wedding

At the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum's Butterfly Ball in Chicago on May 3, the gala had a farm-like atmosphere. Playing off the event's "Savour Nature" theme, Event Creative brought in vegetable-centric decor. Tables were decked with miniature gardens potted with tomatoes, colorful peppers, asparagus, and kale; around the centerpieces, fairy lights in miniature Mason jars added to the elegant yard-party vibe.

On May 10, Volkswagen launched its new joint dealership with Audi in Manhattan with a rooftop bash. Behind a counter designed to look like a miniature food truck—a VW truck, of course— chefs from Tacombi filled crispy shells with corn, peppers, and seasoned beef. A counter wrapped the side of the mock truck where guests could chow down on their snacks.

On May 9, nearly 300 artists and art patrons celebrated the Santa Monica Museum of Art’s 25th anniversary. The dinner was prepared by Suzanne Goin of Lucques and envisioned by iconic chef Alice Waters of Chez Panisse. Dates and tangerines made a colorful presentation in the menu.

Grohe's New York showroom was covered in graffiti during the launch party for its Grandera bathroom collection. Held May 13, the event featured a digital art piece from French artist Antonin Fourneau. Called "Water Light Graffiti," the work comprised a wall of LED panels that lit up when they came into contact with water.

Chopped salad with salumi, provolone, fresh oregano, and red wine vinaigrette; tarragon egg salad sandwiches with watercress and radishes; and ricotta pound cake with Meyer lemon curd and whipped cream, produced by Dandelion Ranch Events with catering by Cooks County in Los Angeles

Guests at Stella McCartney's 2011 spring preview were treated to shaved ice by People's Pops in New York.

For the grand opening of the Miami Airport Convention Center in Miami earlier this year, the venue's catering team created an edible garden using toasted pumpernickel crumbs as "dirt" with spears of baby carrots, asparagus spears, and zucchini, as well as baby tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella "flowers."

At this year's Luminescence gala in Chicago, passed canapes included cured salmon lollipops, displayed on beds of wheatgrass.

Meeting attendees can give back with Alexandria Cares’s new corporate community service program. Washington's Alexandria Convention & Visitors Association pairs groups with nonprofits for teambuilding activities.

Orlando's Impact Entertainment Services is now offering 3-D chalk art. Artist Jennifer Chaparro can create designs based on a theme or draw corporate logos on surfaces such as canvas and cement.

The new Ascott dining table from Orlando-based Chic Event Furniture Rentals has a wireless LED top that can be programmed to glow in a variety of colors. The table rents for $225 per day.

As an interactive alternative to a stationary raw bar, roaming servers from Oysters XO shuck oysters on the spot, equipped with buckets of oysters on ice hanging from their waists. The company currently offers its services in the New York area and has plans to expand to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, and Mexico City in 2013.

At the American Museum of Natural History through August is “Our Global Kitchen: Food, Nature, Culture.” The exhibit explores the history of food from an educational and cultural perspective. Guests can taste seasonal treats, cook a virtual meal via video projections, and view rare artifacts. In conjunction, the New York City museum is hosting an 18-foot-tall hydroponic vertical garden installation designed by Windowfarms.

The lobby bar, Living Room, at the W South Beach Hotel & Residences in Miami, has introduced a new cocktail program by drink designer Scott Beattie. The tipples are made with seasonal herbs, essential oils, edible flowers, and local organic produce.

Los Angeles's new Roger Room Cocktail Catering and Bar Service brings glassware and mixologists to events to deliver cocktails like the Tijuana Brass, a mix of Tres Reyes Blanco tequila, lime juice, agave syrup, and cucumber foam.

DNA Events in Los Angeles has introduced its Boozy Ice Cream Bar for events. The service involves female staffers dressed as retro cigarette girls serving trays of alcoholic milkshakes, like the Drunken Girl Scout Cookie, a mix of rum, vanilla ice cream, fresh mint, crème de menthe, and chocolate chips.

The Westin Lake Las Vegas Resort & Spa, located about 20 minutes from the Strip, is now offering “board meetings”—stand-up paddleboarding on the property’s lake. Activities can include relay races, jousting atop the paddleboards, or scavenger hunts on land and water.

For a corporate gift that’s more stylish than your standard box of chocolates, call Giorgio Armani’s Armani/Dolci. The line includes Italian-made pralines, chocolate bars, spreadable creams, cakes, tea, pâtes de fruits, and more, wrapped in sleek brown-and-gold packaging. Gift boxes start from $35 and can be shipped worldwide.

Dallas-based Suite 206's new Savile Row collection includes masculine-looking furniture rentals such as the nail head-accented Tomas wingback chair. Individual pieces are priced from $55 to $350 and are available nationwide.

The Savoy Flea in Chicago is a new vintage shop that also offers event styling and props. The shop’s rental inventory includes candelabras, vintage suitcases, an ivory satin sofa, and more. The owners can also create custom decor pieces such as garlands and backdrops.

Chicago's Chuck’s Manufacturing takes a clever old-school approach to marketing: At the end of a meal, diners get a branded postcard. Guests can leave filled-out postcards at the table or drop them off at the hostess’s stand to be mailed out.

Popcorn boutique Corn & Company has opened in Burlington and offers the snack in more than 250 unusual flavors, including dill pickle, wasabi, and birthday cake. It can be doled out as favors or at popcorn bars for events. The Boston-based shop can also host private affairs.

LM Cocktail Catering in Austin can create high-end Jell-O shots. Flavors like blackberry bramble and Pimm’s cup are served in elegant hors d’oeuvre spoons and paired with fresh fruit.