By Joanne Davidson
The Denver Post
John Tobey Event Design worked with T’DA Design, Event Rents, Splendor and Little Eden to transform the Grand Hyatt Denver into a scene from old Morocco. (Steve Peterson, Special to The Denver Post)
Joel Higgs and Wendy Foster of event producer T’DA Design. (Steve Peterson, Special to The Denver Post)
These days, when our checkbooks are better equipped to bankroll a staycation than a jet-set vacation, it’s comforting to know that we can get a taste of an exotic destination like Morocco — and raise money for charity at the same time.
Rock the Casbah was the theme for Confetti magazine’s annual ICON Awards Gala, and quite a few of the guests arrived at the Grand Hyatt Denver dressed for a steamy night in old Marrakech.
No one showed up in a djellaba, the billowy, hooded garment that covers the person wearing it from head to toe, but we saw one pair of balgha (the traditional Moroccan leather slip-on slippers); a Bedouin scarf;
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several jeweled veils; and a couple dozen men and women with fezes on their heads.
Event planner John Tobey worked with crews from T’DA Design, Event Rents, Splendor and Little Eden to festoon the Hyatt ballroom with billowing fabrics in rich spice shades to set the mood for belly dancers and a Middle Eastern dinner that began with tabouleh cobb salad and ended with shooters of Moroccan mint tea poured over rose water-flavored ice cream. The lobby-area cabanas, outfitted with sofas, pillows and candles, beckoned those in search of a quiet moment away from the bustle of the dinner and dancing.
Confetti publisher Terry Vitale chaired the event and announced that in keeping with tradition, a portion of the money from each ticket sold would go to the charity of the buyer’s choice. And from those submissions, a grand prize winner was drawn: Shalom Cares will receive a cash donation from the magazine. ICON celebrates the premier vendors in Colorado’s special-events industry and since its start 13 years ago, the awards gala has raised $500,000 for Denver-area nonprofits.
Big winners this year included Affair with Flair, ERH & Associates,
At left, ticket chairs Larry King and Judy Fahrenkrog found their headwear at Disguises, a Lakewood shop they discovered after searching the Internet for Moroccan accessories. (Steve Peterson, Special to The Denver Post)
Catering by Design and Newberry Brothers Greenhouse & Florist.
The awards presentation concluded with Walli Richardson receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award for a career that started as a one-woman calligraphy business and has since expanded to a full-service event planning company specializing in weddings and bar- and bat-mitzvahs. Richardson also provides pro bono assistance to select charities.
Joanne Davidson: jdavidson; also, blogs.denverpost.com/style and @GetItWrite on Twitter
Tabitha Hernandez congratulates Walli Richardson, recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award. (Steve Peterson, Special to The Denver Post)
Event founder and chair Terry Vitale, center, with her daughter, Piper, right, who designed the invitations, and committee member Nancy Sagar. (Steve Peterson, Special to The Denver Post)
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