Fairy Godparents with Deep Purses: Children’s Museum Houston’s $1.3 Million Night of Enchantment and a Happily-Ever-After Ending

Fairy Godparents with Deep Purses: Children’s Museum Houston’s $1.3 Million Night of Enchantment and a Happily-Ever-After Ending

Some fairy tales begin with a glass slipper. This one began with more than 500 guests, a fog-filled entrance and a philanthropic kingdom ready to work its magic.

Children’s Museum Houston turned the page on a dazzling new chapter with “Once Upon a Time: A Fairytale Fashion Gala” at Corinthian Houston. By the evening’s storybook finale, Houston’s generous royal court had raised a record $1.3 million to help children discover, explore and imagine futures brimming with possibility.

Consider that a happily-ever-after with considerable staying power.

Presiding over the festivities were gala chairs Jessica and Michael Bertuccio and Bahareh and James Flavin, joined by underwriting chairs Lauren and Max Barrett and Lilly and Harrison Cullen, and auction chairs Alex Butt and Claire Virga. Their collective efforts helped create a celebration where extravagant imagination met an ambitious purpose.

And what a perfect setting for the story to unfold.

Rebekah Johnson of Bergner & Johnson Design transformed the space, draping the venue with cascading ceiling vines and lush florals beneath glittering glass chandeliers. A centerpiece fountain completed the dreamscape. If an enchanted forest had received an invitation to a black-tie ball, this is surely how it would have dressed.

Guests emerged through a dreamy veil of fog, paused for a carriage-themed photo opportunity and encountered Snow White, Prince Charming, Maleficent and Captain Hook. With that guest list, one hoped everyone had left their poisoned apples, curses and pirate grudges at home.

Fashion supplied its own delightful plot twists. Inspirations ranged from Alice in Wonderland and Cinderella to Little Red Riding Hood, Peter Pan and Sleeping Beauty, with guests interpreting the theme through whimsical flourishes and elegant eveningwear. Here, the glass slipper came in many styles—and the crowd clearly understood the instructions.

Welcoming the gathering, Museum CEO Rayanne Darensbourg brought the evening’s purpose into focus. “Every child deserves the opportunity to discover their potential, explore their world and imagine a future without limits,” she said.

That sentiment gave the sparkle its substance. The chairs’ remarks celebrated both the community that made the evening possible and the children whose lives would be enriched by its generosity.

Then dinner arrived with a distinctly regal touch, followed by a storybook-inspired dessert almost too enchanting to eat.

Soon, the live auction captured the room’s competitive spirit, and the bidding delivered enough excitement for a chapter of its own. For those dreaming of a royal retreat, a four-night stay at Feronia, the luxurious private estate donated by Monsour Taghdisi and Henry Richardson, offered an enticing escape. Another getaway beckoned at Vidanta’s Grand Luxxe in Riviera Maya, giving travel-loving guests ample reason to imagine their next departure.

Sports enthusiasts had a different fantasy in mind—and Tilman Fertitta’s spectacular donation delivered. The package included his personal courtside Houston Rockets seats, access to the owner’s suite, Houston Texans tickets on the 50-yard line and Diamond Level Houston Astros seats behind home plate. For a Houston sports fan, that is an entire season of magical moments. The Astros Foundation added another irresistible opportunity: throwing the ceremonial first pitch at an Astros game. Suddenly, practicing one’s royal wave seemed less urgent than practicing one’s fastball.

And then there were the puppies.

Two black Labrador puppies found their forever homes, contributing a particularly heart-melting turn to the evening. Even the most dazzling auction treasure faces formidable competition from a pair of puppy eyes.

The jewelry, however, made a persuasive case.

Cassie Brothers won the raffle’s 14-karat yellow gold earrings featuring 1.45-carat diamonds. In a separate paddle sweep, Museum board member Nina Rand took home diamond studs totaling two carats. A little extra sparkle for two particularly fortunate fairy-tale endings.

With the bidding concluded, The Avondale Orchestra provided the soundtrack for the next chapter. Guests filled the dance floor as late-night chicken and waffles and truffle fries offered delicious encouragement to keep the celebration going. Even Cinderella might have negotiated a later curfew for that menu.

Beyond the enchanted entrance, dazzling fashion and dance-floor revelry, the evening’s achievement carries a lasting promise. All proceeds support the Museum’s mission to improve children’s trajectories through innovative, child-centered learning. Serving approximately 750,000 children and families annually, the Museum brings discovery to life through hands-on exhibits, educational programs and outreach in schools, libraries and community centers.

The gala may have borrowed its wardrobe from fairy tales, but its finest accomplishment belongs firmly in the real world:  $1.3 million to help Houston’s children become the curious, confident authors of their own next chapters.

In the Social Scene (not previously mentioned):   Kat and Ryan Pressly (former relief pitcher for Astros, now retired), Julia Morales Clark, (Astros sideline reporter), Alex and Jeff Beck, Andrew and Rochelle Deiso, Brad and Brittany Dinerstein, Annabel and Alex Florescu, Devorah and David Krieger, Liz McIngvale Mackey and Matt Mackey, Monica and Brad Radoff, Britany Sakowitz Kushner, Mona and Andrew Sarofim, Lily Schnitzer, Lexi Sakowitz Marek, Ashley and Jonathan Sloan, Natalie and James Steen, Krystal and Garrett Thompson, Jessica and Fletch Trammell, Mayleen and Michael Tsang, Allison and Ivan Chavez, Virginia and Cramer Williams, Frances Lummis, Lauren Zlotnick, Winnie and Nic Phillips, Morgan and Cameron Neal, Anna Hobby, Kendall and Andrew Strait, Rebecca and Bill Adler, June and Steve Barth, Kathryn and Travis Boeker, Meredith Flores-Baker, Rekha Muddaraj and Dr. Neil Badlani