Now that planning is well under way for the 2020 First Ladies Luncheon, I thought it was a good time to re-cap the 2019 luncheon! Makes sense right? Last May I had the complete honor to be the lead designer for the 2019 luncheon, which is an annual lunch that honors the First Lady of the United States. For the past 108 years, the Congressional Club has been honoring the First Lady and the charities of her choice. To make sense of this event and those involved, here is a little history…
about the First Ladies Luncheon…
Founded in 1908, the Congressional Club was created to provide a non-partisan setting for friendships among the spouses of members of the House and Senate in Washington, D.C. One of the many activities and events they host throughout the year is their Annual First Ladies Luncheon, which is a luncheon that honors the First Lady and the charity of her choice. Spouses of current and former Members of Congress, the President’s Administration and the Supreme Court, business leaders, philanthropists and friends of the Congressional Club, gather in Washington, D.C. for a celebration of bi-partisan community service. Considered one of Washington’s most exciting and historic events, this tradition fosters friendships among our nation’s leaders.
Now About the Flowers…
For the past four years, the Certified American Grown organization has been the sponsor for all of the flowers that are used for this event. Last year, eighteen certified American flower and foliage farms from across the United States came together for this annual event to showcase the beauty that is grown in our country in May. From the West coast to the East coast, 21,380 stems of flowers and foliage were brought in to create beautiful floral decor that represented last year’s unique theme; the state of Indiana.
For 3.5 days, twenty eight volunteer designers and eight volunteer support team members from all over the country came together in Washington, D.C. to design for this prestigious event. Everything from centerpieces to flower walls were covered, with no detail left undone! The chair of the Congressional Club for 2019 was from Indiana so the theme for the luncheon was Indianapolis 500, honoring her state of IN with a focus on an all red color palette!
Black and white checkered linens adorned all of the guests round tables and large photographic images showing pieces of Indiana pride were hung behind the large head table, where the First Lady was seated amongst other dignitaries. I chose to design two different looks for the round tables, one being a modern lantern look and the second one being a traditional low compote design. Thanks to our amazing team of volunteers, all of the generous flower farms, and my amazing co-lead, Christi Lopez, 2019’s luncheon was a huge success!
Christi, owner of Bergeron Flowers, will be the lead designer for this year’s luncheon and I cannot wait to see what she creates for the Congressional Club and the First Lady! Until then, take a look back on last year’s colors, beautiful flowers, and our epic experience in our Nation’s capital!
Ps. These amazing shirts we are wearing were custom made by my talented sister in-law, Janie Kinnane, owner of Charlie Lou. They were the perfect representation of 2019’s Indiana theme which including the original Indianapolis race car, the state flower; the peony, and the Congressional Club’s seal. I wanted our volunteer team to be able to remember the magic that was created in 2019 for the First Lady!
Below are the important documents that were my tools for the nine months of planning that went into executing this event. I shared these with my team during our time together designing so that they could see and feel what the event would look like. Documents included a full vision board and a computer mock up for the head table.
In our make shift floral studio, in a hotel in the city, we designed side by side and got to bond and learn from one another. In the end, a strong community had formed that shared a common love for American-grown flowers.
Thank you to Kirsten Smith for capturing all of the beauty that surrounded us last May.
