design event is typically the place to spot abundant, ornate tabletops. At the New York event in 2012, a few more spare looks also made dramatic impacts: Herman Miller's table had a vintage 1950s look, with twine tying place cards to wooden tops.

At a screening of the James Brown biopic Get on Up in Washington in July, André Wells incorporated such objects as old-school-style microphones and records into floral centerpieces to channel the movie’s musical premise.

At the Miami Heat Charitable Fund annual gala in January, A Joy Wallace Catering, Design & Special Events created a tropical-looking table with centerpieces comprising Mokara orchids, calla lilies, and roses with accents of blue thistle—all built around a 3-D acrylic cube that encased replicas of the three Miami Heat championship rings.

The Bafta Los Angeles Tea Party, held on Golden Globes weekend in Los Angeles, used various decor pieces and objects to advance its British theme—including a Union Jack-splashed tea kettle holding white roses.

During Golden Globes weekend this year in Los Angeles, W hosted an event at A.O.C. in celebration of its picks for so-called "Hollywood It girls." Covered glass dishes on the tabletops provided feminine flair alongside pink blooms.

At the Lakewood Ranch Community Fund gala in Bradenton, Florida, in 2007, coffee beans filled cigar boxes on high-top tables to match the event's tropical theme and mood.

In what could be described as a meta interpretation of a traditional floral centerpiece, David Stark used twine to create flower-shaped centerpieces at the Museum of Arts and Design's Visionary Awards gala in New York in 2007.

In September, the renovated Riverside ballroom at Austin, Texas's Radisson Hotel & Suites Downtown opened with a food-centric event that saw produce contained in veggie cartons as decor.

Rock candy made for a more budget-friendly and unexpected—not to mention edible—centerpiece at Chicago's Children's Ball in 2008.

For a holiday event for Herbalife, Sterling Engagements designed tabletop vignettes using metallic and glass objects in visually interesting and varied shapes.

Floral and event design company Amaryllis hosted an industry New Year's Eve party in Washington where a golden bust surrounded by an orb was part of an effort to weave in some statement-making European flair.

For an event for Munchkin baby products in Los Angeles in November, Jeannie Savage of Details Details used toys on the tabletops to "evoke childhood memories," she said, for the bloggers, event planners, and influential mom guests in attendance.

For the 2010 St. Patrick’s Episcopal Day School's sports-theme benefit in Washington, held in the school's gymnasium, centerpieces were oversize versions of athletic objects by commercial sculptor A.J. Strasser.

At the Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS' Dining by Design benefit in New York in 2012, David Stark's installation for Benjamin Moore used real books and hand-made pop-up books to highlight the concept behind the brand's slogan: “A whole new chapter in paint color technology is being written.”

San Francisco firm Events of Distinction incorporates custom fabrics based on clients’ preferences into bar façades, lounge furniture, and pillows for receptions.

Some couples are opting for daytime weddings and serving brunch instead of dinner—or serving brunch items at cocktail parties. Toronto catering firm Eatertainment serves elegant, miniature versions of breakfast dishes such as French toast and pancakes.

Instead of traditional wedding favors, couples are donating to charities on behalf of their guests, says Jessica Jordan, Trump SoHo New York’s senior catering manager and certified professional bridal consultant. Many are also including philanthropy as part of their registries with help from organizations like the I Do Foundation.

Chicago-based event planner Debi Lilly of A Perfect Event put a new spin on a bride’s “something blue,” designing a thematically hued “hers” cocktail.

A Perfect Event has also worked on wedding receptions featuring high-end sweets as an alternative to cupcakes or a wedding cake. One example: ending a meal with the delicate French pastry croquembouche.

Austin, Texas-based Caplan Miller Events set up a personalized whiskey bar cart in honor of the groom at a wedding at the Four Seasons Austin.

To divide up or lend warmth to a sprawling reception space, planners are using fresh alternatives to draping. At the Knot Gala in New York, ribbons and bistro lights offered the illusion of a lower ceiling.

The Knot Gala also featured a fresh method for engaging guests during the cocktail hour. At one food station, globes filled with tuna ceviche hung from trees, and guests were encouraged to “forage” for the items with help from staffers.

Lace is also showing up in wedding decor. At a Los Angeles luncheon hosted by Beverly Hills event planner Mindy Weiss and Wedding Paper Divas, a room with heavy draping by Revelry showcased a lace-topped table.

Wedding cakes are being lavished with gilded touches. Ron Ben-Israel Cakes in New York creates confections tinged with lace patterns and metallic hues.

Invitations are straying from more classic designs to embrace quirkier patterns and themes. For a “sci-fi circus”-theme commitment ceremony, designers Arley-Rose Torsone and Morgan Calderini of Ladyfingers Letterpress in Black Forest, Colorado, created an invitation design featuring funky hand-drawn characters.

Instead of, or in addition to, traditional flowers, some couples are incorporating paper floral backdrops into their wedding decor. Lil Epic Event Design in Chicago provides such structures.

To launch its latest special edition art series label—and raise funds for Haiti—Ferllen Winery teamed up with the Amigos Near Foundation for an arty event in Miami in February. On the deck upstairs, mounted pieces from photographer Tomas Loewy floated on the turquoise water, giving the appearance of unusually decorative rafts.

To mark the 25th anniversary of Shark Week, Discovery hosted an event in August 2012 that put sharks in the pool of the Beverly Hilton. The scary fish weren't real, of course, but rather slowly moving projections devised by the planning and production team from Event Eleven.

To build buzz around its summer tour series, Sunglass Hut hosted a block party in June 2012. Produced by Relevent's Tony Berger, the early evening shindig spanned an entire West Village block in New York and included a pool built on the sidewalk. As a way to spark interaction, guests received permanent markers to sign the wooden deck surrounding the pool.

Vienna café chairs in teal, smoke grey, and orange, $30 each, available nationwide from AFR Event Furnishings

Uncle Jim Lucite chair, $175, available on the West Coast and throughout the mid-Atlantic region from Taylor Creative Inc.