Get White Hot: The Lifeworks + Kendra Scott White Party

Each year, Lifeworks hosts a beautiful White Party fundraiser to help support their good works. We adore this organization, and this was our second year in a row to provide decor services for them — only this time, we tried something a little different.

When you think “White Party,” you usually think tents, right? Only problem is, gusts of Texas wind can easily knock down a poor tent, and nobody wants that. Our solution? Cabanas!

We worked with a local vendor in town to provide 12 wooden cabanas for the event, set up like mini-lounges. Sturdy enough to face those winds, but hip enough to fit a party, they were just the right decor element.

Here is the party getting set up during the day:

See those threatening skies overhead? The weather gave us a few sprinkle scares! But by the time guests entered the party, the rain calmed down, and all was well (by which we mean, dry).

For Kendra Scott — the title sponsor of the event — we created a lounge area using wicker furniture and a custom-made truss, which we draped with fabric. Ever wind-conscious, we covered tables with Spandex linens, set out votive candles, and crafted yellow cala lily arrangements with white river rocks and cylinder glass vases. The effect? Pretty magical.

We filled our cabanas with mod lounge seating, and as everyone mingled, DJ Bigface got the party started with house-y tunes.

Naturally, the cocktails were quite popular! So we used a light-up bar that glowed at night, and put Lifeworks’ new logo on it:

With a gorgeous view of Austin, drinks in hand, and cabanas for carousing, guests enjoyed themselves well into the night. We were very proud to design the event for the second year straight, and thank our friends at Lifeworks for inviting us to do it!

Less is More: Kennedy’s Simply Pretty Flowers for Circuit of the Americas

When the Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau started planning their annual Austin Client Thank-You Customer Appreciation Party, they asked if we’d like to be an event partner. Surely! We said. And, they asked, could we also provide some flowers? With pleasure, we wrote.

Held at COTA, the event required flowers a little more on the sleek side. We chose arrangements and vases that were striking and modern, just like COTA’s lobby, The Velocity Lounge.

With such bold shapes everywhere, we echoed the room with futuristic vases: globes, cubes, tall swirls of glass and chrome. Orchids and grapevine balls filled each one.

The party was a hit — and so were our flowers! Thanks so much, ACVB, for inviting Kennedy to be a part of it.

A UT Legend Gets the Royal Treatment

Last week, we were deeply honored to produce the 4th & Goal Gala, a benefit for the Darrell K. Royal Research Fund for Alzheimer’s Disease. Teaming up three Austin icons – Willie Nelson, golfing legend Ben Crenshaw, and the spirit of Mr. Royal – this ceremony was as fun-loving as it was moving, and held at ACL Live at the Moody Theater.

To create a memorable scene, we designed a bright, springtime color palette with orange at the center. After all — for the night, this was UT country.

Living statues greeted guests on the balcony while reporters interviewed notable guests, like our emcee Larry Gatlin, on the red carpet.

The UT marching band filed in to the theater, and even Bevo made a special appearance!

After a reception on the porch, guests made their way to round tables for a delicious dinner. As guests dined former UT football players graced the stage, along with aerial silks dancers, who provided an exciting performance.

Over the course of the evening, big ticket items were auctioned off to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Fund, and old friends clamored for the microphone to gush about their late, great hero. The dinner was topped off by a loving performance by DKR’s old friend, Willie Nelson.

As one guest commented, “This is probably the most truly  Texas night any of us will ever experience!” We were honored to be a part of an event commemorating such an iconic Austin hero, and thrilled to have assisted the fund in raising over a million dollars for future research projects.

Special thanks to Vayu Aerials, Exquisite Petals, Speedpro Imaging Austin, Lonestar Photo Booth, Groovelabs, and Alewine Photography, who all who donated or discounted services on behalf of this event.

Rocket & Roll

When our client wanted a rockin’ SXSW party — one that would get their company name out there, and one that would make a lasting impression — they did what any smart business would do. They called cool bands. They booked a cool venue. Now, all they needed was some cool decor.

Our friends at The Parish introduced them to us, and they said they wanted to create a space that felt casual, cozy and hip. They also needed a VIP area, where guests of note could lounge in style.

As we put on the finishing touches, a line began to form outside…

And by nightfall, a full crowd had gathered on 6th Street, waiting to enter The Parish doors:

The result? A packed-crowd show in a swanky space!:

We loved tricking out The Parish for our client, and helping them host a blowout SX bash. Congrats, guys!

Set Your Sights on This: The Terrace Grand Opening

Ever wondered what it’s like to party on top of the city?

Recently, we were thrilled to help host a grand opening party for one of our newest event partners: The Terrace at 816 Congress!

A gorgeous, eco-friendly rooftop deck that overlooks downtown Austin, The Terrace has been a work-in-progress since last year — here‘s a story Austin Business Journal wrote on it. Now, all that work has paid off!

While this space offers the building tenants of 816 Congress a pretty spectacular place to have a party, we also invited some friends from the Capitol to join us. The balcony does afford a view of their office, after all.

The Terrace was landscaped with the environment in mind, using native Texas plants  and grasses, and irrigation from the building’s AC condensation. The space parameters were built from recycled eco-rosin, too — fitting touches for an entire building that’s LEED certified.

(There’s also a sweet little indoor lounge adjacent to The Terrace.)

We were utterly delighted to show off this fantastic new event space to everyone. Cheers, Terrace! We look forward to many more gatherings on your fetching roof.

W Hotel’s Multi-City NYE Party

True or false?

The laws of physics dictate that you may only celebrate New Year’s Eve in one geographic location.

Well, true, silly. But one of our clients — W Hotel Austin — wanted to stretch the truth just a bit.

The W loves to personalize each of its properties to the metropolis it’s situated in, so when it came time to celebrate New Year’s Eve here in Austin (their first!), they decided to devote separate rooms to separate cities, echoing some of the other cool locations where they have a presence.

Scottsdale

Hollywood

New York

 We handled the decor, so it was up to us to distinguish six public rooms where the party took place — a party, that is, for 500 people.

In addition to our speciality “city rooms,” modern, sleek lounges allowed guests to steal away and canoodle over a New Year’s cocktail. We worked with a palette of black, white, and bright color pops to give each lounge a sophisticated feel.

To our delight, the party sold out! And musical guests Quiet Company, Bird Peterson, and The Tontons kept the crowd rocking well into 2013.

We had a blast putting this on, and raise our glasses to The W for hosting such an excellent soiree!

Walkin’ in a Winter Wonderland: Throwing a “Snowing” Holiday Party

When one of our corporate clients came to us for a holiday party recently, it was a perfect opportunity to throw a classic Winter Wonderland-esque soiree — but with a few sparkly, modern twists.

We proposed a party that would make ample use of metallics, shimmery fabrics, glowing tables and ice-like touches. And we knew just the place to host such an affair: ACL Live at The Moody Theater.

Guests were greeted by a gorgeous ice sculpture upon arrival, as well as painted bare trees and sparkling iced bushes. But as pretty as the outside was, it was just a visual taste of the stunning scenery within:

Wax luminary centerpieces perched on cocktail tables covered with shantung linen, and specialty snowflake lights roved across the floor. Our chilly, yet sexy, Winter Wonderland was coming to life!

To steal a special, wintry moment alone, guests retreated to ACL Live’s lounge areas, where soft candles illuminated cushy white sofas — perfect for clinking a glass of holiday bubbly.

 

We loved creating this holiday party for our client, and ended the night just as enchanted as we began it. Our Winter Wonderland cast a spell on everyone — us included!

 

I Heart ATX: An Austin-tatious Party

For their second annual conference, our tech client wanted to give attendees a taste of Austin. This is a company with Austin roots, you see, and their conference is unique in that it’s open to customers and partners, many of whom are geographically far-flung. So for their Opening Night Party, they wanted to show off ATX to incoming visitors.

And what is the most well-known hallmark of our beautiful city? Why, music of course.

In collaboration with ACL Live, we blocked off 2nd Street from Lavaca to Guadalupe (aka Willie Nelson Blvd), and set up an outdoor stage. There, guests were treated to live performances by Bob Schneider and Valejo.

We also brought in six local food trailers to make sure everybody was well-fed, because who can be expected to be conference-ready on an empty stomach? No one! And here in Austin, land of BBQ and adorable cupcakes, we dine in style.

With 5,000 attendees, our “mini festival” also included the trappings of a normal-sized one — with glamorous details like porta potties and trash control — but a standout feature of this event was that we yielded only 11% trash! Almost every cupcake wrapper, paper plate, napkin, etc. was kept out of a landfill, by virtue of our on-site recycling options.

We loved helping our corporate client give visitors a taste of Austin! Just be careful, out of towners. That taste can get addictive.

Step Right Up: A Vintage Carnival Party

While our social media client is decidedly new school, they preferred old school for their staff holiday party this year. Specifically, they came to us for a vintage carnival theme, with a decadent atmosphere and dramatic touches. We were totally game.

The result was a red carpet soiree at The Belmont, where guests were treated to a kissing booth, throwback games like Ring the Bottle and Spill the Milk, and even a fortune-telling psychic. We incorporated red uplighting and circus tent draping to emphasize the carnival feel, and placed red votives and glowing orbs throughout the space to give the party a soft glow.

Along with the client, we helped create an “FB ATX” sign to light up the stage, along with teeny-tiny FB ATX flags that poked out of locally-made cupcakes.

Performers and attendees embraced the carnivalesque spirit, donning bow ties, bright accessories, and suspenders aplenty.

Just like an actual carnival, there’s a whole lot of juggling going on with a party like this one, and that’s exactly what made the night so magical. Colorful elements came together to give staffers a truly unique company party — and maybe even a parting kiss.

Thank you to our client for their creativity, and for bringing us on to execute this stylish affair! We’re no fortune tellers, but if we were, our crystal balls would say guests had a delightful time.

It’s ALIVE! An Electric Corporate Event

Our client, an international energy organization, was in Austin to host educational sessions to help increase their members’ industry IQ, but they also wanted to make the experience as memorable and enjoyable as possible. That’s where we came in. From managing conference registration and assembling gift bags with information and goodies, to providing entertainment and activities across multiple nights, we made it easy to combine work and play. We had a wonderful time working with this group, but we can’t deny that our favorite part of the whole shebang was the welcome reception on the first evening.

Dr. Frankenstein would have been thrilled to attend this monstrously fun, “Mad Scientist” themed reception. With the event taking place just before Halloween, we took the liberty of transforming the Hilton Austin downtown ballroom into a laboratory fit for the most daring experimenters.

Why a mad scientist-theme? Our clients pride themselves on being open to explore, which led us on the path to those who explore, experiment, and entertain the wildest of ideas; throw in the Halloween element and the desire to do something a little different and EUREEKA! Beakers full of mysterious concoctions and gruesome ingredients, eerie lighting, and graphic horror film posters set the stage for an evening of frights and delights.

Attendees experienced the glow of a mad scientist lab with illuminated tall boys; green, teal, and purple lighting; and plasma globes that crackled and blazed. Old sci-fi horror movies were projected on the walls as guests mixed and mingled, some reclining on white leather lounge furniture. The décor, the unexpected elements of brains and glowing spiders, and the overall feel of the event were all brought together by the entertainment: a DJ dressed in mad scientist garb, spinning tunes and looking as loony as Dr. Jekyll.

We had a fantastic time dreaming up and bringing this concept to life. Thank you to our client, vendors, and all those who helped make this event to-die-for!

Special thanks to vendors: Ilios, Altared Weddings, and Illuminate Photography! We couldn’t have done it without you!