On March 24, 2023, leading Chicago event professionals “Gathered in the Galapagos” for a tropical-inspired soirée at the newly-opened location of Chicago Winery. Inspiration for the event’s lush theme came from the most unlikely place. Planner Lauren Lehman Carter of Curate Plan Style shares, “The concept didn’t become clear until we peeked into the private event restrooms on our first site visit to the new space. Specifically, the men’s room! The wallpaper in the restrooms has an abstract, tropical rainforest vibe that felt evocative of the Amazonian, White Lotus, The Galapagos, and Casablanca all wrapped up together.”
1440 Event Design conjured a captivating environment that featured lavish greenery and tropical touches galore. Casey Plasch and Hubert Kaulen of 1440 say of the verdant vibe, “We wanted all of the décor to give that same fully immersive experience, but with the twist of elevated luxury to enhance the theme.” The décor team paired rich velvets with deep gold tones and designed the bar and stage to make each guest feel as if they had “stumbled upon a high-end jungle resort.”
The evening fully embodied the mood of summer — serving as the perfect backdrop for talented attendees to make new industry connections.
A Glimpse of the Evening to Come
Guests were invited to PartySlate’s tropical Galapagos-inspired soirée via luxe digital invitations, custom-designed for the gathering by Ashley Frye Studio. The hand-painted invitation featured lush greenery and rainforest dwellers, evoking a junglelike glamour. The invitation and print designer also created chic signage to direct guests and honor event partners with on-theme visuals.
Partygoers were encouraged to don “tropical cocktail attire” — which lent the whole affair a celebratory on-vacation ambiance.
Design: Glamour in the Galapagos
Lehman Carter of Curate Plan Style discusses how the event vendors collaborated to bring the cohesive vision to life. She notes that she and her team feel strongly about “making sure that everyone’s voice is heard and work is showcased in a way that honors their style. As event planners, one of our primary goals is to ensure that there is a through-line and cohesive thread that ties all of those voices together…and when it all works, we create magic together!”
Fresh Foliage & Bright Blooms
PartySlate’s island-inspired party was perfectly placed in Chicago Winery’s All Season Outdoor Terrace and Main Event Space. Guests were able to roam between spaces for varying entertainment, culinary, and décor experiences. Plasch and Kaulen of 1440 Event Design share, “We wanted to create florals that were fully immersive using a variety of blooms and foliage with varying heights and textures, creative and organic in shape even for the table arrangements, as if they were growing right up from the table itself.”
And each table presented the perfect base for the stunning décor with gorgeous linen from BBJ La Tavola — some in rich vivid hues and others in tropical prints.
Picture Perfect
Plasch and Kaulen of 1440 Event Design curated a photo spot that featured a luxurious design — with a printed backdrop festooned with richly-hued peacocks — and glamorous lounge furniture that was perfect for posing.
The team shares, “For the backdrop, we always notice that it is hard to fit more than two or three of your party friends in the frame of a photo op. We loved the concept of allowing up to 10 to 12 guests in the frame, using different platforms and furniture for the same variation in height so they can sit, stand, or pose in whichever way they wish. We wanted to add dimension to the usual flat backdrop by making it 3-D, and we accentuated this feature by adding the hanging floral stands.” They layered multiple prints, florals, jewel tone furniture, classic checkered flooring, and custom wood wall panels in a tropical pattern for a truly immersive set.
Entertainment: Engaging Performances
A party is often only as memorable as its entertainment. From getting guests on the dance floor to surprise moments, engaging performances always wow guests.
Music Creates Mood
Eric Sampson of The DJ Firm says of his vision for the evening: “When we were first approached with the opportunity to be a part of PartySlate’s summer kick-off event, we immediately wanted to impact the room’s vibe through the type of music played. To match the ambiance, we decided to open up the room with a Tropical House vibe to set the tone and make the room feel light and warm.”
The DJ Firm then added their Live DJ Ensemble — a seamless combination of live musicians and DJ-spun tunes — which raised the energy in the room and created a party environment. Sampson says that the Ensemble “includes a DJ, vocalist, drums, keys, and sax,” for a five-piece group that was tailored to fit the gathering and created the perfect celebratory mood.
Hall’s Rental Service, Inc provided the stage for the memorable performances, and the 1440 Event Design team curated an island feel with live palms and a tropical-printed backdrop with luxe PartySlate branding. The DJ firm didn’t just provide the music and vibe, but also the screens and stage lighting. All teams worked together to elevate every moment.
Interactive Entertainment Wows
Planner Lauren Lehman Carter says, “The skylight inside called for a big moment, and my colleague Brandon and I envisioned an aerialist, almost as though swinging from the trees, and then we worked out from there.”
NewMoon Chicago provided the aerialist who kept guests rapt as she performed acrobatics. The entertainment team also created a live art moment with a performer who was painted in a jungle theme on-site. She wore an elaborate floral crown and brought beauty everywhere she roamed, with partygoers taking pictures of her and with her.
Silly Snaps
Speaking of taking pictures, guests loved the tropical-themed photo booth from Pixster Photo Booths. A greenery backdrop provided the perfect spot for posing — and guests got silly donning sailor hats, sunnies, and holding props like a yard flamingo and bright pink vintage phone. We always love an interactive moment; a well-designed photo booth is a fun time that results in party favors, with guests receiving the photos digitally and in print to take home.
Fresh Fare: International Cuisine Transports Guests
Chicago Winery didn’t only play host in their stunning and totally flexible venue, but also provided creative catering and a full bar of sips for guests. The curated menu roamed the globe with offerings that originated in locales as varied as Spain, South Africa, Japan, India, and Korea.
Guests enjoyed the flexibility of Chicago Winery’s chefs with passed fare like mini watermelon gazpachos, pani puri, oysters Rockefeller, and more. A poké bar and traditional giant pan of paella wowed with delicious authenticity.
The venue’s bar served a selection of red, white, and sparkling wines as well as classic and specialty cocktails — like a Luchador Love Song which featured jalepeño tequila, housemade albariño, lime, aloe vera liquor, and cucumber bitters. Drinks were served up with classic black and white branded PartySlate napkins from MY DRAP.
For dessert, ECBG Cake Studio baked an epic spread of sweets, including iced sugar cookies in an on-theme palette of hues, lemon meringue tarts, dipped chocolate shortbread cookies, and so much more. Guests were appreciative of the the mini boxes of take-home baked goodies from the bakery.
All of the Memories Made (& Captured)
It was definitely an evening worth remembering, and we are grateful that Alex Ferreri so beautifully captured our Galapagos gathering. The team shot gorgeous candid pictures of guests interacting and having fun as well as sweeping shots of the space and every little design detail.
Meanwhile, Charlie Hilbrant Films captured moving images that told the story of the celebration with a perfectly curated video. 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…
Producing a beautiful celebration — like PartySlate’s tropical-inspired Chicago gathering — requires a talented team of partners. In addition to the vendors listed above, we also want to thank Tina Tobar for our party-ready hair and Jose Deleon Artistry for makeup that was picture-perfect. They made sure that our PartySlate team looked (and felt) our absolute best.
event planner: Curate Plan Style
venue, catering & bar: Chicago Winery
event design, production, décor, & floral: 1440 Event Design
entertainment, a/v, staging, screens, & stage lighting: The DJ Firm
photography: Alex Ferreri
videography: Charlie Hilbrant Films
photo booth: Pixster Photo Booths
interactive entertainment: NewMoon Chicago
desserts: ECBG Cake Studio
invitations, graphic design, signage: Ashley Frye Studio
stage: Hall’s Rental Service, Inc
team hair: Tina Tobar
team makeup: Jose Deleon Artistry
napkins: MY DRAP
linens: BBJ La Tavola