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    Shelby's Social Diary

    Ballet Ball kick-off is a dazzling spectacle with diamonds, ballerinas and prancing horses

    Shelby Hodge
    shelby hodge
    Oct 10, 2013 | 10:28 am

     Carnan Properties made its mark on the social landscape Tuesday night on the ice at the Galleria with a dazzling six-figure party saluting Houston Ballet and its 2014 ball. Ballerinas danced and Lusitano ponies pranced across the covered ice rink as more than 600 guests socialized in the space that was transformed into an elegant lounge setting.

     

    Party hostesses Carmina Zamorano and Nancy Arreguin, co-owners of Carnan, spared no expense in creating the evening that combined business and the arts in sophisticated fashion. As Zamorano quipped in her remarks, "Every time I come up with a new idea, my husband says it's going to cost him a million dollars." Well, not quite a million but it was one fantastic soirée.

     

     

      As Zamorano quipped in her remarks, "Every time I come up with a new idea, my husband says it's going to cost him a million dollars." 

     
     

    After a cocktail hour of dining on taste sensations from Zamorano's Haras Catering and sipping wines from the family vineyards in Spain and other libations, guests were entertained by the presentation of two magnificent Lusitano horses, which actually pranced to the music as Houston Ballet members coursed down the runway in costumes from the 2014 American premiere of British choreographer David Bintley's Aladdin.

     

    Zamorano's husband, Rafael Chavez, breeds and trains the beautiful horses at Haras dos Cavaleiros in Magnolia. The couple divides their time between homes in the Woodlands and Mexico City.

     

    Darryl & Co. created the luxe environment for the swell partying for which Bridgette Bottone of De Beers provided more than $1 million in diamond jewelry for the hostesses along with 2014 Ballet Ball chair Shawn Stephens and emcees KPRC's Dominique Sachse and KHOU's Katherine Whaley. Bottone is also donating a $20,000 diamond necklace for auction at the ball. And, yes, there was oodles of security.

     

    The well-heeled crowd followed the invitation's suggestion for "dazzling cocktail attire." Among the partying throng were Houston Ballet artistic director Stanton Welch, Lynn Wyatt, Nell Frances Connally, Merrill and Joe Hafner, Ting Bresnahan, Nick Florescu, Phoebe Tudor, Jean May, Dr. Roland Maldonado, Mitzy and Ricardo Hurtado, Patti Murphy, Patrice and Jason Pryor, Katie Flaherty, Edward Sanchez and Philamena and Arthur Baird.

    Mitzy and Ricardo Hurtado join the party on the ice at the Galleria.

    13 Mitzy and Ricardo Hurtado at the Houston Ballet Carnan Properties party
      
    Photo by © Gary Fountain
    Mitzy and Ricardo Hurtado join the party on the ice at the Galleria.
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    Women's Fund Wine Dinner 2025
    Photo by Johnny Than
    Gaston Elie, Gina Gaston Elie, and Mario Elie.

    The Women’s Fund poured on the charm at its 10th Annual Wine Dinner, trading its usual intimate digs for The Astorian’s lofty glamour and a vibe as effervescent as the night’s first pour. Picture white feathers flirting with candlelight, rosé-hued roses blushing in Revere bowls, and a crowd dressed to toast, taste, and turn up for a cause.

    Women's Fund Wine Dinner 2025
      

    Photo by Johnny Than

    Gaston Elie, Gina Gaston Elie, and Mario Elie.

    Chairs Vanessa and Chuck Ames led the swirl, sip, and support soirée, where guests kicked things off with passed bites and bubbly from Amy and Rob Pierce and Alexandra Bruskoff. Jackson and Co. served up crispy artichokes, mushroom Wellington, tuna carpaccio, and beef tartare, perfectly paired with cava and casual elegance.

    The Madam Zero Champagne Wall added sparkle and suspense, doling out deBoulle gift cards and a private champagne tasting. Meanwhile, the silent auction table buzzed with high-stakes bids for year-long date nights, Zadok's bling, a Chopped-worthy in-home dinner by chef Lena Le, and more.

    Dinner dazzled across four courses: Steelhead carpaccio with Meyer lemon sabayon and Texas Vermentino; wild mushroom agnolotti matched with a Russian River Pinot; charcoal-grilled filet cozied up to Tuscan red; and a bittersweet chocolate tart so luxe it got its own sponsor, Armine+Ambrose.

    Mid-meal pop-up auctions turned tables into tasting salons with caviar and Burgundies flowing like insider gossip. And when it came time to raise paddles, auctioneer Johnny Holloway of Johnny Bravo Productions kept the energy high and the giving higher. Think Majorca vacations (sold twice), Rockets suite nights, Napa getaways, and a cameo on Chris Shepherd's Eat Like a Local that also sold — you guessed it — twice.

    The evening honored the inaugural Toast to Resilience Class. Paulina and Jim McGrath earned the Visionary Spirit Award, Gina Gaston Elie was honored with the Resilient Heart Award, and Chris Shepherd and Lindsey Brown received the Champions of Community Award—each recognized for lifting up Houston’s women and girls with compassion, creativity, and serious clout.

    By the end of the night, guests had raised an impressive $485,000. That’s more than double last year's total. With more than 250 oenophiles in attendance, the event proved that good wine and a great cause make for one worthy pairing.

    Supporters raising their glasses included Anne and John Clutterbuck, Ashley Sere, Meredith and Ben Marshall, Jessica and Brian Leeke, Brian Faulkner, Caroline and Matt Monday, Lisa and Charlie Meachem, Corbin Young, Craig and Kristin Kellogg, Jordan and Dylan Seff, Lisa Meacham, Kelly and Frank Hogan, George Breen, Megan and Jerry Hughes Jr., Jillian and Yuri Waldo, Erin and Kyle Cummings, Nadia Tajalli, Paula Sutton, Rania Mankarious, Laura Ward, Sarah Barrett, Shellie McBeth, Steve Jetton, Steve Mohtashami, Aliza Dutt, Danny Ward and Nancy Ames, James Calaway, Jody Merritt, Kristen Collins, Kristy Bradshaw, Laura Davenport, Mario Elie, Nene Foxhall, Roxann and Tim Neumann, and Nora Jarrard.

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