Finding the Right Place to Party - London Party Venues & Venue Hire

One of the most crucial ingredients for a really good party is the venue.
Whether the party is in a private house or garden, on a sun soaked French beach, or at a famous and awe-inspiring London landmark, a venue can make or break a party.

(London party venues the roundhouse)

Hiring a party venue, if you don’t have a suitable house or home, doesn’t have to be expensive – some venues even allow you to use their space free of charge, as long as you use their own caterers and bar suppliers for the party itself. But of course a large business or company, a corporate organisation, or someone simply with a bigger than average number of guests, will all need a proper party venue.

Lots of party venues have other uses. Museums and monuments often make great venues, and of course lots of London tourist attractions double up as great London party venues too, with their own events teams and so on. Popular London party venues include the Natural History Museum and The Science Museum, Madame Tussauds or The London Aquarium, Guildhall, The Roundhouse, The Design Museum or The Saatchi Gallery, in fact the list of London party venues is endless.

These party venues often work with a list of preferred suppliers – the florists, party planners, caterers, DJs, bands, and lighting & production companies that they feel do the best job of creating parties in their spaces. Some of the best catering companies for example, such as The Recipe, Eclare and Urban Caprice are all experienced in working in London’s biggest and best venues.

(Party venues silver fleet)

And now, as Summer draws to a close and people turn their thoughts to the Christmas party season, party venues with scope for real seasonal creativity start to appeal – places with that little something special for the festive season, or venues that are just plain extraordinary. The Silver Fleet in London for example is a fleet of luxury vessels available for hire for Christmas parties – your guests are offered impressive panoramic river views, superb food by one of the UK’s top caterers - “rhubarb” food design – and some perfect Christmas party memories.

As for the process of finding the perfect venue, the Internet has made that much easier. There are now a variety of event-led venue hire websites and organisations, which allow you to browse through all the venues located in a city.

Of course, as times have been hard financially for some companies, some are looking into cheaper party venues this year, or even ‘in-office’ events, with a bit more time and money spent on creative decoration of the less exciting space. Stunning flowers and candles, evergreen table decorations, swags of mistletoe and gorgeous twinkling lighting, can turn even the most uninspiring corporate boardroom into a winter wonderland. And don’t think the colour scheme has to be restricted to traditional reds and greens either. Colour co-ordinating your Christmas table or venue is easy for those companies experienced in this kind of thing - how about white and hot pink, or black and purple? The better event production companies and in house design and décor departments can wave their magic Christmas wand over anything!

Certainly finding the right party venue, be it in London or elsewhere, takes you more than half way to having the perfect Christmas party – just don’t forget the Christmas tree and mince pies!

- By Sara Allom

View Source: Rhubarb Food Design – London party venues

Ensuring the Wedding Reception of Your Dreams!

A wedding reception – quite possibly the most important party of your life, and certainly one you want to get absolutely right! With all your nearest and dearest there, you need to know that every single guest has the best time possible, not just you and your bride or groom.

A wedding reception takes a great deal of thought because it is a real reflection of you – do you want something low key and relaxed for example, with hay bales to sit on and a hog roast to eat? Or do you want a formal banquet with a five course meal and twinkling chandeliers hanging from a designer marquee? Whatever you are trying to achieve with your wedding reception, it helps to get be absolutely sure what your vision is first.

When it comes to food at wedding reception - there are a thousand ways to do it – whether its fish and chips followed by an ice cream van, or a Bollywood themed Indian buffet, great food means happy guests, and an even more memorable day. Paying a caterer for the wedding reception is the answer for many couples. And there are a huge number of catering companies specialising in wedding receptions in the UK – companies who perhaps do corporate and private parties too, but who, overall, make wedding reception business their business.

With a wedding reception caterer – such as Alison Price or “rhubarb” food design - it is very important to focus on the menu very early on. Get your caterer to suggest ideas. Talk about what suits you as a couple, and get advice on what is right for the venue, the overall occasion and for your guests. And don’t forget your wedding cake either – a wedding reception isn’t a wedding reception without a stunning cake!

The cost of your wedding reception food can vary hugely. Low key, casual and less formal weddings may benefit from smaller, more relaxed catering companies. But if budget is no issue, then the world is your oyster and you can find catering companies who will provide anything and everything.

But its not just about the food either of course – you also have to think about wedding receptions decoration, lighting, linen, staff uniform,

candles and table centrepieces, food styling, flowers, and of course what about entertainment and dancing, photography and videography? With each and every supplier always look for testimonials that might give you a steer on whether they really know what they are doing, and certainly give these testimonials some thought before you ask someone to play a part in your big day.

Of course there is always the option of using a wedding planner - a person or company who will plan your entire wedding day and wedding reception down to the teeniest tiniest detail. Companies like Linda Cooper and Absolute Perfection do every single wedding-related job so that you don’t have to – meaning you can really relax on the big day, safe in the knowledge that a whole team with all the relevant skills and experience will be responsible for getting it right. That way, all you have to worry about is the speech!

- Author Sara Allom

View Source: Rhubarb Food Design – Party Planning & Wedding Receptions