Engagement Party Venues in London

If you’ve recently gotten engaged, you’ll know just what a great feeling it is! Filled with giddy excitement over your future nuptials, you’re likely to want to celebrate with your friends and family as soon as possible, That can mean only one thing. An engagement party! The best way to get everyone together before the actual wedding, an engagement party can be a much more chilled out, relaxed affair. You won’t be able to keep the smile off of your face all night. To save you from any stress when it comes to planning, we’ve got these tips to share with you on how to organise the engagement party of the year.

Decide Who’s Hosting

Tradition dictates that the bride’s family host the engagement party, but this isn’t the case anymore. Anyone can host, and most commonly it’s the bride and groom to be themselves. As a newly engaged couple, you’re going to be the ones who know exactly what you want your engagement party to look like, so it’s best if you make all of the decisions. Of course, if someone else offers to do all of the planning and host the event, then all you have to do is turn up and enjoy yourself!

Decide When to Have It

Most couples want to have the party as soon as they get engaged, but that isn’t always right for everyone. Depending on how long your engagement is going to be, it might be best to hold off for a little while so there is less time between the engagement party and the wedding. Many couples decide to travel or move to a new city during the early stages of their engagement. If this is the case, then you’ll probably want to wait until things calm down a little first. Deciding on a date is important, as it will enable you to get a venue booked and send out invitations with plenty of time to spare.

Decide on a Theme

Are you looking your party to be formal or informal? Will there be a sit-down meal or is it just a party? Do you want it to have a specific theme? Deciding on all of his is crucial. It means that you can then let your guests know about the dress code. It will also make it much easier to pick a venue when you know how you want your party to look, what you want to happen at it, and of course, how many people will be there.

Decide Where to Have It

Venue for any party is a key decision. There are hundreds of available engagement party venues for hire in London, so you really can go for anything. You can have a formal engagement dinner that’s fully catered, or you can hire out a bar for all of your nearest and dearest to celebrate with you. Whatever you decide, it’s a good idea to think about how far people will have to travel to get there and get home again. Taxis can be expensive and if it’s a party, many people won’t want to drive. For those that are getting behind the wheel, having adequate car parking facilities nearby will make the whole event run much smoother.

Decide Who’s Invited

Getting the guest list sorted needs to happen quite early, so you have an idea of numbers when it comes to the venue. Don’t invite a bunch of people who you know aren’t going to get an invite to the wedding, as they’ll end up being disappointed. If you’re unsure, have a quieter engagement party with only close friends and family in attendance. Make sure that you give everyone as much advance notice as you can, as people’s calendars fill up quickly! While a formal invite isn’t needed, an email or message should be sent with all of the details they need. This will stop you from being bombarded with questions.

Decide on Gifts

The gift policy at engagement parties is a strange one. No one is ever really sure if gifts are expected or what to buy for the happy couple. Letting guests know on the invite is a way to solve this. You can have a strict ‘no gift policy’ or you can direct them to either a small wish-list or registry that you’ve created. Keep the items on the smaller side. Gifts aren’t mandatory at an engagement and they are more meant to be a token than a large present – that usually comes at the wedding. An alternative is to ask people to donate to a charity of your choice in lieu of gifts, which gets rid on any awkwardness around the topic.

Decide on Entertainment

What, exactly, is going to happen at your engagement party? While you might have a venue at the ready and invited everyone you want to be there, you need to consider how you’re going to entertain them. While music and dancing are always a good way to go, it’s also the chance to play some games with your guests. You can discuss how you both met, how the proposal happened, and a few other funny anecdotes to the crowd. This will get everyone relaxed and ready for some party games! As there are likely to be a few people there who don’t each other, or even many people at all, now is the time to get everyone talking.

An engagement party is a great way to celebrate the fact that you’ve decided to spend the rest of your lives together. It’s a chance for all of your nearest and dearest to congratulate you both in person and party alongside you. It’s also a great way for the two families to meet again, and you can introduce all of your friends to each other. Plus, it’s the perfect way to get everyone excited about the future wedding that’s on the horizon!

Where can I host an engagement party in London?

London is full of interesting and glamorous places to host an engagement party to remember. The first thing you’ll need to decide before searching for a party location is whether you’d like to have a totally private venue, or a private space in a public venue. Private venues give you room to decorate as you please and gives you the run of the space, but they can be expensive. Try looking into both options before you choose your final space.

Should I hire a venue for my engagement party?

Some couples prefer to have their engagement party at home, and some prefer to hire a space at a venue. Depending on where most of your guests live, and whether you have the space to host at home should give you an idea of what is right for you. If you have a lot of family in your hometown, and most of your friends are in London, why not do both? A casual event in a cool bar or restaurant would be the perfect way to celebrate with friends.

How long after getting engaged do you have an engagement party?

Engagement parties are a popular event in the bridal calendar. Traditionally couples wouldn’t be engaged for a long time, but it’s becoming more normal for couples to be engaged for a year or so before getting married, so having an engagement party can help keep the momentum going! Like everything with wedding planning, the decision of when to have your engagement party is totally up to you as a couple, but it’s normally closer to the time the couple gets engaged rather than closer to the wedding.

Who should be invited to an engagement party in London?

Every couple should make the decision of what is right for them, but it’s normally a good idea to only invite wedding guests to the engagement party, unless there are extenuating circumstances (for example, you know some people can’t make it to the wedding). You don’t necessarily have to have set the date or chosen your wedding venue yet, but deciding on the guest list should be your first wedding whether you’re having an engagement party or not! And if you have booked your venue by the time your engagement party comes around, you’ll be able to save a lot of money on postage and hand the invites out in person.

Unusual engagement party ideas

Today, anything goes when it comes to engagement party planning and more couples than ever before are choosing to push boundaries to plan an engagement party to remember. And, while you can’t go wrong with a classic engagement party, there are plenty of ways to make your celebration unique if you want to. Here are some of our favourite unique engagement party ideas: • Roller disco • Wine tasting • Reserve a suite at a sporting event • Go karting • Themed party • Silent discount • Glamping • Boat party on the Thames • Head to the races • Cocktail making