Vero matched similar celebrations held in Palm Springs, the Hamptons, Chicago and Los Angeles, with fashionable white attire taking center stage Saturday evening at the Vero Beach Hotel & Spa’s Cobalt White Party at its Heaton’s Reef Bar & Grill. Roughly 300 white-clad guests enjoyed a delicious buffet, tropical cocktails and dancing to some high-energy entertainment on the beachside patio to celebrate the onset of summer.
A soft breeze kept things cool even as a steel drummer and DJ John heated things up, enticing guests to dance the night away. Others looked on while sipping champagne and a special “White Out” Rum Chata cocktail topped with coconut shavings.
Surprise guests included a sexy Enrique Iglesias impersonator who had the ladies swooning, and Treasure Coast Mermaid Bridgette Earney, who made the men’s hearts skip a beat as they posed for photos with the lovely water maiden.
“A Memorial Day White Party is all about putting on white, mingling with others, being outside and celebrating summer,” said Christopher Huarte, general manager of the hotel. “Some people do come here just for the party, but for our hotel guests who did not know about it before they arrived, it is a little added fun for them to enjoy.”
With the hotel completely booked for Memorial Day weekend, Haute said he anticipated about half their guests would attend the White Party. He estimated about 50 percent of party attendees were from Vero Beach, with many of them staying at the hotel so they wouldn’t have to drive home after the festivities.
White Parties in urban cities might be glitzier and studded with celebrities, but they weren’t likely to have a more relaxing ambience, against a backdrop of waves lapping the shoreline at the upscale yet comfortable setting.
“The environment here is just beautiful right by the ocean,” said local resident Donna Williford. “We have come to this party a couple of times before. Now that season is over we can finally relax and start participating in some of the top-notch things that Vero has to offer that everyone else gets to enjoy. This year they really stepped it up a notch from last year, too, with delicious filet, shrimp and seafood.”
Johnny D’s Market & Bistro owner Mario Amelio attended with wife Kim and a tableful of friends who all complimented the dishes prepared by Executive Chef Daniel Traimas.
“It’s excellent so far, they just brought us cobia ceviche which they are passing around and my friend got the pork-belly sliders,” said Amelio.
“We met right here on this spot five years ago today,” said Vero Beach resident Albert Fort, having an especially enjoyable time at the party with wife Lilliana. “She asked me to hold a bunch of stuff for her because she said her purse was too small, and the next thing you know we were married.”
“This place is very special to us. We have come to every White Party except for one year since then,” said Lilliana Fort, as the two smiled at each other.