Just hours before the start of last year’s The Capital Gala, honoree Leigh Zimmerman’s house was abuzz, not just with the typical preparations required prior to a black-tie affair, but with the excited conversation of her personal guests who would be accompanying her to the night’s event. And with a celebration like The Capital Gala, no casual pre-party would do.

With the help of event designer Angela DiVincenti Babin of Angela Marie Events, Zimmerman brought the glamour that guests would soon find at the Raising Cane’s River Center to her own home with over-the-top touches based around her runway look.

“We landed on the Queen of Hearts theming because her dress was red,” Babin recalls. “It just seemed fitting for some reason.”

The first step for Babin was establishing branding. “Southern people brand. It’s just our thing—I mean, just think about monograms,” Babin says. “It’s like an identity, really. You want to be recognizable, and you want people to remember you.”

The brand Babin and her in-house graphic design team created for Zimmerman establishes the Queen of Hearts theming with whimsical, hand-drawn details that feature Zimmerman herself, as well as a playing card motif, a martini glass and a heart-embellished crown. The branding was carried onto everything from tumblers to decks of playing cards to hats and even to custom chocolate bars. For a final, finishing touch, the items were packaged in custom gift boxes for each guest, complete with their name and a silk scarf with heart charms tying it all together.

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“The scarf with the charms on each box was one of my favorite details,” Babin says. “It was a fun callback to Leigh’s love of fashion.”

Even after guests departed the Zimmerman residence, the theming followed. At the event, Zimmerman’s tables were transformed by Babin with the same pink and red details. The custom tumblers, as well as confetti cannons which were shot while Zimmerman was on the runway, were some of the fan favorites, while Babin encourages skipping guest gifts like canvas totes that are often left behind at the end of the night. “You really have to think about what will have to get picked up at the end of the night, what will get left there, and what you want your guests to actually take with them,” Babin says.

Luckily for the Queen of Hearts, the party didn’t stop when the lights came on at the end of The Capital Gala. With plenty of pink and red florals carried throughout her home, from her kitchen to her living room mantel, the beauty of the occasion carried on for days to come.

“In this situation, you’re adding another layer, and making the party what you imagine it to be,” Babin says, noting that honorees don’t control event details and design. “For a pre-party, think good food, beautiful florals and making it feel custom and personal.”

PLANNER & FLORIST Angela Marie Events / CATERER Gourmet Girls / INVITATIONS & GIFT BOXES Angela Marie Events / TUMBLERS Etsy / GIANT FLOWERS Amazon / HATS Coastal Threads / OUTDOOR BANNER Tara Button / BALLOONS Baton Rouge Balloons