Oceana's SeaChange Summer Party

Oceana’s SeaChange Summer Party rode the wave to success with a smashing $1.25 million fundraising total for ocean conservation.

THE PARTY With a celebrity roster that has included Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Tomlin and Jon Hamm, Oceana’s SeaChange Summer Party has worn its crown well as one of O.C.’s most coveted invites. And in its 11th year, the ocean conservation-focused fete continued to elevate its status in the spotlight as co-chairs Valarie Van Cleave and Elizabeth Wahler returned to host the VIP affair. THE SCENE Some 400 guests, including actors Austin Nichols and Oscar Nunez, event vice chair Jeff Blasingame and Oceana CEO Andy Sharpless, gathered at a private villa in the hills of Laguna Beach to clink Champagne glasses under the setting sun. A three-course dinner featuring sustainable California halibut kept guests satisfied as emcee Ted Danson highlighted the ways in which Oceana is saving marine life from harm. THE HIGHLIGHTS Carl and Janet Nolet won big during the live auction, taking home a Mikimoto pearl and diamond necklace and a Burgess superyacht charger to French Polynesia aboard The Hemisphere, before songbird extraordinaire Katharine McPhee roused the crowd with a medley of hits. With that, the soiree came to a stunning close with a tally of $1.25 million. -Allison Mitchell

Photos by Anna Garcia, Ryan Miller, Tom Vickers and John Watson