Top That! Event is providing the décor for Wayne State University School of Medicine’s annual fundraising event in October at the MGM Grand Detroit (images here are from Top That!’s client showing).
“From an event-design perspective, what makes this unique or cutting edge?” ponders Todd Lloyd, owner of Top That! Event. “The huge element we used here was a laser-cut machine.”
Inspiration
“So often someone comes into our showroom and if their event is gold and you show them something silver, they want nothing to do with it,” Lloyd says. “We’re violating all the rules of people who have to be matchy-matchy. I’m trying to show that it’s okay to mix things up. We can use inexpensive materials and, by using the latest technology, make it extraordinary.”
The vision for the gala is “classy, but hip and cool at the same time,” Lloyd says. “It’s an elegant affair, but at the same time it needs to be trendy.”
The Details
The sit-down dinner for 500 will utilize a combination of round and square tables, all featuring the same design.
Silver dingle-ball tablecloths cover the tables, which are surrounded by Chiavari chairs wrapped in a satin-and-organza cover. Chair pads match the shimmer napkins; the napkin ring is one of the table’s many laser-cut creations.
“Often people get carried away with a bejeweled napkin ring,” Llody says. “All that is is a piece of paper.”
The place setting showcases Lloyd’s resistance to matching for the sake of it: Gold-rimmed plates sit atop silver acrylic chargers, perched on fuchsia-plum place mats. Atop the configuration is the menu, which reflects the invitation’s design and is nestled inside a laser-cut sleeve.
Alongside each setting is a small votive, placed inside a holder with a laser-cut etching and a small piece of silver screen. The creation is fastened with acrylic glue and is “super simple,” Lloyd says. Additional votives sit inside crystal-cut vases.
Each table’s centerpiece is a tall glass vase with the event host’s brand etched on the side, so that the vases can be reused for future events at the school.
The vase holds acolyte LED lights and a combination of white and apple-green cymbidium orchid sprays. The lampshade is another laser-cut item, also featuring the school’s brand. Smaller crystal-cut vases surround the centerpiece, each with a single stem of green hydrangea.
“The laser is what really makes this design so unique,” Lloyd says. “It lets you take simple things like a piece of paper and make them beautiful.”
