{event showcase} 30th Anniversary Celebration

I am very fortunate to work with fantastic clients, including a few fun and creative corporate ones like the awesome team at Fentress Architects' DC office!  Last month, they hosted a 30th Anniversary Celebration in their office and asked me to help produce it.  Below is an overview of the playful 1980's inspired cocktail reception I produced.  Enjoy!

The invitation, provided by Fentress Architects, was the inspiration for the event design.  I hung colorful paper lanterns in the primary areas to mimic the confetti on the cover of the invitation.  [My client liked the lanterns so much, they are staying up through the holidays!]

The reception desk was turned into a bar.  Wine, beer and soda were offered as well as a Ruby Red Celebration signature drink, which the guests really enjoyed!  Here's the recipe from Absolut Vodka:

Ingredients

1 part Absolut Vodka Ruby Red

2 parts Cranberry Juice

1 part Champagne or Sparkling Wine

Directions

Add vodka and cranberry juice to a chilled glass. Top off with champagne or sparkling wine.

To ensure proper flow of guest traffic, food was display in three areas of the office.

Menu

 Vegetable Summer Rolls with Hoisin Lime Dip

Wheel of Brie with Caramelized Walnuts, dried Bananas and Cranberries

Peppadew and Goat Cheese Boule

Smoked Salmon Mousse

Herb Marinated Sliced Tenderloin offered with Horseradish, Herbed Aioli and Violet Mustard and Miniature Rolls

  

Antipasto Display of Marinated Artichokes, Black Olives, Roasted Red Peppers, Black Pepper Mushrooms and Dried Cured Meats

Trio of Dips - Black Olive Tapenade, Chipotle Carrot Dip, Hummus

Artisan Cheese Display offered with Cabernet Honey, Seasonal Jam and Caramelized Onion Chutney

and finally,

Mojito Shrimp with Salsa Verde

Tuna Nicoise Canape

For dessert, I ordered Red Velvet Cupcakes with Buttercream icing and embellished with a red square (to mimic the company logo) which was imprinted with "30".

Additionally, to drive home the 1980's theme, there was great 80's music and an assortment of vintage props - legwarmers, mullet wigs, guitars, Michael Jackson glove, bangles and fishnet accessories - laid out on a table near the Fentress Architects' wall hanging logo to encourage flashback photos!

 A note about the party design details

With a limited budget, I made a big impact on the space with playful paper lanterns ($1 each from justartifacts.com) and accessorized with the corporate color Red:

red cocktail napkins

red table runners

red votive candles

red menu photo frames

plus festive red cupcakes and a red signature drink

Thank you to the Fentress Architects' DC office team for allowing me to produce your special celebration and my sincere appreciation to my team of vendors: Fusions Cuisine, Georgetown Cupcakes, Bialeks Music and BBJ Linens.