On Tuesday, November 1st, PartySlate gathered three hundred of Chicago’s event tastemakers and top vendors to network and toast at a celestial-themed celebration at Theater on the Lake. It was the perfect venue for the dynamic gathering — offering a flexible space that NSWE Events and David Kimmel Design made beautiful use of for surprises galore. The duo wowed at every turn with creativity and thoughtful moments.
Megan Estrada of NSWE Events shares of the ethereal inspiration, “David Kimmel, who acted as the event’s creative director, and I were brainstorming about Theater on the Lake and the time period it was built (1920), and we recognized that having a theme that was culturally significant would be helpful to the overall design of every event element. We wanted the theme to have a historical connection to Chicago.
“Chicago had such huge growth after the Chicago Fire in 1871, during what was considered the Art Nouveau time period. The Columbian Exhibition and many Chicago Landmarks were built during the period of 1871-1920. I am a huge fan of Art Nouveau (my arm tattoo is Koloman Moser), so suggesting the time period was exciting and very appropriate.”
A Glimpse of the Evening to Come
The party’s invitation, custom-designed by Ashley Frye Studio, perfectly set the tone with whimsy and beauty. The print and invitation designer previewed the celestial aesthetic and vintage vibe with an invitation that also hinted at the performance element with a stage-like design. The designer’s hand-drawn stars showed up at the celebration as well, creating a cohesive — and beautiful — event design.
Ashley Frye’s team also created the party’s printed materials to direct guests as well as showcase and honor event partners. Estrada says, “All the printed materials were to capture the essence of the Art Nouveau period with loose lines and the natural colors of fall.”
Design: Stars Align for a Vintage Celestial Aesthetic
Planner Estrada of NSWE says of the design, “Once the theme was identified, we further found inspiration from Art Nouveau imagery reflecting a fall palette of colors and the French/Austrian connection to the movement. After digging into imagery from the Art Nouveau time period, David [of David Kimmel Design] and I were drawn to celestial imagery of astrological signs, stars, and moons. The theme ‘Stars Align’ was born from these inspirational pieces of artwork.”
A Dreamy Entrance
Guests entered the soirée through an enchanting tunnel of lush greenery from the floral team at Siblana Events, rich gold drapery by Quest Event Rentals, and twinkling starry lights — setting a celestial vibe right away. Estrada says of the party’s first impression, “Theater on the Lake is a very large venue, so we wanted to ensure that we made it feel more intimate…the tunnel entrance led guests into the event, rather than having them walk directly into a large room. Partygoers were greeted by friendly mimes from Stage Factor handing out roses to bring a French introduction.”
Starry-Style Cocktail Party
Guests entered into a main space defined by cinnamon-hued draping (from Quest, of course) which ensured the appropriate size for the cocktail reception. Estrada shares, “We had hand-drawn stars by Ashly Frye and puffy clouds hanging in the high ceilings and illuminated to make the evening feel ethereal and capture the “Stars Align” celestial concept.
“The large centralized bar was softened with floral and greenery from Siblana to create a feeling of an evening garden in a palette of cinnamon, blush, orange, peach, gold, amber, and pale green.” Siblana also brought beauty to the bar with hanging greenery, to the space with “trees” of candles, and to the photobooth with an ombré of luxurious florals. David Kimmel brought that same palette to tabletops and the bar with coordinating blooms. The teams also wowed with fluffy clouds and stars floating overhead.
Cocktail tables covered in sparkling gold linen from BBJ La Tavola provided spots for guests to gather and gab. Bolsius Candles added additional magic with floating votives throughout the gorgeous space.
Enter the Entertainment
To move the party to the next phase of the evening, a memorable moment was planned. A spotlight highlighted the mimes in front of the curtain separating the cocktail area from the dance floor and stage. The mimes dramatically parted the drapery for a ‘Moon Queen’ and her illuminated ballerinas — all from Stage Factor — who carried her train as she raised her moon-topped scepter and led guests into the dance party.
For this big reveal moment, Evolution Orchestra played the apt “A Sky Full of Stars” by Coldplay in an inspired medley with Madonna’s “Lucky Star.” The stage continued the star-studded décor “with a custom facade and shell of a hand drawn Art Nouveau-inspired graphic from Ashley Frye and a moon and stars behind the band,” shares Estrada.
Entertainment: A Dance-All-Night Party
For the entertainment-centric evening, Arlen Music Productions pulled out all of the stops to showcase what’s new and next for events. They got a hand from Elegant Event Lighting, who ensured that every wow-worthy performance was well-lit, as well as Theater on the Lake who supported the talent with top-notch AV and production services.
Modern Pop Strings
During the cocktail hour, Luna Strings Chicago performed of-the-moment songs on all strings — a modern twist on classic entertainment that guests loved. Estrada says, “The strings performance was to highlight the historical time period, as we wanted to capture the sound of the late 1800s, although the music was contemporary songs.”
Ken Arlen of Arlen Music Productions shares, “When we heard from Megan that the décor theme would be Art Nouveau and celestial, we created Luna Strings Chicago. Building off of our four-violin ‘Sirens’ concept, we added two harps and two cellos to create this eight-piece group. Their set list included contemporary and classic pop music that included Lady Gaga, Queen, Led Zeppelin, and Jason Mraz, to name a few. We also featured music from movies and Broadway shows like the Greatest Showman.”
He adds, “We wanted to take the Bridgerton idea to a whole new level. We also featured our guitar group Triple Fret — acoustic guitars performing in the same contemporary style — during a brief interlude.” The cocktail party performances took place on a gorgeous intimate stage flanked by florals from Siblana Events and backed by dramatic overlapping draping from Quest.
Guests appreciated the perfect volume level that allowed for fun networking and socializing with event industry peers.
Dance Party Reveal
Once the Moon Queen led partygoers into the main stage area, Ken Arlen’s Evolution Orchestra amped up the volume of the music — and the vibe. The dance band, who performed at Las Vegas’ Bellagio Hotel’s epic New Year’s Eve show for 15 years, had no trouble filling the dance floor and bringing Vegas-style energy to Theater on the Lake’s glorious, massive space.
Arlen says of the opening medley, “We made the arrangement very big and dynamic, featuring the full 16-piece band. We were joined by Stage Factor’s costumed celestial performers out on the dance floor — collaborating with Kaja (from Stage Factor)is a true delight.” Stage Factor’s ballerinas twirled in tutus glowing with lights, while their mirrored dancers engaged guests.
To keep the dance floor filled for the rest of the evening (which they did), Evolution Orchestra featured an inspired program of music from Harry Styles, Elton John remixes, 80s & 90s R&B, and more. Arlen shares, “We also had our rapper MC Billa Camp come out and perform ‘California Love’ and ‘Crazy in Love.’”
At one point an impromptu Congo line formed (the true measure of a fun party) and at another, horn players descended from the stage and performed amid the audience. Guitar and saxophone solos engaged everyone, as did the limitless energy of the rhythm section. Four singers took turns wowing with pitch-perfect performances and equally-impressive choreography.
Arlen adds, “Our goal was to keep our audience excited until the end of the night, and our encore was a soul-stirring rendition of Tina Turner’s ‘Simply the Best’ featuring vocalist Caitlin Simone. The dance floor was 100% full! I should add that my wife Nancy costumed all 26 entertainers in dynamic and colorful wardrobes that fit the décor and theme of the evening. These are the extra touches that really matter for the corporate special event market! People need to see something new and innovative that creates a fun and exciting evening with lots of WOW moments.”
Fresh Fare: French-Inspired Cuisine
The delectable catering from Entertaining Company carried the French theme and transported guests to Parisian cafés and fine restaurants with a mix of elevated street fare like crêpes and more formal dishes like a Raclette station with prosciutto di parma, fig jam, Riesling-poached grapes, and more. Guests gathered around the Jardin du Luxembourg station that offered Croque Monsieur and individual spinach and artichoke au gratin — both perfectly-portioned party bites.
Passed hor d’oeuvres engaged guests, especially the pairing of mini-cocktails in tiny copper mugs with one-bite layered toasts (thoughtfully bent like spoons to allow for easy party eating) that launched a thousand Instagram posts.
The Entertaining Company also offered bar service, while Rise Distribution and Avé Imports provided local alcohol brands and PRESS Seltzer provided premium sips to ensure that the bar was fully-stocked. As always, PartySlate is lucky to have luxury napkin and stir-stick partners in MY DRAP and Acrylic Sticks. MY DRAP offered their cotton, compostable napkins which featured the invitation’s frame design in gold. Acrylic Sticks brought the theme to the cocktails with custom star and moon stirrers. Hall’s Rentals provided all catering rentals.
All of the Memories Made (& Captured)
This was an evening worth remembering, and the skilled team at Amarachi Ikeji Photography beautifully captured the soirée. They shot gorgeous candid pictures of guests interacting and having fun, as well as of the celestial scene. Moving images from LEAP Weddings also told the story of the celebration with a video that will remind the hundreds of guests of their good time (and will make those who weren’t there wish they were).
And yet another way partygoers will remember the event is by looking back at the fun they had in the Pixster Photobooth. Planner Estrada shares, “The photobooth was designed to be a hot-air balloon in flight with guests hanging out in the basket.” She worked with Siblana Events to realize the lofty vision with a riot of florals and PartySlate branding. Pixster printed photo strips on-site and instantly shared .gifs and images via email and text with guests.
And More Thanks
Producing an epic celebration like PartySlate’s fall Chicago gathering requires a talented team of partners. In addition to all of the vendors listed above, we also want to thank the team at Bianca Sansosti Artistry who made sure that our team looked our absolute best. Their attention to every beauty detail made us feel party-ready with on-point make-up and hair.
We also want to express our gratitude to VIP Valet who took care of our amazing event partners, and Thompson Chicago who attended to our guests by offering them luxurious accommodations.
photographer: Amarachi Ikeji Photography
event planner & design NSWE Events
creative director, design + decor: David Kimmel Design
venue, production & AV: Theater on the Lake
entertainment: Arlen Music Productions
lighting: Elegant Event Lighting
interactive entertainment: Stage Factor
décor, florals & small stage: Siblana Events
draping: Quest Event Rentals
catering rentals: Hall’s Rentals
linen: BBJ La Tavola
candles: Bolsius Candles
invites, graphics & signage: Ashley Frye Studio
catering & dessert, bar service & coat check: Entertaining Company
alcohol: Rise Distribution | Avé Imports
custom napkins: MY DRAP
acrylic stir sticks: Acrylic Sticks
hard seltzer: PRESS Seltzer
videographer: LEAP Weddings
photo booth: Pixster Photobooth
PartySlate team hair & makeup: Bianca Sansosti Artistry
valet: VIP Valet
hotel partner: Thompson Chicago