Although a big jet lagged, I had a blast at our annual ISES gala last week!
The event was held at the beautiful & recently renovated Palais Royale, a historical venue on the shores of Lake Ontario. It started out as one of Toronto’s most famous dance halls throughout the earlier part of this century and has evolved, present day, to become a truly unique venue that retains a modern interpretation of its original architecture. ISES Toronto worked with Innovolve Group to “green up” the event and be as environmentally responsible as possible.
The venue drove the theme for the evening, which played off of the 1920s era. Entertainment included swing music & dancing from Kira Callahan’s Lil’ Savoy Swing Band, The Anthony Terpstra Seventet and Carol Lykkemark of Lykkemark Enterprises. It even featured a Rat Pack look-alike group called The Sands Trio .
One of the most delightful parts of the evening was sitting down at my stunning place settings and opening a decadently wrapped box from Churchill’s Fine Gourmet Gifts. Each of the brown boxes were tied with a gorgeous satin ribbon and topped with a sparkling jewel. Inside were my absolute favorite treats: Heavenly Pecan Bars and Hand-dipped heart cookies! (I actually love the Pecan Bars so much I ship this product from Toronto to my clients in California!).
The bars were outfitted with beautiful ice sculptures & drink luges from Ice Culture who I’ve written about before. Guests were treated to handwriting analysis by Elaine Charal and caricatures by Jan Walsh Art. And, Envision Digital Photography captured the evening (all of the photographs in this post are courtesy of Envision) and even provided their Get Flipped service throughout the evening.
What would a great event be without a great M.C.? Alan Smithson of Star Productions kept us laughing all night.
Oh, and did I mention the silent auction? We proudly raised over $7,200 that evening with a portion of the proceeds going to Dreams Take Flight. And the icing on the cake…I accepted the award for Leader Of The Year by my ISES Chapter (that’s me peeking out from behind the evergreen)!
Decor was provided by:
Stardust Events
Designing Trendz (who was also featured in the last issue of Grace Ormonde)
Decor & More
Chair Decor
Balloon Corporate Events
Airstar