Centennial Parklands Gala Garden Party hosted by Tiffany & Co

At MARILYN GRACE we have a great love affair with Centennial Parklands. We love it because of its’ beautiful landscapes, wildlife, ponds, flowers and structures that have provided a stunning backdrop for many of our events, but more importantly for the beautiful retreat it provides to escape city life on the weekends.

For nearly 125 years the Centennial Parklands have played a central role in the hearts, minds and lifestyles of the people of Sydney. So it was with great pleasure that we were once again able to be involved with the Centennial Parklands Foundation Gala Garden Party hosted by Tiffany & Co to raise the much needed funds for the ongoing management and conservation of the Parklands to ensure that they are enjoyed now and by future generations.

The aim of this years gala was to raise funds for the Restoration of the Paddington Gates prior to the Parklands 125^th Birthday Celebrations next year.

On Thursday 18 October, over 300 guests arrived to the Paddington Gates to sip Laurent Perrier Champagne and indulge on mouth-watering canapés before being transported down to CP Dining for the formalities of the evening in a fleet of Tiffany & Co golf carts.

After disembarking the golf carts, guests were greeted by models emulating the infamous Breakfast at Tiffany’s Holly Golightly with her dashing horses before being seated to start the serious side of the evening…the fundraising.

Through the sale of 200 Tiffany blue Mystery boxes - five of which contained break-taking Tiffany & Co gemstone cocktail rings, a live auction of a painting, holiday and money-can’t-buy Parklands experience, a silent auction and pledges from guests within the room towards the restoration of Paddington Gates saw over $140,000 of funds being raised on the night. A sparkling result for the Centennial Parklands Foundation and their Events Committee.

Guests continued to celebrate the result in the Tiffany & Co cocktail lounge with a performance but the delightful Emma-Louise Birdsall before departing the event through the illuminated ‘Tiffany blue’ Paddington Gates on their way home.

We cannot wait to do it all again next year for this very worthy cause!

HALLOWEEN

We love a holiday at Marilyn Grace and Halloween is no exception!

Although Halloween is better suited to the climate of the Northern Hemisphere with the rich colours of fall and glowing pumpkins, there is no reason we here down South should not get just as involved.

Here’s a bit of imagery to inspire you to get decorating for Halloween.

Trick or treat!

EVENT TRENDS

Here we take a quick look back at the three biggest trends in events for 2012.

1.     SOCIAL MEDIA

Social Media is playing a huge part in our clients decisions on event spend. It’s about taking a VIP party and encouraging guests to upload on to one of the many popular social media platform such as twitter, facebook and instagram to spread the experience. This allows for a greater reach rather then limiting event to just those that were in attendance.

2.THE FIVE SENSES

Touch: eclectic lounge vignettes that combine patterns and colours for a more luxe, personal selection.

Sight: stunning lighting, smart and different surface spaces and sizes. It is less about perfect symmetry and more about using lighting to highlight key design elements within the room to maximise the effect. Lighting can make or break an event.

Taste: Celebrity chefs and mixologists are leading the charge. Both clients and guests love a menu designed by celebrity chefs or even better yet, be in attendance. Other key trends include organic, home grown produce and gastronomy.

Hearing: with the rise of reality talent shows and celebrities turning their hands to the decks and DJ’ing, there is a lot more options. Once upon a time you could only secure a celebrity DJ trough contacts, but now you can have a celebrity spin their tunes at your event and that adds an 
extra WOW factor.

Smell: Aromatherapy is playing a much bigger part in events to make the space more inviting, particularly scented hallways and bathrooms. Our favourite is the

Jo Malone event service where every experience is designed to pamper and leave guests with a scented memory.

 

3.     OPPULENCE IS BACK

After a slight hiatus, mainly due to the global financial crisis, opulence is back in at events but in a far more understated manner. It’s upscale but downscale. It is less about throwing money at making all elements completely over the top and more about spending on elements such as venues, food, waitstaff, paper stock and finishes for invitations that impress but don’t gloat.

SHOPBOP ULTIMATE CLOSET

What a week we had last week with Shopbop opening their doors in Sydney for three days only, coinciding with Vogue Fashion’s Night Out and the launch of their new game and short film for their website relaunch featuring Christopher Benz, Thakoon and Rachel Zoe.

We were delighted to have the opportunity to work with this amazing US e-tailer and their fabulous PR team TORSTAR.

It all started with finding the perfect temporary retail space – high traffic, close to the hub of VFNO and be truly cosmopolitan – so on a rainy Sunday morning, we put on our gumboots and pounded the pavement to find the most perfect space on Castlereagh Street.

Next it was to enlist five fabulous personalities to form the basis of the event concept – to create five closets that reflect their style and must have pieces. The ‘Ultimate Closet’ collection was curatored by model Jescinta Campbell, Vogue Australia editor Edwina McCann, The Vine blogger Alyx Gorman, stylist Kelly Smythe and The Voice finalist Sarah De Bono, showcased some of the best online offerings that Shopbop has to offer.

When the boxes of merchandise landed for the ‘Ultimate Closet’ event, there was a lot of ooh-ing and arh-ing, adding to our wishlists and trying things on before we really had to get down to work to ensure the store was ready to go.

The doors opened on Wednesday and featured instore appearance by the ever-delightful Sarah De Bono who was on hand to give an insight into her favourite

pieces she she’d have in her dream closet. On Thursday the gorgeous Kelly Smyte and Alyx Gorman where on had to offer there styling tip and discussing current trends before the VFNO celebration began.

The weather was perfection, the city was buzzing and the Shopbop party was pumping to hot tunes of DJCassette and plenty of sparkling wine for all, including Megan Washington, Samara Weaving and April Rose Pengilly.

Sadly on Friday evening it all had to come to an end, with the merchandise being packed up and saying goodbye to our Shopbop haven.

Let’s hope they come back and do it all again next year!

THE GO TO DIRECTORY : Miss Jones in Love

Last week saw the launch of the stunning new website Miss Jones in Love. The website is the brain child of Jennifer Jones from Have you met Miss Jones - the lifestyle company dedicated to providing contemporary designs for the interior – and provides a whimsical and unique designs that combine to create exceptional and distinct touches to events.

Not only does this new site offer beautiful homewares and inspirational content, it also offers a directory of a selection of their favourite suppliers by state to help your event even more special.

Have a look at Miss Jones Event Directory and under NSW Wedding Planners you will find…..US! We are delighted to be including on this sophisticated and chic directory.

Happy planning!

OLD HOLLYWOOD GLAMOUR

Last week we were in LA working on future projects, sourcing new products, soaking up the sunshine and getting a good solid dose of LA style.

The event industry in the US, particularly LA, is truly something else. There you have easy access to the most incredible, delicate desserts; invitations that are letter pressed, foiled and on paper stock so thick that there is no chance of paper cuts; an abundance of flowers – imported and sourced locally - and plenty of unique and breathtaking venues to choose from. And on top of all of that, LA is buzzing with talent, so finding new and exciting entertainment options to perform at events never takes long.

LA has a long and established history for hosting some of the world’s most watched annual events such as the Emmys, Grammys and of course the Oscars. Each year these events reflect old Hollywood glamour with Art Deco twists – and there’s nothing more chic then a colour palette of black, white, silver and gold.

A prime example of Hollywood glamour at its best would the Vanity Fair Oscar Party held at the iconic Sunset Towers Hotel each year. The venue is quintessentially LA  – a beautifully terraced pool area with sweeping views of the city  – and a guest list that reflects the who’s who of Hollywood Royalty.

It’s a party that we look forward to seeing each year. It’s also the event where the idea of an interactive photo booth was born, since copied countless times at events the world over.

And it doesn’t stop there – the Polo Lounge at the Beverley Hills Hotel or the infamous Chateau Marmont – all provide a long history of glamorous events that continue to set the tone.

YAGO HORTAL

Recently we came across an artist, YAGO HORTAL, who creates lusciously vibrant paintings of explosive colour that you just cant turn away from.

The Berlin-based Spanish artist drips, smears and splashes layers of acrylic paint onto canvas to create these truly amazing abstract expressionistic works of art.

They are mesmerising, emotional, bold and we desperately want one!