COMMUNITY: A Modern Garden Theme for Ball on The Square

BALL ON THE SQUARE: Guests enjoyed a stylish summer evening of dining, dancing and entertainment under the city skyline.

Just a couple weeks ago we were honored to take part in producing and designing the 32nd Annual Ball on The Square in Rittenhouse Square Park. Hosted by The Friends of Rittenhouse Square and Arthur Wolk of The Wolk Law Firm (as well as sweet little Boo, the law firm’s resident canine mascot), this year’s tented gala broke records for attendance with over 400 well-heeled guests present for the occasion. All to celebrate the history and beauty the park provides the city, but also, to bring in some of the much-needed funds for its preservation and ongoing maintenance.

For this year’s Ball on The Square, Philadelphia’s most prestigious summer event, we were inspired to create a “modern garden party” vibe. Floating modern lamps, natural wood elements, textured linens, crisp white table settings, manzanita branches, hammered aluminum, contemporary iron, sculptural flowers, warm dappled lighting, and modern glass containers all came together for a light and airy outdoor soiree. As it always does, these kinds of amazing events take a team of dedicated professionals who are not only passionate about what they do, but committed to The Friends of Rittenhouse Square: Eventions Productions, EventQuip, Starr Events Catering, and the Eddie Bruce Orchestra.  Just a few photographs of the event set up to share. Until next year…

DESIGN NOTES: It’s All in the Details

Similar to interior design, we believe a well-designed event space is more than pretty things covered in pretty colors. It encompasses layer after layer of subtle elements that, when presented as a whole, manage to evoke emotion and connection in the guests attending. In essence, a well-designed party is well-designed BECAUSE of the details carefully selected and precisely placed in the setting.

At Evantine Design, we live for the details. In fact, we have 50,000 square feet of warehouse space just to house all of the accessories, linens, votives, frames, trims, fabrics, chairs, containers, vessels, and other decorative elements in our event planning arsenal. We’re devoted to details!

For a recent garden-inspired charity gala we designed here in Philadelphia, the prestigious Ball on The Square, we took our design inspiration from the formal gardens found in Rittenhouse Square. As noted in a previous post on the gala, this year’s ball was a celebration of Paul Philippe Cret, the French-American architect who designed the formal gardens in the Victorian-era city park back in 1913.

Wrapping the whole event design concept around the beauty of Cret’s formal gardens, we layered classic stone urns, weathered gold frames and vintage silver vessels with metallic sequin linens, airy glass chargers and swirl etched glass hurricanes. Whimsical garden statues and formal sculptures, including frogs, angels and mermaids, were used organically throughout the party tent. Even the table top service pieces, such as the flatware, coffee service and salt and pepper shakers, were carefully selected to blend into the whole elegant garden party aesthetic using classic sterling silver.  Menus, signage and place cards were designed with artwork celebrating the Victorian architecture the historic park is known for.

To see some of the decorative pieces we wove through the gala’s event design, take a look below at these wonderful images from our friend, photographer Casey Rodgers.

WE LOVE: A Garden-inspired Place Card Table for Ball on The Square

We most certainly love getting these notes from clients after we have designed a party for them. Their note of excitement, amazement and gratitude makes our job all the more worthwhile.

“Brian – Many, many thanks for an outstanding job!! The decor last night was truly amazing! Everyone was raving about how beautiful the tents looked. The place card table was so creatively done and gorgeous!!! -Mary Parenti, Co-chair for the Ball on The Square”

These images were taken at Thursday’s prestigious Ball on The Square gala, an event we have designed for 27 out of its 30 years of galas. For this year’s celebration we went back to the beginning with an ode to formal gardens, classic architecture and elegant outdoor events. The Ball on The Square is always held in the heart of Rittenhouse Square on the 3rd Thursday of June.  This year’s gala, hosted by Mary Parenti and Rich Castor & Lynn and Howard  Shecter, was particularly special as it was a celebration of both the 30th annual ball but also the 100th anniversary of Paul Cret’s elegant design of the park.

If the name is unfamiliar, let us introduce you to Paul Philippe Cret, the French-American architect and industrial designer who for more than 30 years headed up  the Department of Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania. As a prolific and influential architect, Cret co-designed (with Jacques Greber) the Benjamin Franklin Parkway as well as the Rodin Museum. He also built the Delaware River Bridge, now known as the Ben Franklin Bridge, as well as the Barnes Foundation Gallery, the Memorial Arch at Valley Forge, and Rittenhouse Square. Further afield Cret’s designs include the Pan American Union building and the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., and the campuses of Brown University and the University of Texas at Austin.

A true visionary who inspires us every single day, if only in the creation of a place card table for a party celebrating his work.

COMMUNITY: Getting Ready for the Ball on The Square!

The arrival of June brings with it one of the swankiest galas in town, The Ball on the Square, a gala for 300+ benefiting the Friends of Rittenhouse Square. A non-profit organization established in 1976, the Friends provide the financial support for the preservation, protection and beautification of the historic six-acre Rittenhouse Square Park.

As usual, the black tie gala will take place in a large tent placed right in the middle of the Square. In fact, it’s actually quite a clever feat of event planning since the tent will be installed on top of the existing fountains, with poles and flooring installed in and around statues, limestone walls, the Guard House and intricate landscaping.  This will be the 20th year that Evantine has decorated the gala, with each year’s design a complete surprise and WOW for the guests! Evantine’s own Brian Kappra will AGAIN be the glue that pulls the whole design together, with this year’s theme honing in on vibrant hues of tangerine and fuschia juxtaposed against modern white. In fact, Brian is a co-chair for the gala alongside Alan Sandman and John Pcsolar.  Entertainment will be provided by the Eddie Bruce Band and all cuisine by Stephen Starr Events.  More info to follow after the party!