Gordon Ramsay’s Summer Ball

The annual Gordon Ramsay Gala Dinner in aid of the Scottish Spina Bifida Association took place in Mar Hall just outside Glasgow on 14th July 2011. 88 Events are official design sponsors for this wonderful event and here is our take on how we designed this year’s event…

This year, the event was brought forward from it’s usual date in October to July.  The official title for the event this year was ‘Gordon Ramsay’s Summer Ball’. Working with some top quality chefs including Jacqueline O’Donnell of the amazing Sisters Restaurants in Glasgow and Clare Smyth, Head Chef at Gordon Ramsay’s 3 Michelin star Restaurant Gordon Ramsay the theme from the décor to the food had to involve summer.

Click here for a previous blog post when Sheila met up with the two chefs to discuss the theming for the event.

 

Colour Blocking

We wanted the room styling to reflect Gordon’s confident and strong personality so we chose strong electric colours with lots of punch which followed the current trend of colour blocking.  As the whole purpose of the event is to raise as much money as possible for the SSBA, it is important that the guests feel as if they are at a truly unique event.

If the event seems bland, then this has a correspondingly negative effect on the amount of money raised.

We chose kingfisher, jaffa and lime colours from our new Venetian Faux Silk Linen and used an accent colour of azalea pink Taffeta. We then colour blocked the square tables with three variations:

1. Jaffa cloths and chair covers
2. Kingfisher cloths and chair covers
3. Lime cloths and chair covers

Each table was linked together by seat ties in the same strong accent colour of azalea pink and a gorgeous, contemporary ivory runner featuring stripes of the punchy colours.

Table Styling

We chose a table layout incorporating square tables as this is always more conducive to chit chat, putting people in a warmer mood with a view to getting them to raise more money!

At each place setting there was a small tin planter featuring a white daisy plant with each guest’s name on a garden stick. We used a Clear Glass Charger Plate with coloured napkin and accent colour of pink ribbon. For the glasses we used our Bubble Crystal for the wine and our Italian Crystal lo-ball.

However, the most interesting part of the table styling was without doubt, the edible table centre incorporating the table number on each side of a wooden crate filled with edible grass and flowers and Gordon lounging by the swimming pool on a deck chair. The terracotta tiles were actually tablet and the swimming pool was comprised of blue vodka jelly!

Marquee styling

We re-carpeted the marquee then covered the walkway and walls with crisp white voile. An LED bar was placed in the corner of the marquee to perfectly compliment the white, hi-gloss dance floor.

Great lighting was imperative to ensure this event was of a very high-end and so we had to install a lighting truss as the ceiling had no hanging points.

Other Interesting Facts:

• Waiting staff wore black and the girls had large corsages of white daisies
• Guests were greeted with champagne served from Perspex trays
• Following detailed discussions with Jacqueline and Clare about the service of the food, we wanted the food to be served in as interesting a way as possible so no dull white china! Here’s how we served the food:

1. Watercress soup from Champagne Saucers
2. Starter from  White Charger Plates
3. Main course from Latté Charger Plates
4. 5 different colours of charger plates for the dessert including our NEW Apple, Azalea Pink, Jaffa, Lime & Kingfisher; we also sourced jam jars for the pudding
5. Cheese served on Pewter Plate
6. Coffee served from Contemporary Bone China Mugs
7. Butter served in turquoise glass bowls

Overall, we really tried to ensure that every single  detail was thought about and nothing was dull and mundane. We hope we achieved that. Certainly, Gordon thought so judging by his first comment as he took the stage:

“Wow! How amazing does this room look tonight!”

Let us know what you think by leaving a comment below.

If you’d like to find out how to create your own unique event that leaves a positive and lasting impression on your guests then click here to make an enquiry.