New Ideas

Marc Wilson, founder of MWD Lifestyles, a New York-based event brand and design house, recommends "staying within holiday color schemes that are always in season around holiday time and largely embraced" to help keep costs down, especially when making bulk purchases.

At Morgan Manufacturing's party in Chicago in December 2014, Event Creative designer Leslie Zaksas used fresh greens to decorate the venue's chandeliers for a festive feel and smell.

The seasonal greenery also appeared as table decor, along with lanterns and goblet-style votive candlesticks, complementing the rustic vibe of the dining space.

Tree stumps served as vases for white amaryllis flowers as well as candleholders and added a contrasting element to the glittery sequin linens at the corporate gathering.

For the Cirque du Soleil-style holiday party for Traffic Control Services, held at its corporate office in Hummelstown, Pennsylvania, in December 2014, JDK Group used eccentric elements like colorful hanging parasols and inflatable furniture by Cort Event Furnishings to transform the room.

The center of the table had a "fireplace" that was actually made of illuminated water vapor.

To raise funds for its Nascare (Neighbors and Supporters Care) program, the Boca Raton Community Hospital ditched the typical ballroom setting in favor of a private hangar at the Boca Airport in 2006. Boston-based Rafanelli Events designed the event, which had a Nascar theme, inspired by the name of the hospital's cancer program. Tires served as unconventional vessels to hold flowers.