“Well, I must endure the presence of a few caterpillars if I wish to become acquainted with the butterflies.” — The Little Prince
On Tuesday, September 12, several hundred event tastemakers and top professionals gathered to celebrate with PartySlate at a stunning and unique book-themed soirée. Specifically, the planners at Chris Weinberg Events and the design team at Gilded Group Décor drew inspiration from the children’s classic “The Little Prince.”
Johanna Dilone of Gilded Group Décor says, “We spend so many of our days managing the pressures that come with our industry projects that we barely have time left for play and reflection. If we conceptualized and executed the individual lessons from the book properly, I was convinced that we could engage our guests in some meaningful moments, while getting inspired by basic principles that we tend to forget in our day to day.” She adds, “Lessons about growth, the value of cultivating relationships, and following your heart are what we aimed to bring to life utilizing the creativity of every vendor involved.”
The event was perfectly set at The Sacred Space Miami. Chris Weinberg of Chris Weinberg Events shares what went into choosing the unique space: “We work there and know the team, valet, security, bathroom attendants, and so on…It is a well-run venue. With [Founder and CEO] Karla Dascal’s depth and breadth of luxury event planning experience, she thoughtfully built a proper venue.”
Dilone says of the locale, “Sacred Space served as our ideal venue because of its holistic values and alignment with the messaging we aimed to convey for this gathering. This space is renowned as a sanctuary for those seeking spiritual healing, fostering connections within the wellness community, and commemorating life’s most significant moments.”
A Glimpse of the Evening to Come
Guests were invited to PartySlate’s celebration via a luxe digital invitation, custom-designed for the gathering by Boxed Wedding Invitations. Their design drew inspiration from the classic children’s book that provided the celebration’s theme.
Dilone shares, “I love books. And this is one of those ‘children’s books’ that teaches us much of what we need to know as adults.” The invitations were a chic black-and-white take on the book’s motifs that included exploration, connection, celebration, and growth — all of which were embodied throughout the gathering — in addition to a heaping dose of whimsy.
The Boxed Wedding team also designed all of the print materials for the evening, from acrylic signage at each catering station and bar to QR codes that acted as décor moments.
Design: A Chic Version of a Children’s Tale
“The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched, they are felt with the heart.” — The Little Prince
Of pulling together the epic group of vendors who produced the themed celebration, Weinberg shares, “We had detailed meetings with Johanna Dilone and her Gilded Group Décor team to understand her vision as the Creative Director…My team and I reached out to each vendor to paint the picture for the evening, and we brought in GGD for meetings to discuss…and share the brief and mood board that GGD provided as a guide. We carefully selected vendors we knew would share our vision.”
Sam Barredo of Chris Weinberg Events says of The Little Prince-themed evening, “I cannot get over how incredible all of Gilded Group’s creativity was in the décor.” The décor included everything from an experiential entrance to a hand-built airplane that hovered over the celebration.
Guests Made an Entrance
As guests arrived, they were handed a key. But which doorway would their key open? It was for each guest to decide for themselves: transformation, connection, or growth. Dilone shares of her innovative entrance idea, “As a company, we pride ourselves in being able to construct in-house just about anything that we can imagine. What if from the time they entered, simply by choosing a door, the guests would determine what they were there to seek?”
Barredo says, “The keys and doors! Johanna had this idea of an interactive guest entrance that included some of the networking and growth elements that we wanted to inspire. We worked with IDitAll to make this a little gift element as well, as every guest was given a keychain.”
An Airplane, Meaningful Quotes & More
Dilone loves to ask what is possible — and then make her vision into reality. In the case of our PartySlate event, she shares her thought process, which is a peek behind the creative curtain. She says, “What if we built a life-size airplane, whose wings served as a barback? A dessert lounge built around the idea of invisibility? An upside-down rose and mirrored backwards text to talk about our capabilities? The Little Prince had all of the elements we needed to showcase that we love to think differently.”
One creative vision requires many elements. For example, in the case of the airplane that hovered over this celebration, Elite Tent provided the structure from which it hung. Their tent frame left the evening open to the starry sky while clearly defining the outdoor party space at The Sacred Space Miami.
Dilone says of the unique event’s placement at the venue, “Its thoughtful design paired perfectly with the modern, all-white aesthetic that we envisioned for the evening. The ambiance was imbued with positive energy, from the impressive display of massive crystals and lush tropical gardens to the captivating reflective pool at its heart.”
A Minimalist Challenge
Dilone shares, “And because we can’t resist a challenge, we resisted our maximalist ways and tried our best to bring each concept to life in all-white, museum-like moments, worthy of the modern venue.”
She continues, “Everyone that knows our company knows we can do very large floral centerpieces — but what happens if we forgo the need to fill tables with florals and do reflective lanterns that the guests can interact with instead? We love complicated, oversized ceiling installations — but what if ‘clouds’ are represented by simple lines of fabric propelled by fans suspended above the airplane? We’ve designed thousands of step-and-repeats — but would people appreciate that we replaced vendor logos with QR codes to make their information readily accessible?” She asks, “Doing things differently, did we still make an impact? That’s a question only our guests can answer!”
As hosts and guests, it’s a resounding yes from the PartySlate team!
A Magical Lighting Moment
Every memorable event boasts well-considered lighting — whether it’s a candlelit dinner party or a wedding with a packed dance floor. Lighting acts as décor as well as cues guests to transitions; but in the case of this event, it also offered a bit of whimsy.
When guests neared the dessert room, they were handed unlit electric lanterns to carry in. As they passed the threshold of the space, their lanterns magically lit themselves. Guests were instructed to place their lantern in place of the dessert they chose to enjoy. It was a communal experience that resulted in a dreamy event tableau.
Barredo says, “The lighting was extremely important, as we were able to collaborate with JACOB CO CREATIVE to create spectacular lighting experiences — from gobos built into the cocktail tables to making the lighting part of the guest experience with guests literally lighting the dessert room themselves. We also cannot forget how incredible the inside bar and DJ booth looked framed with lighting that acted as the décor for those elements.”
Lova Candles also provided plenty of glow throughout the celebration with towering hurricane lanterns that flickered dreamily in the Miami breeze.
Entertainment: Music, a Mime & a Mentalist (Oh My)
“All men have the stars but they are not the same things for different people…You–you alone–will have the stars as no one else has them” — The Little Prince
The best entertainment embodies the mood of a celebration and keeps guests engaged, and the many performers at PartySlate’s Miami event did just that.
Barredo says, “The performers were very important as they brought many of the décor elements to life. Dilone adds, “We love to design with every medium, not just strictly décor. And (of course) we wanted the guests to have fun. To our good fortune, most of the negative traits that are highlighted in each of the characters in the book are wrapped in irony and/or humor. What better way to remind ourselves to stay humble than to have Magen Boys Entertainment bring in “The Vain Man” to shower himself with compliments as part of the bar décor? I think of him, and the Pilot, and the King, as living, breathing, talking centerpieces.”
Additionally, Barredo says, “The Little Prince brought the photo booth to life, along with the actors at the bar, the mime at the lamp post, and we cannot forget about the fortune teller at the entrance! We and GGD worked closely with Magen Boys Entertainment to collaborate and curate all of these moments.”
Shake and Share Media captured posed and instantly-shareable images in a fun photo spot that included a giant, dreamy quarter moon set. Lots of snaps were captured of guests enjoying the interactive entertainment moments from Magen Boys and getting festive at the glam bar from Lovely Locks. And partygoers were wowed and delighted by mentalist Magic by Mio, who has performed for the likes of Barbra Streisand and Michael Jordan.
Barredo discusses another unusual entertainment element, a robot painting a picture throughout the evening; “The robot artist was something that we saw recently at an event. We thought about how innovative this was and how amazing it would be to bring this technological element to add to the creativity element of the event. It was an amazing place to tie in the theme, as the robot painted a rose.”
Of course, having the perfect background music to network to is vital to any corporate event and a Rock With U DJ was on hand to ensure everyone was engaged. But the team knew exactly when to turn up the volume for a full-on dance party with their live band NuFusion. Furthermore, they managed to fill two dance floors — one inside in the dessert space on an epic moon-themed dance floor from PSID Group, and the other outside with live music on staging also from PSID.
Fresh Fare: Delightful Bites
“All grown-ups were once children… but only a few of them remember it.” — The Little Prince
Barredo says, “The catering was a major part of this event, as we have never worked with so many food and beverage partners.” That included five full catering teams, a dessert vendor, four liquor partners, mixologists, servers, catering rentals, and more.
She continues, “Many of the caterers took inspiration from the book when creating their menus and designing their staff uniforms to match, which made for such a uniquely curated experience.”
It would be difficult to to fully highlight the delectable dishes that each caterer prepared — complete with theming to match the celebration as well as costumes and makeup to further the immersive illusion — but below is a sampling of the delights that guests savored.
Le Basque Catering added even more whimsy to the affair with their vermouth “planet” — an edible cocktail made with a liquid vermouth jelly — and their salmon “star-tar” and rose teardrop tea, all offered by servers in folded paper hats.
Hospitality & Culinary Collective wowed tastebuds with hearty Indian dishes like Malai Kofta, Tandoori Chicken, homemade Naan, and a refreshing Raita dip. They offered their dishes with flair — think spinning plates and helpful chefs.
Constellation Culinary Group offered pedal-powered service of delicious tacos, in addition to taking inspiration from the flight theming of “The Little Prince.” They served tartine paper planes with croque madame and a mushroom flan dish they called B-612 after an asteroid featured in the book.
Joy Wallace Catering ensured that there was an offering for vegan guests with their mushroom vegan sea scallop, a vegetable-based bite that impressed guests with the flavors of lemon-infused oil, micro basil, and shallot pearls.
Thierry Isambert Culinary and Event Design transported guests with French-inspired offerings like vichyssoise shots, petit filet mignon, mini cheese boards, and mini black pavlova.
The Cup Bearer worked their always-on-point magic at the bar with mixologists who doubled as entertainment with cocktails and preparation that delighted guests. Their “butterfly margarita” and “disco fever” cocktails offered guests liquid luxury with Inspiro Tequila, while their “Persian lemonade” offered a crisp sip with E11even Vodka. House of Wine & Spirits, Bacardi, and Distinguished Vineyards & Wine Partners further kept our bar fully stocked.
Earth and Sugar ensured that all guests had a sweet ending by filling dessert tables with confections like vanilla panna cotta shooters and white chocolate cake pops.
Additional kudos goes to Tend for providing top-notch staffing and Events on the Loose for their selection of beautiful catering rentals.
All of the Memories Made (& Captured)
“And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” — The Little Prince
It was definitely an evening worth remembering, and we are grateful that Shauna and Jordon Photography was on hand to beautifully capture the wow-worthy soirée. The team shot gorgeous candid pictures of guests having fun as well as photos of every minimalist design detail and delectable dish. Meanwhile, Suzanne Delawar Studios captured moving images that told the story of the celebration with an engaging video that takes us right back to the night. Both will remind the hundreds of guests of their good time (and will make those who weren’t there, wish they were).
And More Thanks
As anyone who has ever planned or hosted an outdoor celebration knows: the weather can make or break a party. Luckily, the team at Ironic Reports — who predict weather for the event industry — accurately forecasted the weather for our event, so we were assured that rain wouldn’t dampen our affair.
event producers & favors: Chris Weinberg Events
venue space: The Sacred Space Miami
creative director design & production favors: Gilded Group Décor
lighting: JACOB CO CREATIVE
caterers: Thierry Isambert Culinary and Event Design, Le Basque, Hospitality & Culinary Collective, Constellation Culinary Group, Joy Wallace Catering
entertainment: Rock With U
tent: Elite Tent
photographer: Shauna and Jordon Photography
staging & dance floor: PSID Group
interactive entertainment: Magen Boys Entertainment
glam bar: Lovely Locks Parties
mentalist: Magic by Mio
videography: Suzanne Delawar Studios
photo booth: Shake and Share Media
staffing: Tend
napkins: MY DRAP
dessert: Earth and Sugar
tequila: Inspiro Tequila
whiskey & wine: House of Wine & Spirits
mixed drinks: Bacardi
catering rentals: Events on the Loose
mixologists: The Cup Bearer
print materials: Boxed Wedding Invitations
keychains: ID it All
weather person: Ironic Reports
candles: Lova Candles