When it comes to planning an event as special as a wedding, we strive to create concepts that are entirely new culminations of many different muses. We draw inspiration from runway fashion trends, textures and patterns, boutique shop windows and vintage interiors of bygone eras. Creative cinematography and eye popping set design of movies such as Marie Antoinette, the classically cool Great Gatsby, even the swanky pad Michelle Pfeiffer traipsed around in Scarface trigger new ideas.

As great architects design buildings to organically fit in their surroundings, an event designer should also create a concept while considering the environment of the venue in which the event is held.

When we had the honor of designing and coordinating a charity event for Shawn Warren Jewelry benefiting Susan G. Komen, we took French elegance to a whole new level! The rave reviews of the guests and fellow bloggers around the world were so great that we wanted to share the details that made this event so special and how the design of this event would translate beautifully to an ultra glam tennis court wedding! We haven’t seen any of those yet, but would love to! Who says you can’t have a luxurious wedding in your backyard? If your backyard has a tennis court then you are really in luck…

The event was held on a tennis court at a private residence in Malibu surrounded by palms and a lush manicured landscape. Instead of immediately looking for solutions to cover the court’s surface, we embraced the vibrant color, making it a crisp and unique platform for the French and Hampton fused fete. To create the ultra feminine event we started by illustrating renderings for custom designed classical white cotton cabanas which covered the catering area, drink tables, dessert tables and the main centerpiece, the jewelry table. The focal point was the jewelry scape featuring Shawn Warren’s creations and was covered in a custom couture tablecloth designed by a famous couturiere seamstress with rows of hand-sewn pleats draping softly off the table in layers, almost resembling a high fashion tennis skirt! Next to the jewelry table was an oversized vanity with 3 floating mirrors for guests to admire themselves in Shawn Warren’s creations. We also placed small hand mirrors that had mirrors in the shapes of cameos and were tied off with pink satin ribbons.

Swarovski crystal and pink floral chandeliers were hung from each cabana and the white sheer georgette fabric draping from the tent was tied back with clusters of flowers tightly arranged in a blush pink floral bouquet. To maintain the elegance of the pink and white color palette we selected high gloss white French Baroque furniture including jewel tufted armchairs, mirrored side tables, cafe tables and clear back stools. For the surrounding lounge areas, white wicker sofa sets were accented with custom blush pink dupioni silk pillows that were hand painted pewter, the gorgeous fabric was flown in from a Northern England mill just for the event! White shady umbrellas were set in floral rod iron bases for guests to relax under.

The design should not stop at the decor! When working with Patina catering we made sure that every element was as elegant as the event including the colors of the dessert bar, the waiter’s uniforms which were white polos, white linen slacks, white vans and pink belts! Glass vases that resembled the clean lines of the vanity tables were even used as risers for the food trays.

Before the glass of champagne, sniff of a rose or nibble of an hour d’oeuvre, music is what invites your guests and sets the tone of the event to come. For each event, we take careful consideration of the music, making sure it compliments the occasion and carries the level of ambiance one step further. For the French inspired daytime event we wanted something fun and up beat but still wanted to maintain the level of sophistication. A little French Cafe mixed with some Hotel Costes kept the party swinging and sipping contently for hours!

As guests left the event they were given gift bags that included custom jewelry boxes made out of chocolate! Upon opening the “jewelry box” guests were surprised to find that there were also chocolate rings inside that were exact replications of one of Shawn Warren’s cocktail rings!

The party was sponsored by SkelAnimals, and many of them made an appearance throughout the “Fright Night”, and guests were each given one to take home as party favors. Nick was dressed as a fabulous Frankenstein and they danced the night away to 80’s and 90’s hits such as Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”. 

We love all the lighting that crawled up the walls of the event and gave it an eerie glow. A large spider was perched on the wall overlooking the guests and surrounded by a large glowing web. A “dead man” was spotted floating in the pool while large eyeballs hung from trees and strands of mummy-esque fabric swayed from doorways. From start to finish this Monster Mashup was frighteningly fabulous. See more photos at Christine Chang’s photography blog!

Christine did such a stunning job of capturing Ali and her daughter together! We love how the photos of little Estella truly remind us of old Shirley Temple films. There were also so many fun activities from face painting and sand castle building, to waitresses who interacted with the children while dressed up as Shirley Temple. The guests played in the sand on ‘The Sunny Beach of Peppermint Bay’ and sipped on lemonade from a bright red and white striped lemonade stand. 

Smiles were in abundance as guests lounged on beach chairs propped in front of vintage Shirley Temple photos while enjoying the sun and watching the children play. The sign of a successful party is when both children and parents are having a good time, and they clearly were at this event!

Photographed by Christine Chang 

Photography: Howard Wise

Some of the details of the event included custom designed couture linens, silver service catering including a wait staff dressed in custom white linen attire with pink contrasting belts, and even individual hand-made white chocolate jewelry boxes containing a replica of one of Shawn Warren’s rings! Custom pillows were made from hand painted silks and linen flown in from a London mill house, accenting the white wicker Hamptons sets topped off with arrangements of light blush peonies, hydrangeas and roses arranged by the talented George Woods of  The Woods Exquisite Flowers.

Photography: Howard Wise

Credits: Howard Wise Photography, Brocade Home, Amy Atlas,