The Best Parties take Planning – Awesome Ideas for Engagements, Weddings and Anniversaries

So you’ve got the engagement rings and maybe even have the wedding rings picked out. But things don’t stop there for the budding Bride and Groom to be. Now there is a whole host of parties to plan for; and perfect to make sure that every moment of your love is celebrated in a manner befitting to you and your loved one. Tying ‘The Knot’ and all of the occasions leading up to – and post – weddings, are an opportunity to show everyone who you are as a couple; and your engagement, wedding and even future anniversaries will be a chance to flaunt your love to the world.

The Engagement Party

So the Engagement ring is firmly on the finger of your beloved. Now comes the fun stuff. Engagement parties are a way to let your hair down and truly celebrate with everyone you love. Get the guest list organised; and maybe consider adding a gift list. A must if you are also planning on moving into your first home together. The fun part isn’t about the gifts though, it’s about the company and making sure everyone, including the two of you, have a great time. Add some funky touches to your engagement party with some cute decor, buffet style food for partying fuel; and some cheeky little photo opportunities so you can look back on the occasion and smile. Maybe even have a little giggle.

• Photo Booths and Photo Props

  • Party props and photo frames are all the rage and dressing up can put you and your guests into fits of giggles. Hire out props or make your own. Either way, this fun and funky approach to party planning is sure to go down well with your guests. Especially after a drink or two. Let the engagement party craziness begin!

• All that Twinkles

  • Glass jars filled with little twinkling lights and confetti filled balloons; decor for your engagement party doesn’t need to be extravagant, it just needs to set the mood. Dim the lights and set the scene for a twilight-esque themed evening. Love will be in air for more than just the Bride and Groom.

• Food for Thought

  • The engagement party doesn’t need to be a seated affair with a sit down menu. Instead, why not opt for buffet style catering or even a summertime barbecue if the weather calls for it. Tailor your engagement party catering to the weather and the season and everyone will be eager to pile their plates up; leaving you less to take home when the night is over and making sure their tummy rumbling doesn’t send them home early from all the excitement.

• Drink to your Engagement

  • Champagne, spirits, craft beers or sweet syrups. What is it that you love the most? Mix it up into a special engagement themed cocktail for your drink-of-the-night and let your guests get a taste of your coupledom. You can even make a kid friendly cocktail for the little ones and add a little twist with some sweet garnishes; to make drinking your engagement party cocktail feel extra special.

The Wedding Reception

What makes an awesome Wedding Day? Everything that promotes happiness and joy; and maybe even brings a few (happy) tears to everyone’s eyes. Everything else is a bonus, but you still want to get the bonus stuff right. Selecting the best Wedding Reception venue, creating the perfect seating plan, tasting the most luxurious to-die-for food, planning table and venue decor, the Wedding toasts, Wedding favours and, of course, the first dance. There’s loads to think about when planning your Wedding and Reception; and getting it right before the big day means that you can relax into the celebrations without a care in the world. Every newly married couple needs to send themselves off into married life with a day (and night) to remember forever.

• Wedding Styling to Suit

  • Venue decor is the first thing to think about when planning your Wedding reception; and getting it all prepared can take months. Help is always on hand from family, friends and even event planners and expert hire venue staff. Whether you are keeping things simple or pushing the boat out with Wedding decor to make the Royals envious; either way, whatever suits your personal taste should shine through and show everyone a little glimpse of you and your beloved.

• The Wedding Breakfast, Cakes and Everything In Between

  • The formal wedding breakfast is the perfect opportunity to let that extra little bit of luxury seep into your Wedding Reception; and many venues offer up formal dining menu’s to keep everything in one place. Make sure you keep the whole wedding party fuelled up for the evening, with a range of options to suit even the most fussy of eaters. Remember too that there will be plenty of opportunity later in the reception for snacks, desserts and of course the pièce de résistance, the Wedding Cake. Wow, thats a lot of food! I’m already dreaming of a sweet station.

• Fantastic Wedding Favours

  • Your Wedding favours will be something that everyone can enjoy equally, but more so, they should contain a little bit of the married couple. Offering a few keepsakes for your guests will help them remember your special day with you for years to come; hand made place settings or wine glasses, photographic mementos, personalised jewellery, The world really is your oyster and your wedding really is your time to shine.

• The Most Memorable of First Dances

  • Aside from the typical traditional slow dances and the recent trend of viral-worthy dance routines; you can still incorporate subtleties to make your first dance as unique as you. Hire your favourite band, have a song created just for the two of you, or pick a lesser known tune that is truly dedicated to you and the love that you share; and if all other ideas fail, recreate a cheesy musical and get the wedding party and guests involved. If it’s memorable then it’s a winner.

Wedding Anniversaries and Wedding Blessings

Reliving the day of your dreams with a Wedding Blessing, or Celebrating your years together with family and friends, is the perfect way to revisit the lives that you’ve made together as a married couple. Fill your day with memories through videos or photo slideshows, strategically position mementoes of your first and following years together. Raise a glass to married life. You’ve got so much to celebrate and remember; and so many ways to remind the world that your love can last a lifetime.

• Recreating your Wedding Day

  • Whether you take the best bits from your big day or go the whole shebang and recreate your entire Wedding; getting things perfect the second time around should be like revisiting an old friend. Easy and just as much fun as the last time. Going for a Wedding Blessing can allow you to relive every glorious moment; and why not; we all love a good wedding so who wouldn’t love it twice!

• Taking a Trip down Memory Lane

  • There are so many ways to remember the lives you have been living together. Why not host a movie night with some of your best memories together. Wedding day footage is compulsory. This isn’t just for the long-time couples. The first few years often hold a load of exciting memories that you can reminisce over together. Wedding Anniversary parties can be much more chilled out than the wedding, so keep the decor to a minimum and the memories turned up to max.

• Go for Indulgence and Intimacy

  • Wedding anniversaries are the perfect time to spend with the people who you hold dearest. Whether you are planning an all out party or a brag-worthy dinner with your closest friends and family, a sit down meal can help keep things a little more luxurious and still encourage the chatter. Reminisce together with the most amazing and mouth watering food and drink; and raise a glass to the past and another to the future.

The best parties take a little forward planning, but they also give back a lot of joy, happiness and memories that last a lifetime. Engagements, Weddings and Anniversaries bring excitement and love into our lives; and thats why we spend so much time trying to make them perfect. So once the planning is done and the special day arrives, make sure that you are enjoying every single moment. That way, the only memories you will have of the day are happy ones.

The Chapel Bar is a Private Hire Venue in Islington. We have a variety of Private Hire options and Private Hire Spaces available and our dedicated events team are experts in all things party and all things party planning. The Best Private Hire Venue in London. Contact us online or call our events team on 020 7833 4090 for all private hire queries.