On Tuesday, June 28, 400 top event professionals gathered in New York to mingle and welcome summer in the city at PartySlate’s latest epic gathering. The summer soirée took place in a recently-renovated historic space, The Altman Building. The party felt perfectly placed in the chic open space that also provided the perfect spot for a mid-evening surprise.
Lauren Grech and her skilled team at LLG Events planned the “Seasons of Love”-themed gathering. Grech notes that the totally-unique theme was an idea she has been wanting to produce for a long time—and it was worth the wait. LLG Events partnered with Konstantinos Floral Design & Décor to realize the vision with four distinct seasons in the landmark space. The result was wow-worthy.
A Glimpse of the Evening to Come
Guests were invited to PartySlate’s New York celebration via a luxe digital invitation, custom-designed for the gathering by Alpine Creative Group. The print and invitation designer evoked the theme with a beautifully-rendered vision of each season in the invitation’s four corners, just as the party itself would be laid out, giving guests a hint of what was to come. The team also created the party’s printed materials, which directed guests through the seasons, displayed menus, and honored event partners.
Four Seasons Offered Four Experiences for Guests
Upon arrival at PartySlate’s celebration, guests posed for pre-party pictures in front of a sleek branded sign from the team at Two Point 8 Imaging, surrounded by a colorful balloon installation from Decor by Mindy. Then partygoers were greeted and given a guide map for their experience of each season. Inside, LLG Events and Konstantinos over-delivered with a fully-realized vision for each phase of the calendar.
The skilled catering team at Thomas Preti Events to Savor curated a stunningly-delectable seasonal menu for each season, offering an immersive experience for party-goers. Meanwhile, the cocktail caterers at The Cup Bearer ensured that guests were fully engaged in the seasonal joy with a curated cocktail for each. Smith Party Rentals was present in every season in the form of chic glassware for the cocktails, as well as all of the dishes and silverware for guests to enjoy the party-perfect bites.
Summer
Ah summer. The season was honored with a truly dreamy vision. Konstantinos worked with the top rentals team at Taylor Creative Inc. to outfit every season, but we have to say that their stylish and modern take on a picnic area especially wowed us. The picnic table overflowed with a lush display of flowers and greenery that flowed off the table and up the umbrellas on either side.
Another inspired summer moment: a PartySlate-branded bounce house from Confetti Bounce Co. Why should kids have all of the fun? Their elegant take on the summer staple was a pure white bounce house that Decor by Mindy draped with a glorious arrangement of matte balloons that complemented the florals.
And because summer was just too magical to contain in two paragraphs, there was more. Dolce & Gelato Catering offered yet another chic moment with their Italian gelato cart featuring not just Italian-summer style, but six flavors of gelato. Pro Sho Event Services provided projection lighting in each season that helped create mood. Their summer inspiration was a projection of a sunset over the water.
And what’s more perfect for summer dining than barbeque? Thomas Preti’s team curated a delicious menu of BBQ pork butt on onion brioche accompanied by Southern cabbage slaw, fette sau’ broccoli salad, mini lobster rolls, and of course, all of the fixings and sauces guests could desire.
The mixologists from The Cup Bearer served up a “Dolce & Cabana” cocktail with the fresh flavors of tequila, lime, and watermelon with a tajin-dusted rim.
Fall
Fall — giver of crisp days and beautiful colors — brought a fresh vibe to our celebration. Trees displaying orange, yellow, and red hues were hung with glass votives flickering mini candles that beautifully evoked the season. The inspired lighting projection was of trees shedding their leaves.
The towering trees sheltered chic gold and glass displays from Smith Party Rentals — a rentals team that really knows how to elevate a party — featuring fresh fare. Thomas Preti conjured a dream for vegan guests (which even carnivores loved) with their heirloom carrot tartare and sweet potato flan. The Cup Bearer evoked fall with their “‘P.S.’ I Love You” which featured vodka, cinnamon, lime, ginger beer, and mint in an iconic copper mug from Smith Party Rentals.
Winter
The planning and design teams took a cool approach to evoking winter with multiple experiential activations in the area that was lit ice-blue by Pro Sho Event Services. An epic bar made entirely of ice from the incredibly-innovative team at Okamoto Studio Custom Ice centered the space.
The Thomas Preti team utilized the ice installation as the perfect spot for serving fresh fare and an innovative sip. In this season, guests enjoyed delicate sashimi — big eye tuna and fluke crudo — and Beau Soleil oysters on the half shell. Partygoers were also able to try the team’s absinthe suissesse foam cocktail as served from a spinning glass display atop the ice bar, creating a fun and frosty experience.
The Cup Bearer offered guests “The Fireside Cozy” cocktail consisting of flavors from aged rum, brown sugar, chocolate bitters, orange — all in a cinnamon-smoked glass from Smith Party Rentals.
But that wasn’t all winter had to offer, Konstatninos supplied a geodesic dome that was topped with glittering cotton “snow.” Inside Taylor Creative outfitted the space with luxe lounge furniture and guests loved gathering in the igloo to connect with each other. Pro Sho completed the illusion with flutters of magical snow.
Spring
Spring was festooned with fresh light pink florals—on the furniture and on the full-sized trees (yes, you read that right) that framed the scene. Guests enjoyed taking a sip of an Aperol spritz as served from the coolest Italian Martini & Rossi cart, courtesy of Dolce & Gelato Catering. The team also offered another fun spring moment—a vintage Italian truck spilling florals as the perfect photo spot. Dolce’s photo booth setup captured all of the chic shenanigans.
And, of course, a season isn’t fully realized until it is paired with a bite and sip. For spring, Thomas Preti served delectable handmade corn and mushroom tortelloni. The team’s display of fresh mushrooms underscored their commitment to quality ingredients. Meanwhile, The Cup Bearer offered guests a cocktail called “Spring-Thyme in London” which popped with gin, lemon, honey, muddled strawberries, and a thyme sprig.
In addition to the curated cocktails above, guests in any season could enjoy festive bubbly from Clara C’Fiori Di Prosecco and party-perfect hard tea from Loverboy.
There were even more vendors who contributed to the success of the theming as well as creating a festive atmosphere for PartySlate’s latest soirée. MY DRAP was our napkin sponsor, providing truly beautiful custom cocktail napkins with each season’s names and motifs. Two Point 8 was responsible for seasonal signage that furthered our theme as well as perfectly-placed PartySlate signage that furthered our brand.
Dance Floor-Filling Entertainment
The best celebrations have a festive aesthetic that is underscored by music. Luckily, Élan Artists curated the perfect vibe for every single part of PartySlate’s celebration. Élan brought down the house with a 16-piece band that included brass instruments and violins which elevated every pop song to art. The team kept the dance floor filled (with help from The Pro Sho’s production and a/v, of course). With every song they rocked it seemed as if the music couldn’t possibly get better — then it did a mere one song later, with every singer nailing the vibe with each tune.
And… A Surprise
After PartySlate’s CEO and Co-Founder, Julie Roth Novack, welcomed guests and honored the work of each of our extraordinary vendor partners, party-goers were treated to a fun surprise. The bottom floor of the The Altman Building opened up, revealing an on-site afterparty speakeasy.
Upon descending the steps, guests first were wowed by a French patisserie from Thomas Preti with green tea and chocolate madeleines, caneles, rolled sables, fresh fruit tartlets, and linzer cookies. Next to the impressive display of sweet desserts was an epic Elecktra Belle Époque coffee machine, of which there are only 70 in the world (and the only one in the United States), from Dolce & Gelato Catering . It was a rare treat for guests to get to enjoy either a coffee, espresso, or latte from the beautiful antique machine (and perhaps an even bigger treat to get an espresso martini).
But there was more. Chic lounge areas, wooden-slat screens, and potted palms from the Taylor Creative team evoked Brazil in NYC. And Elan Artists knew exactly what to do; they performed engaging Copacabana-style entertainment that had guests doing the samba on the dance floor.
All of Memories Made (& Captured)
This was an evening worth remembering, and the skilled team at Fred Marcus Studio beautifully captured the soirée. They shot gorgeous candid pictures of guests interacting and having fun, as well as of the breathtaking scene. Moving images from NST Pictures 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 More Gratitude
Producing an epic celebration like PartySlate’s New York summer gathering requires a talented team of partners. In addition to all of the vendors listed above, we also want to thank the JFink Beauty and Hair by Alison, the makeup and hair teams that made sure that our team looked our absolute best. Their attention to every beauty detail made us feel party-ready. We also want to express our gratitude to Shehan & Sons Security (The Altman Building’s team) who ensured that all guests were attended to.
The team who produced this beautiful celebration:
event host: PartySlate
photographer: Fred Marcus Studio
planner & event designer: LLG Events
décor & floral: Konstantinos Floral Design & Décor
venue: The Altman Building
entertainment: Élan Artists
catering: Thomas Preti Events to Savor
furniture & lounge rentals: Taylor Creative Inc.
invitation & signage design: Alpine Creative Group
videographer: NST Pictures
ice bar: OKAMOTO STUDIO Custom Ice
rentals: Smith Party Rentals
signage production: Two Point 8 Imaging
gelato cart, espresso machine, photo booth, vintage car, aperol spritz cart: Dolce & Gelato Catering Inc.
lighting, staging & production: Pro Sho Sound Services
bounce house: CONFETTI BOUNCE CO
Partyslate team hair: Hair by Alison
Partyslate team makeup: J Fink Beauty
balloon installations: DecorByMindy INC.
custom napkins: MY DRAP
cocktails: The Cup Bearer
security: Sheehan & Sons Security
champagne & rosé: Clara C’Fiori Di Prosecco