Posts Tagged ‘event design’

Day of the Dead Celebration: A Stylish Halloween Dinner Party

Day of the Dead Inspired Dinner Party | Orlando, Florida

Day of the Dead Halloween Dinner Party
On October 31st, an intimate group of friends joined their Halloween-loving hosts for their annual Halloween celebration. The hosts selected Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) as the theme, and worked with A Flair for Affairs®, Flourish Floral Productions and Puff’n Stuff Catering to create a festive Mexican dinner party under the stars. (Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday which is also celebrated throughout Latin America and in parts of the United States. This colorful holiday is steeped in cultural traditions, and centers on celebrating deceased loves ones by honoring them with food, drink and parties.)

The hosts (our lovely clients) are never shy to admit that Halloween is their favorite holiday of the year. They have amassed an enviable décor collection, comprised of everything from ravens and skeletons, to exotic artisan-crafted items. Upon setting the date for the dinner party, they contacted Elisa Delgardio to help develop a stylish event design, and coordinate the elements of the celebration.

Invitations were sent, and party guests were asked to dress for the occasion. Given the choice of dressing in costume or proper dinner attire, the majority opted for the former. To the hosts’ delight, the arrival of each and every guest created a buzz of excitement, and created a synergistic experience for all.   Fortunately, photographer Errol Colon was on hand to capture the spirit of each guest.

Day of the Dead Make Up

As guests arrived on that gorgeous fall evening, they nibbled on butler passed hors d’oeuvres. Tasty goat cheese quesadillas and mini tacos were complemented by margaritas and sangria served by the Puff’n Stuff team. Guitarist David Naidu played a delightful array of Spanish classical and South American music.

Day of the Dead Halloween Dinner Party | AFFADay of the Dead Dinner Party Table | AFFA
Audible gasps were heard as the guests saw the feasting table and perused the vignettes and decor sprinkled throughout the home. Flourish Floral Productions did an incredible job of incorporating the quirky and colorful Day of the Dead elements into two table-scapes and various ‘oferendas’. Elisa Delgardio (A Flair for Affairs) took on a bit more than the planning and event design – she is also credited with creating the custom linen table runners. (Some décor items shown are part of the hosts’ collection.)

Day of the Dead Decor | AFFA

After cocktails and conversation in the main house, guests transitioned to the outdoor patio where dinner would be served al fresco. Top shelf guacamole was prepared table-side and served with tortilla chips, a trio of salsas and queso cheese. After enjoying the salad course, guests were treated to a dual plated entree with a Mexican flair.

Day of the Dead Halloween Dinner Party

But dessert was the showstopper: Flourless Chocolate Chili Cake with an edible Sugar Skull image on white chocolate – it was truly to die for!

Day of the Dead Halloween Dessert Sugar Skull

And what would a Halloween party be with out treats! The host created charming gift bags that were given to guests as they departed.

Photographer:Errol Colon Photographers
Event Planning / Design: Weddings & Events by A Flair for Affairs
Floral / Design: Flourish Floral Productions
Catering: Puff ‘n Stuff Catering
Guitarist: David Naidu guitaristonwheels.com

Private Parties, Entertaining at Home

24

11 2014

Amethyst and Amber Inspiration

Amethyst and Amber – an amazing color combination and design inspiration

Engagement season is upon us!  Naturally, I am excited for all the recently engaged couples! But my planner|designer self is eagerly looking forward to styling the upcoming 2013 weddings with the creative ideas I’ve been pondering for the past few months.



What do you think of this inspiration board?  It’s titled Amethyst and Amber – although I definitely envision the look being accented with platinum or silver accents, so there would actually be three key colors.  Purple is a very popular color and widely used in event design. It’s also one of my favorite colors – regardless of the shade! – perhaps because amethyst is my birthstone.  My interpretation of amber is a rich golden-brown color, much richer than yellow; more like a jewel tone, less like a gold which is metallic.    Anyway, if you love color, and are open to the richness of jewel tones and layered colors you will absolutely adore these ideas as much as I do!

Amethyst and amber; Amber and Amethyst

Can’t wait to hear your thoughts!

13

12 2012

Heaven Event Center | VIP White Party

Winter White Party - A Flair for Affairs

We had a blast planning this “wintery” White Party event! The Heaven Event Center was the perfect location for this chic and sexy affair and the guests partied late into the night.

Winter White Party - A Flair for Affairs
It was an interesting challenge to balance a club look with a holiday look. The client asked for a cool, wintery feel; at the same time, we were designing a full-blown night club experience. I feel we did well with the array of linen selections from Kirby – white fur, prismatic, spandex and “dazzle”. We used both crystal and silver colored chiavaris from A Chair Affair for the seating, in addition to the white furniture and glow cubes.

Decor by A Flair for Affairs

Winter White Party

Winter White Party

Dancers performed throughout the evening – in themed costumes, of course!

White Party

White Party Event - A Flair for AffairsWhite Party - A Flair for Affairs

White Party - A Flair for Affairs

… And a good time was had by all thanks to these featured professionals:

Photography + Step & Repeat | Errol Colon Photographers
Catering | Casa Del-Dio
Kirby Rentals
A Chair Affair
Libations | BarFly Bar Catering
DJ | James “JB” Balcer

White Party Toast

03

01 2012

Remarkable Reception Style

Silver_NapkinDo you remember the last event or wedding reception you attended? What do you recall: The food? The entertainment? The “look” of the room? Just close your eyes and reflect for a moment; try to think of the things that were most memorable and pleasing.

Aha! I bet the pleasing part makes it a bit harder. No doubt that more than a few of you thought about the wedding with the DJ who thought he was Elvis, or the event with the cash bar (surprise!) -and you forgot your wallet.

The more events I do, the more I remember only what is remarkable. Remarkable can be fun, outstanding, unexpected and impressive. Remarkable can also be uncomfortable, annoying, disappointing and catastrophic. As your wedding and event planner, my goal is to make your event memorable for all the right reasons.

In terms of decor, remarkable doesn’t necessarily translate into expensive. Details that are well thought out can be seamlessly incorporated into event decor and the table top design thereby creating a look that is remarkable in a visual and textural sense. (If you’re wondering what I mean about ‘well thought out details” try to imagine a table top with so many tchotchkes – bells, cameras, scrolls, bags of chocolate kisses, etc. – it looks like the favor catalog threw up; and, yes, for some bizarre reason people still do this.)
holiday_tablesetting

Decor and design are most remarkable when they draw you in, and you experience the vibe as it was intended to be: exciting, chic and sexy, warm and inviting, modern, etc. The best designs are not limited to what can be seen; incorporating smells, tastes, physical contact, sights and sounds into the design actually creates a more memorable experience. In other words, the five senses overlap and influence each other, and combined they create the overall impression, which in turn becomes your memory of the experience.

This is why we ask our clients to describe their vision of the event. Even if they insist that they have no idea about what they want, they truly do… We ask them to imagine what it looks like – including colors and lighting, what time of day it is, how many people are present, how the space feels (intimate, modern, elegant, indoors or outdoors, etc.) and then we begin to design an event based on their  preferences and our interpretation of their style.

I must admit, sometimes the finer details do not become crystal clear until the very end.  It really is an organic process.  And it’s a challenge we face with every event: How do you know how far to go? Sometimes less is more, sometimes more is more.

In keeping with this topic, I thought you’d enjoy this short video featuring friend and colleague Rashida Erskine of BBJ Linen’s Orlando office. She offers some insightful recommendations and helpful tips for using linens to pull the look of your reception together with remarkable style.

{Our apologies; this video link has expired}

Please contact the BBJ Linen’s Orlando Office if you would like to meet with them. Ph. 407-857-6566   Or, feel free to contact us if we can be of assistance with fine-tuning your wedding or event design.  Call 877.55FLAIR or email Elisa: elisacsep {at} aflairforaffairs.com

© 2009 E. Delgardio All Rights Reserved

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