The Knot's 20th Anniversary
PHOTOS BY: 5ive15ifteen Photo
The Knot Magazine enlisted us to produce the biggest industry bash of the year – their annual star-studded gala for 1,200 guests at the New York Public Library at the culmination of NY Bridal Fashion Week. As if having the daunting task of w0w-ing the best of the best in our industry wasn’t enough pressure (along with guests the likes of Badgley Mischka, Shark Tank mogul Robert Herjavec, Bachelor couple Ben Higgins and Lauren Bushnell, Jonas Brothers, Randy Fenoli of SYTTD, just to name a few…), this year also wasn’t just any year – they were celebrating the 20th anniversary of the publication. We put together an all-star vendor team and pulled out all the stops creating a whimsical and fanciful “Fête des Rêves” – literally “party of dreams” – theme. We wanted to bring the magical feeling of the Tuileries in Paris to New York – specifically, the Tuileries in the summer, when you find the formal French garden and surrounding serious architecture dotted with all the whimsy and enchantment of their summer carnival. Guests arrived to see the front of the Library video-mapped for the first time ever – bringing Ceci New York’s invitation to life through animation, the flowers and vines literally blossomed up the larger-than-life columns. Guests entered through a boxwood gate at the foot of the library steps and made their way up a magical topiary and candelabra-lit pathway while being serenaded by a dramatic, towering violinist in a 30 ft. long ballgown. Inside, a custom-built carousel band stage was the pièce montée of the room, flanked by stunning, giant blossoming trees with hundreds of paper butterflies. Other highlights: costumed stilt walkers danced with guests, perfectly posed ballerinas greeted and sparkling aerialists spun above the champagne bar in the surreal silent disco/tasting experience room where each food station was designed to look like a dreamy storefront on a Parisian promenade (guests were given headphones upon entering, playing music box chimes, while a ballerina posed perfectly on her own music box in the room.) And there was more: giant hot air balloons, a vanity-fair style portrait booth, a floral ice bar, delicious tartines hanging from parasols, gourmet “street vendors” served up delights on adorable custom Parisian food carts, and the cocktails had a french garden twist. Ladurée even made an appearance with a pop-up patisserie!
*The event made next day news with The Wall Street Journal, Biz Bash and others. As seen in The Knot’s online coverage + Featured in Spring 2017 National Issue.
The Knot Gala 2016 from East West on Vimeo.