Holiday Parties

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.

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.

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.

"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.

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.

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.

A pair of dancers taught guests how to perform period dances such as the Foxtrot and Lindy Hop at the Weeksville Historical Center's fund-raising event in Brooklyn in June.

A percussion group dressed as construction workers used some unusual instruments to perform for guests at the Cirque du Soleil-inspired holiday party for Traffic Control Services, held at its corporate office in Hummelstown, Pennsylvania, in December 2014. The event was designed by Camp Hill, Pennsylvania-based catering and events company JDK Group.

Guests signed a light graffiti wall at the Comcast Spotlight holiday party in November 2014. JDK Group produced the disco fete.

Guests could pick up various glow-in-the-dark items such as necklaces, bracelets, and rings at the Outback Bowl’s Gridiron Gala, held in Tampa’s A La Carte Event Pavilion in January 2012.

Magnolia Bluebird Design & Events created walls of cotton candy served on LED glow sticks for a Pop Art-theme sweet sixteen party, held at the Musikfest Café at the SteelStacks in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in January 2015. “It smelled like a Katy Perry concert when you walked in the door,” said Danielle Couick, principal of the Columbia, Maryland-based event planning company.

Guests could grab packages of green glow-stick earrings as party favors at the National Pancreas Foundation's Young Professionals' "Punk Goes to Discotheque" benefit, which was held at the Oberon at the American Repertory Theatre in Boston in 2010.

Performers twirled LED hula hoops at an App Annie event, held at Mezzanine in March during the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco.