White House’s Holiday Planner Bryan Rafanelli Describes the Behind-the-scenes, Serves Up Tips
December has barely started, but the event planner Bryan Rafanelli was truly feeing like it was Christmas by sunrise on Monday.
Having orchestrated this year’s decor for the White House’s “Season of Peace and Light” theme, he was up and out extra early for the media preview, and had come downstairs to inspect all of the trees. With the exception of Thanksgiving, he has spent the past week at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue making sure that everything was just right. Reached at the White House, where he had arrived at 6:30 a.m., Rafanelli discussed some of the behind-the-scenes details that led to this year’s signature look and the months of research and preparation that is needed to pull it off.
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The end result amounted to 83 Christmas trees, approximately 9,810 feet of ribbon, more than 28,125 ornaments and a few thousand decorative doves. Visitors on the public tours will also find more than 165,075 holiday lights shimmering on the trees, garlands, wreaths and displays.
Although this was his first holiday assignment from First Lady Jill Biden, he did dress up the White House for one of her predecessors, Michelle Obama, in 2015 and in 2016. After doing the honors for Naomi Biden’s wedding last year on the South Lawn of the White House, Rafanelli, founder of Rafanelli Events, said he was tapped to do the official Christmas tree in the Blue Room last December and then “this year the whole house.” This year’s Blue Room tree is “A Carousel of Light” to reinforce this season’s illuminating theme. “It’s full of lights, moving horses and [other accents like] Willow, the Bidens’ cat.”
Before any trees, decorations or music was chosen, he walked from one room to the next with the social secretary to imagine what might work design-wise. Rafanelli, who also planned Chelsea Clinton’s wedding in 2010, said, “There is plenty of green, red and gold and an American flag stretched above in a hallway. There are also 3,000 paper doves seemingly flying from the ceiling, which “are both joyful and fascinating, in terms of how do you do that?”
There are constants too like the Gold Star tree that honors members of the six branches of the military and their famiies. Listening to FLOTUS’ preferences, of course, are also part of the equation. “She loves the holidays and she love a classic Christmas. Even though this is not my Christmas party, I love classic Christmas too,” he said.
Taking a moment to step away from the bugling and other music that was being rehearsed by a military band that would soon perform at a party for volunteers that have been pitching in daily, Rafanelli said the actual installation took a full week with the help of 300 volunteers. While researching, Rafanelli delved into the archival imagery at the White House Historical Association to see what different administrations were able to do with the different rooms for the holidays.
“Obviously, we’re in a more modern day. We have the ability to create more illusions and experiences that they could never consider doing,” he said. “For instance, in the East Room we have flown a ceiling system that has 5,000 pieces of reflective material on it, so that it looks like it’s snowing in there. I don’t think that’s anything they would have ever attempted in the 1800s.”
Figuring out this first wasn’t just a task in invention, but it also required respecting the White House’s heritage. “The house is a museum, right? People forget that it houses a 6,000-piece collection that has to be carefully watched over — crystal chandeliers and sconces [from the 18th and 19th centuries]. It is quite something to navigate through this house and it was never designed to be a grand house,” he said, adding that he constantly had to measure in the scale since thousands would be passing through on tours every day.
This season is expected to attract 100,000 visitors. Each day before the unveiling, about 200 volunteers joined in-house staffers and collaborators that were enlisted for this year’s effort. “So volunteers were hanging the garland. They were crafting, here at the White House, making beautiful ornaments, Even those [3,000 paper] doves were made by a volunteer at the White House last week,” Rafanelli said.
As for how he will spend Christmas, Rafanelli laughed and said, “I have to quote my mother. ‘Every day is a celebration.’ My mother’s house is not quite like the White House, but she has 10 Christmas trees. My mom is 89 and she was actually here volunteering. It was pretty special.”
His holiday celebration will include an early Christmas with his husband’s family the week before the holiday. “It’s going to be a beautiful quite simple holiday. Although I’ve been inspired to put some doves on my tree this year,” he said.
His hope is that White House visitors will copy the “bell hallway” in the East Colonnade, which has been transformed into “just a sea of bells — church bells, jingle bells. I hope that inspires people. And we have them hanging from the windows and a digital soundtrack of bells ringing. Certainly, when you see the photograph [of the bells,] it’s multiplied 10 times. You don’t have to do that at home, but you could.”
Rafanelli, a believer in “there is beauty in numbers,” has introduced a throwback to the holiday decor — ceramic Christmas trees. In the library, there are 100-plus vintage ceramic trees varying in size from 3 inches to 3 feet tall. “It’s been very interesting that as the volunteers peak in the room, they say, ‘Oh my god, I have one of those in my attic,’” he said. “It’s something very simple that someone could buy or find in a vintage store. I hope that inspires them.”
Five years after the events planner published “A Great Party: Designing the Perfect Celebration,” he is at work on a second book about why we celebrate. As for how Rafanelli hopes that the “Season of Peace and Light” will resonate with people in these divisive times, he said, “This is really true of Dr. Biden’s hope and how she lives her life. Promoting peace and light in everyone promotes kindness, compassion and people celebrating with everybody. You certainly feel that when you walk through the house.”
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