Gala Reception Themes: Midnight in the Garden

141011ExhilarateEvents-35Long Spanish moss dripping from old Savannah trees, morning dew gently caressing the blades of grass, stone statues silently guarding the garden gloriously abundant with overgrown ivy and luscious fauna.

This is the picture we painted for attendees of a recent conference closing night reception in Atlanta inspired by the popular novel and movie, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Attendees were greeted by a vine stilt walker gliding majestically through the crowd at the ballroom entrance. Fog billowed out as the doors opened, revealing a somewhat haunted garden.

 

Topiary Centerpiece Close Up

A sea of tables dotted the room with cherub statues, gargoyles, topiaries and garden orbs overflowing with colorful flowers as centerpieces. Black and white masquerade masks served as both table decorations and fun favors.

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We divided the perimeter of the room into “good” and “evil” sections. The “good” side featured elegant white bars backed by tall white colonnades resembling that of colonial Georgia. Two large, stone lion-head fountains created a focal point on each side of the room. Lush green foliage overflowed from the fountains and bars.

Photo-Oct-11-6-21-54-PMThe “evil” sections were located under areas of the room that had a dropped ceiling. Rustic wooden bars were overtaken by wild vines and flanked by stone statues on pedestals. Exotic flowers spilled from fallen stone urns. An old tree with sprawling branches covered in Spanish moss served as the back bar for each section. The iconic Bird Girl statue was incorporated into the design as a tip of the hat to the movie.

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During dinner, a DJ played a haunting score to add to the ambiance. As the evening went on, the music brightened and the tempo was sped up to match the energy of our headliner band. We had Howl at the Moon provide a spectacular dueling pianos show (with a drummer, I might add) that had attendees crowding the dance floor from the very first number!

We specialize in creating unique receptions for conferences that your attendees will want to come back to time and time again. Contact us for more extraordinary ideas!

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