Wow! The 19thannual Daffodil Ball was completely fabulous this year. Lobster, caviar and champagne greeted guests arriving at Windsor Station, transformed with the theme of Alice in Wonderland.
Hello. My name is Alice.
The event was sold out almost a year in advance. Tickets were $750 but only available to donors of $2,000 and more. Tables were $25, 35, and 50,000.
François Olivier, Isabelle Marcoux
Toronto-based Décor & More was hired to create the spectacular Alice ambiance, a nod to the 150thanniversary of Lewis Carroll’s first telling of the Alice tale.
The Red Queen, and her hooped skirt serving 125 glasses of champagne....
The towering table arrangements, created by Yves Chénier, were, yes, made of daffodils. A few of my favourite things: a pretend caviar egg – actually a little LED light; the sparkly white rabbit costume – flown in from Las Vegas’ Cirque du Soleil; ; a myriad of Mad Hatter tea parties, with pretty cakes; boxwood topiaries, 
huge chess pieces, and of course the clocks, to show every one ‘‘You’re late, you’re late’’ – just like the book. The White Rabbit ran around telling everyone. And Alice, wearing the requisite hair band in her long blonde hair, blue dress with Peter Pan collar, wandered beatifically amidst the long gowns.
Suzann Moreau, Jean Guy Desjardins
The main hall was festooned with mammoth playing card-chandeliers. And then there was the star-studded arrivals, including media celebs emcee Virginie Coossa (with François Bazinet), Karine Vanasse (Maxime Rémillard), Sophie Durocher (Richard Martineau), and Mitsou (Iohann Martin).
Brenda and Sam Gewurz
Co-chairs were Paul Pathy, president and co-CEO Fednav, (there with his wife Marie-Michelle), Calin Rovinescu, president and CEO Air Canada, (with Elaine) and Jacynthe Côté, chief executive, Rio Tinto Alcan.
Virginie Coossa
Guests included Marie-Anne Tawil and Michel Vennat, Penny and Gordon Echenberg, Constanza and Javier San Juan, Linda and Ian Greenberg, Meryl and Sheldon Elman, and Belle and Ernie Grivakis.
Jeannie (with fun bling ring!) and Nelson Saunders
Noted amidst the bejewelled crowd were Dominique Bertrand (with a classic chignon and diamonds) and Jacques Maurice,
Michel Vennat, Marie-Anne Tawil, Esther Bégin, John Parisella
Esther Bégin and John Parisella,
Charles and Heidi Spector
Suzan Moreau and Jean-Guy Desjardins,
Sophie Durocher and Richard Martineau
Susan McPeak and Charles Sirois, Christiane Germain, Monique Jérôme-Forget, Pierre Karl Péladeau, Solange Dugas and Lucien Bouchard, Isabelle Hudon and Gilles Coulombe,
Co-chairs, Calin Rovinescu, Jacynthe Côté, Paul Pathy
event planner Alison Silcoff, Nathalie Schwartz and Charles Décarie, and Lucie and Pierre Boivin. The glorious gala raised $1.67 million for the Canadian Cancer Society.