Holiday/Winter

Pinecones and tree branches decorated the taco bar at Deutsch LA's Studio 54-theme holiday party, held at Hangar 8 in Santa Monica, California, in December 2014.

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.

For Manhattan magazine's holiday dinner in fall 2011, the MWD Lifestyles team selected floral arrangements composed of bright blooms to pop against the white table setting. "They are modern and can be accented with a cascading orchid or flower of the host's choice," Wilson says.

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.

For a private holiday party, held at 26 Bridge in December 2014, New York-based event firm Rock Paper Scissors Events created a winter wonderland with a ski-lodge-type lounge, a snow machine, and a "forest" of hanging ornaments filled with chocolate truffle favors.

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.

"Budgets for signature drinks are on the rise again. We are getting a lot of requests for welcome beverages for corporate events, especially with the huge cocktail craze," says Steve Sanchez, chief marketing officer at Camp Hill, Pennsylvania-based catering and events company JDK Group.

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's culinary team created inventive food presentations, including torched meat.

A chef prepared a cloud of nitrogen popcorn at the JDK Group-produced circus-inspired bash.

For Comcast Spotlight's '70s shindig at the Chameleon Club in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in November 2014, designed by the JDK Group, guests sipped on raspberry-garnished champagne and Chambord cocktails with decorative LED ice cubes.

At an event for the Knot, held at the New York Public Library in October 2014, executive chef Robin Selden of Marcia Selden Catering & Event Planning hung small crystal orbs filled with two types of salad—a fruit and kale one with shaved coconut and a wheatberry salad with mushrooms, caramelized shallots, and roasted fennel—from a tree.

For the Knot event, Selden created a next-level breadstick bar. Hand-rolled breadsticks were served with flavored dips like spiced butternut squash, curried cream, and ricotta and fava bean, along with carrot and ginger and truffled wild mushroom soups. "You'd never guess it's a less expensive option because of the abundance of food on the table," the chef says.

At a party celebrating the Toms for Target partnership in Los Angeles last year, colorful nonalcoholic drinks were presented in glass decanters.

Guests could get toasty (and tipsy) at the hot chocolate bar with alcoholic mix-ins, which was set up at a private holiday party, held at 26 Bridge in December 2014 and produced by New York-based event firm Rock Paper Scissors Events.

At the How I Met Your Mother holiday party in Los Angeles at Fox Studios in December 2013, the show's cast and crew ate and played at a gingerbread-decorating station set up by Marina del Ray-based Schaffer's Genuine Foods.

Deutsch LA's Studio 54-theme holiday party, held at Hangar 8 in Santa Monica, California, in December 2014, featured a new classic—peppermint cake pops by Schaffer's Genuine Foods.

JDK Group served fruity spritzers at a private holiday party at Linwood Estate in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, in January.

Traditional mini holiday lightbulbs add a simple, festive decor touch.

A midnight balloon drop kept the party going on the disco-ball-decorated dance floor at the ad agency affair. The theme was inspired by Deutsch LA's address: 5454 Beethoven Street.

"We love a beautiful, yet simple, red holiday berry as an added touch to the napkins on a tablescape," Wilson says.

For the Comcast Spotlight holiday party in November 2014, Camp Hill, Pennsylvania-based catering and events company JDK Group researched the disco era to help incorporate elements into the decor, such as the black-and-white photo collages on the walls of the Chameleon Club in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

The Groupon holiday party, held at the Aragon Ballroom in December 2014, was inspired by the Midway at the World's Columbian Exposition fair, also known as the Chicago World's Fair.

"Much of the decor was outlined in lights and had a vintage feel. Thousands of midway lights created a canopy over the dance floor and helped define the boardwalk ambiance," says senior designer Jeffrey Foster at Event Creative, the Chicago-based event design and production agency that designed the event.

The evening featured customized boardwalk games and entertainment with on-theme signage.

A golden event produced by Danville, Calfornia-based Roar Events in June featured intimate lounges, a giant central bar, and an LED dance floor.

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.

(Pictured, left to right) JJ Francis, James Dale, and Kristie Braley