On November 11, the National Association for Catering and Events hosted its annual fund-raising gala at the Liaison in Washington. Drawing inspiration from classic fairy tales, the benefit incorporated design elements from stories like The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Snow White, and Cinderella. From name cards on poison apples to a horse-drawn carriage, here's a look at 14 steal-worthy storybook-inspired event ideas.
Horse-Drawn Carriage
A Cinderella-inspired horse-drawn carriage stood at the entrance to the Liaison. "We wanted a wow factor immediately for the guests coming into the building," said NACE gala chair Kelly Anne Downes.
Photo: Evelyn Alas
Yellow Brick Road
For the cocktail hour, the Capitol Hill hotel was turned into two Wizard of Oz-inspired spaces. After checking in, guests followed a projection of the book's infamous yellow brick road, which led into a bar and lounge styled after the book's Emerald City. Electric Entertainment created a custom gobo from an automatic moving projector and a lighting software to position the road to go across the length of the room.
Photo: Evelyn Alas
Emerald City Lounge
The LED curtain behind the DJ booth in the Emerald City lounge was lit green to match the drapes throughout the room.
Photo: Evelyn Alas
Emerald City Bar
White tufted bars from Capital Party Rentals served signature cocktails in the Emerald City bar during the reception, and a yellow brick road projection served as the bar's backdrop.
Photo: Evelyn Alas
'Wizard of Oz' Custom Gobo
To further the Wizard of Oz theme, Electric Entertainment created a custom gobo of Dorothy, the Tin Man, Scarecrow, and Lion, which illuminated the emerald green-colored drapes from Drape Kings.
Photo: Evelyn Alas
Enchanted Forest Centerpiece
Romantic, lush greenery arranged by Edge Floral served as centerpieces in the dinner space that was designed to evoke an enchanted forest feel. "The forest has been a character to so many stories, and we wanted to bring it to life in the event," said Downes.
Photo: Evelyn Alas
Wooden Table Numbers
To add a piece of nature to the dining table centerpieces, table numbers were engraved on small pieces of a chopped log.
Photo: Evelyn Alas
Poisoned Apple Escort Cards
A nod to the poisoned apple in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, escort cards added another earthy element to the enchanted forest theme. Local calligrapher Meant to be Calligraphy created the escort cards that were attached to red apples from Edge Floral.
Photo: Evelyn Alas
'The Wiz' Dance Crew
Dressed as the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion, dance crew Impactaction entertained guests with a performance of The Wiz dance medley in the Emerald City lounge during cocktail hour.
Photo: Evelyn Alas
Old World Trumpeter
To announce the dinner portion of the event, a familiar storybook character, a trumpeter, played a tune as the cocktail hour ended.
Photo: Evelyn Alas
Pumpkin Creme Brulee
In a reference to Cinderella's pumpkin carriage, pumpkin creme brulee from Superb Cuisine was served after dinner.
Photo: Evelyn Alas
Poison Candied Apples
Superb Cuisine's "poison" candied apples were tied with a yellow ribbon, matching the colors in the outfit worn by Snow White in Disney's animated film.
Photo: Evelyn Alas
Twinkle Light Dance Floor
The bash following dinner, dubbed the "happily ever after party" was held in a tent. In one room guests danced on a dance floor from Fox Ventures that was embedded with LED lights. "We used this element because they looked like night stars," said NACE gala co-chair Aisha Malik.
Photo: Evelyn Alas
Happily Ever After
"I wanted one element in the tent to have 'happily ever after' in it," said Malik. The phrase was engraved by Fox Ventures on an illuminated glass bar in the after-party tent.
Photo: Evelyn Alas
