Tag: Event planning

2024 Wedding Trends: Best Advice from Wedding Venues and Planners

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If you’re involved in a wedding this year – be it as a bride, groom, planner or supplier – you won’t want to miss our feature on 2024 wedding trends. We’ve hand-picked a group of experts whom work with, or for, venues within our portfolio, to get their advice on how to plan a wedding experience to remember in 2024.

From the predicted colour palettes of the year to the best wedding dates in 2024. We asked the wedding planning experts for their thoughts on 2024 wedding themes and when to start the wedding planning process.

Thanks to wedding planners Emma from Emma Jane Weddings and Leah from Leah the Wedding Planner (and bride-to-be), and to our exquisite venues, Amie Murphy, Business Development and Marketing Manager from {10-11} Carlton House Terrace, Emily Moss, Events Manager from the RAF Club, and Inga Mikusauskiene, Events Manager from the Lansdowne Club.

2024 Wedding trends 

What are the 2024 wedding trend colours going to be?

Emma: ‘We’ll likely continue to see a growing trend in brighter, more colourful palettes as couples move away from the ‘white, blush pink and green’ template.’

Amie: ‘We love seeing the highly anticipated Pantone colour of the year. This year is Peach Fuzz which is a gorgeous shade between pink and orange.’

Leah: ‘Pale pink, peach, oranges and bright colours.’

Emily: ‘I expect we will see a surge in light colour palettes in 2024 following Pantone’s colour of the year Peach Fuzz, that brings a feeling of tenderness. With blush weddings and classic navy being expected to dominate, I imagine we will see many weddings with a light, elegant and traditional aesthetic.’

Inga: ‘The influence from Barbie is likely to continue, with pinks of all shades and plentiful flowers.’  So, experts predict that Pantone’s Colour of the Year will make a huge impact on 2024 weddings. With the wedding experts all agreeing delicate colours like peach, pink, and orange will be popular 2024 wedding trend colours. We believe this choice is beautiful and can be emphasised with stunning florals throughout the wedding ceremony and reception.

Any other 2024 wedding trends you’ve noticed?

The Lansdowne Club share their expertise avdice about 2024 wedding trends
Weddings at The Lansdowne Club

Emma: ‘Some of the most interesting trends we’ve spotted on Instagram lately include vegetables as part of the table flowers, wedding day content creators and an increase in quirky hand-painted or drawn stationery styles.’

Leah: ‘Long sleeve, long train dresses with longer veils with embroidery. Textured materials for wedding gowns are becoming more popular in 2024 as well as the grooms adding more pizzazz to their tux or lapels with florals or a two-tone, textured jacket.’

Inga: ‘Wedding weekends, with couples extending the festivities over multiple days, wedding wardrobes, because multi-day celebrations mean multiple outfit changes, wedding cake meadows, with living flower cake displays and Champagne towers, because everything old is now new again for 2024!’

Emily: ‘There has already been a strong environmental focus emerging for 2024, couples are incorporating sustainable elements, with eco-friendly décor and locally sourced florals.’

Amie: ‘We’re seeing lots of our couples choose to reduce their guests list and have more intimate wedding celebrations.’

What are the best dates and seasons to get married in 2024?

EmmaJane Camilla Frankies London Wedding at Clapton Country Club planned by Emma Jane Weddings photos by Emmylou Kelly
EmmaJane Weddings – Image Credit: Emmylou Kelly

Inga: ‘Based on the enquiries and bookings we’ve already had, Autumn is emerging as the most popular season. The prolonged fine weather and the comfortable temperatures, which are perfect for outdoor ceremonies and drinks receptions as well as, of course, the photographs.’

Emma: ‘Unlike previous years, 2024 is seeing suppliers receive more last-minute bookings which leads us to think that the autumn/winter period might be unexpectedly busy.’

Emily: ‘Especially in London, we anticipate more autumn weddings this year. London’s charm is heightened by the warm autumnal tones.’

2024 is the year of Autumnal weddings! With the peach colour themes and Autumnal Westminster backdrops predicted by our expert wedding planners, we’re predicting a lot of truly magical weddings!

2024 Wedding Planning Trends

What’s the first step in planning a wedding?

Leah: ‘Setting a budget! Set your budget for a venue and what you’d like to be included in a package for your guests.’

Amie: ‘It’s all about research – taking the time to look over a venue’s website, social media channels and request for further information about costs and availability before booking in that all-important venue viewing.’

Emily: ‘The first step in finding the perfect wedding venue is defining your vision and priorities. Whether it’s a grand ballroom or intimate garden setting, clarifying your preferences sets the tone for a focused search tailored to your dream celebration.’

How far in advance should I start planning my wedding?

Inga: ‘Post-pandemic, we’ve noticed shorter lead times for weddings – more like 6-12 months, as opposed to two years.’

Emma: ‘If you’re open to various venues and flexible with your supplier choices, you can still plan a wedding within 12 months.’

Amie: ‘People are usually looking 12 – 18 months ahead of time. But we do find that for city weddings lead times can be shorter.’

How many times should I see my wedding venue?

Wedding ceremony in {10-11} Carlton House Terrace and 2024 wedding trend predictions
Wedding ceremony in {10-11} Carlton House Terrace.

Amie: ‘Usually, our couples visit the venue once. But depending on who is involved in the planning, I would say two visits would be sufficient.’

Emily: ‘I would advise that couples visit their potential wedding venue twice to see the space in different lights and ensure they are confident in their decision.’

Inga: ‘Hopefully, it’s love at first sight! One thing we would recommend is that it’s always good to pay a return visit when the space has actually been set up for another wedding, to give you more of an idea of how the room could look.’

What are your top tips to avoid mistakes?

 Emma: ‘There is absolutely no need to book something for your wedding day just because ‘it’s what other people do’ or for the sake of tradition. Don’t want to hold a bouquet when walking down the aisle? Don’t bother! Not a fan of cake? Your guests won’t miss it, I promise.’

Leah: ‘A lot of couples put other people’s opinions before their own and forget this is their special day. Do what you want to do and wear what you want to wear!’

Emily: ‘A common oversight in wedding planning is underestimating transportation logistics. Account for travel times between venues, especially in London, to ensure a seamless flow and avoid unnecessary stress.’

2024 Westminster Wedding Venue Trends

How can you create special moments in Westminster wedding venues?

 Leah: ‘As a northerner, I’d say don’t miss out on all the iconic London architecture and scenery. There are so many unique photo opportunities to get in London and listen to your photographer. They know the best spots, lighting and techniques to help you remember your perfect day.’

Amie: ‘Our couples LOVE to plan for a picture on The Mall. Usually with a black London taxi in the background to capture a quintessentially London moment.’

Weddings at The Royal Air Force Club
Weddings at The Royal Air Force Club. Credit: Sophie Cass

How can we make our Westminster wedding day to remember?

Emily: ‘For a distinctive Westminster wedding, draw inspiration from the regal surroundings and opt for a theme centred around British elegance. Incorporate classic elements like fine China, ornate candelabras, and floral arrangements inspired by traditional English gardens for a timeless celebration.’

Inga: ‘Why not have your photo taken in a ubiquitous red telephone box? If your wedding ceremony is taking place elsewhere, transporting your guests aboard a traditional double-decker red bus is a fun way to take in the London landmarks along the way.’

2024 Wedding Venues in Westminster

Westminster Venue Collection members know a thing or two about hosting fabulous nuptials, with dozens of our wedding venues boasting some of the best spaces in the capital. If you’re looking for a central Westminster wedding venue for your big day, use our enquiry form to narrow down your search for the perfect venue.

Our contributors

Many thanks to:

 

Regent’s Conferences & Events reports record summer of outdoor events

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Regent’s Conferences & Events has reported its most successful summer of outdoor events in a record breaking few months.

The central London based events venue has seen an all-time high of both guest numbers and average spend per head. Welcoming over 10,000 guests to the lawns between May and July, firms and private planners forked out an average of £137 per guest – a 40% increase in guests on pre-pandemic levels.

With only very minor F&B rate increases for 2022, the surging average spend is largely attributed to companies wanting to reward staff and individuals hoping to ‘make up for lost time’, putting extra spend behind their events.

An average of six lawn functions per week across an 11-week period has been in addition to the regular indoor event operation, with weekend clients using over 30 classrooms and 50 weekday classrooms for language schools, training events and meetings.

The venue was virtually booked out by April, but even after inevitable COVID dropouts, rail strikes and cancellations, it still saw 90% occupancy – 30% above target.

Regent’s has observed an increasing preference for savoury treats over sweet, with the crispy fried chicken burger eclipsing the former winner – the classic BBQ beef burger. With 80% of all outdoor guests opting for barbecued catering and 50% having a street food stall option too, the Taste of Greece menu and Italian Pizzeria were next on the popularity list.

Summer party entertainment trends have seen a shift from competitive sporting activities to more holistic wellbeing activities and interactive drink experiences like cocktail making.

Regent’s’ External Events Manager, Rafael Azzopardi said: “This summer has been quite remarkable for outdoor business. We knew we were in a fortunate position throughout the pandemic to offer such vast outdoor space for events, but even we didn’t foresee such demand continuing at this scale. The desire to celebrate, paired with the uncharacteristically brilliant British weather we have had has made for an unforgettable summer.

“The events team have been stretched like never before, delivering exceptional service through temperatures reaching 40 degrees and the catering team has continued to respond to demand and update its innovative offering. The searing heat boosted the popularity of ice cream as the most popular dessert, serving over 7,000 ice creams! Half the event planners have opted for two food servings per event and more cocktails per guest than we’ve ever seen before.”

Located within private gardens in Regent’s Park, the venue offers four acres of landscaped lawns for summer events of up to 1,200 guests, with a sheltered marquee available from May to September.

 

If you’d like to enquire about booking Regent’s Conferences & Events for your summer 2023 event, contact us at [email protected]

 

To find out more about their indoor meeting and function facilities, head to their page.

Discover Westminster; Showcase Success!

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We have long been known for our fantastic Westminster Venue Showcase events and this year was no exception!! The 26th of May 2022 marked the occasion of our Discover Westminster; Around Westminster Venues in 80 minutes, showcase event and how special for us all to be back together and what a fantastic evening it was!

Located at the Royal Society, one of our fabulous member venues, it was great to be back hosting a face-to-face event – You could feel the excitement amongst all. This elegant setting really set the scene and created the perfect backdrop for the occasion.

The showcase was attended by event professionals from London and beyond for the opportunity to celebrate and explore our unique consortium of Westminster’s finest venues. It was amazing to see them all showing off their venues and event packages to new and potential clients. Our venue collection includes a wide variety of venue types and styles, all with their own fascinating backstory and many with historic significance.

Originally home to the United Services Club, Georgian venue 116 Pall Mall was designed by John Nash, and this Grade I listed venue still contains many of the club’s original treasures. Then we move to The Honourable Society of Lincolns Inn. Their Great Hall was opened by Queen Victoria, and not to mention, Edwardian venue One Great George Street, 18th Century RSA House, and the world-famous Houses of Parliament.

The recent Platinum Jubilee celebrations taking place throughout the city have seen these spectacular venues celebrated in all their glory, which has led to more enquiries, but let’s not forget the incredible modern venues within the collection. The QEII Centre got the chance to boast their cutting-edge AV facilities, essential for delivering live and engaging hybrid and studio events. The Westminster London, Curio Collection by Hilton, showcased their stylish conference spaces and luxurious rooms for overnight stays. And if you’re looking for big screen events, Vue West End have got you covered!

We were also joined by key industry suppliers, including Frew & Co rolled ice cream. Their fun and refreshing treats are perfect for outdoor summer events. The talented chefs at the Royal Society also made an appearance to showcase some sweet offerings. Dan and the team plated up a feast for the eyes, demonstrating some impressive techniques, including dry ice!

Thank you to all who attended, and especially to Barbara Wutte and her team at the Royal Society for helping our board and the Paje team to organise the event, it wouldn’t have been a success without all those involved. The drinks were flowing and the delicious canapes went down a treat, and it was fantastic to see members sharing their images across social media.

“We are so excited about the future, we have new members joining our collection, new initiatives planned by the enthusiastic board and Paje Team and our venues are back to business at 2019 levels again!  We look forward to working with you over the coming months and celebrating just how amazing London and our wonderful Westminster Collection are!”  –  Rachel Azzopardi, Chair of Westminster Venue Collection.

Our experienced sales marketing and PR partners are here to support with enquiries and help you find the best space for your events. If you’re looking to book last minute summer parties, our venues have some stunning, private outdoor spaces available for hire, right in the heart of the Capital. Contact us today and we’ll help you find the perfect fit for your occasion.

See you at Square Meal

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WVC will be exhibiting at Square Meal Venues and Events Live for the very first time this year.

Taking place at Old Billingsgate, London, on 20 and 21 September, we will be located at stand number G32 and representatives from our member venues will be ready and waiting to help you save time while finding the very best Westminster venue for your next event.

Visitors to our stand will also get their hands on the hottest ticket in town – an invite to our spooktacular Hallo-Westminster showcase on October 24 at One Great George Street.

Entry to the event is free and you can register to attend here. We look forward to seeing you there!

Make your budget go further with 8 Northumberland Avenue

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Delivering a fantastic event on a budget can be a challenge but certainly not impossible. To help you make sure your budget goes that little bit further, 8 Northumberland Avenue has rounded-up their top tips for cutting down on cost, not quality:

Be flexible with your dates:
Choosing a Monday or Friday for your event can save you, on average, 25% on venue hire and sometimes even up to 50%. A Monday conference is a great way to initiate a productive week and a Friday reception will allow your guests to really let their hair down and with potential savings of up to half-price, you really have nothing to lose.

Think about the month
As with days of the week, some months are more popular than others. We have found that January and April are great months to book when your budget is limited, as they tend to be slightly less popular meaning prices are generally lower than more sought-after months like August or July.

Limit your options, not your quality
Opting for a limited menu means saving up to 10% on costs but at 8 Northumberland Avenue we ensure this does not compromise on quality for our guests. Our event partners AlchemyLive will guarantee impeccable food and service no matter what your budget may be and will work with you to deliver your event vision at a realistic and achievable cost.

For more information on how to deliver a fantastic event regardless of your budget, contact the team, today at [email protected]

Three reasons to book a Christmas lunch at 8 Northumberland Avenue

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Looking for the perfect venue to host a Christmas lunch party? 8 Northumberland Avenue have rounded up their top three reasons for booking a midday Christmas feast with them:

  1. Value

Your guests deserve only the best Christmas celebrations and you don’t want to be held back by your budget and at 8 Northumberland Avenue you will save around £40 per head just by booking during the day instead of the evening.

2. Dates

Finding a perfect date that suits everyone during the festive season is a difficult task but booking a Christmas lunch party at our central London venue, means you have a better selection of days to ensure you don’t have to compromise on your preferred date.

3. Themes

We take great pride in choosing our themes (this year we have The Lost Palace of Atlantis and Winter Glitz & Glamour) and bringing them to life. Guests at our Christmas lunches will have the same amazing experience as our Christmas dinner party guests meaning they won’t miss out on the immersive theming for their Christmas party.

Festive lunches at 8 Northumberland Avenue start from £95 per person ex VAT*. Contact our team for more information [email protected].

*T&Cs:  price dependent on numbers.

Christmas comes early to QEII

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Christmas celebrations were in full swing at the QEII Centre last month, when guests were welcomed to a showcase of the Westminster venue’s ‘Snow Ball’ Christmas party theme.

Taking over the centre’s recently refurbished Mountbatten room, QEII underwent a festive transformation with a frosted glass, blue, crystal and gold colour scheme elegantly matched with floor-to-ceiling windows, offering views of the London city skyline at dusk.

Spirits were kept high with a soundtrack of jazzy Christmas classics and exquisite festive dishes served by head chef Jean Michel Viala on the evening, transporting guests from a sunny spring day to a glorious winter setting.  

QEII’s Snow Ball Christmas party packages, including seated dinners and standing receptions, are available to book now, with full theming options from QEII’s event team and a choice of canapé, bowl food and banqueting menus from QEII Taste.

For more information email [email protected] or call 020 7798 4025.

Lights, Camera, Westminster – curtain’s up on venue collection’s starring roles

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Fresh off the back of Sunday night’s glitzy Oscar ceremony, Westminster Venue Collection (WVC) has revealed its members witnessed a 30% increase in film location enquiries in 2016.

The recently rebranded collection, which features 34 members all based in London’s iconic City of Westminster, announced film locations bookings now amount up to 10% of their yearly event revenue.

With fashionable townhouses and private members’ clubs to luxury hotels, celebrated attractions, historic institutes and societies, it’s no wonder an impressive 86% of the eclectic mix of venues have been used as the locations for both the big and small screens.

Keen cinema-goers will know member venue One Great George Street has played a starring role in a range of productions including last year’s Hollywood blockbuster ‘War Machine’ featuring Brad Pitt as well as Woman in Gold (2015). The venue’s Great Hall became the Guildhall for Mark Darcy’s law society dinner in Bridget Jones’ Edge of Reason (2004) and doubled as the National Gallery where Mr Bean is a guard in Bean (1997).

The QEII Centre’s impressive and highly versatile space – the Churchill – which regularly offers a backdrop for a variety of large events ranging from conferences, award ceremonies, corporate dinners, parties and presentations provided an Oscar-winning performance in ‘The Theory of Everything’ (2014).

Other productions have seen member venues providing key locations in Calendar Girls (2003), Spectre (2015), Sherlock Holmes (TV series) and the nation’s favourite wizarding series, Harry Potter.

Commenting on the trend, Kate McCarthy, marketing manager at member venue One Great George Street, said: “From the enquiries we’re receiving, the positive trend for location bookings definitely looks set to continue for One Great George Street in 2017. We’re looking forward to welcoming a whole host of new names and stars to our venue in the coming years.”

Clare Arouche, WVC chair and head of business development at 10-11 Carlton House Terrace, added: “With a host of iconic, unique and historical buildings within our membership, Westminster Venue Collection truly is a location scout’s dream and with our new and improved search function on its website, the perfect setting is just a few clicks away. We look forward to hearing about all the fantastic film and television projects our venues are involved in throughout 2017 and beyond.”

If you would like to find out more about booking one of WVC’s venues for an upcoming film, television or documentary piece please visit the venue collection page and place your enquiry.

Last chance to register for the launch of The Westminster Collection’s new identity

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There is just a few days left for event buyers to register for their place at leading venue consortium, The Westminster Collection’s glamourous launch event to unveil its re-brand including new name, website and identity.

In an innovative and exciting move for the collection, the new branding will be revealed at Central Hall Westminster on 12 December, and will create a more contemporary, engaging and intuitive event booking system that allows event professionals from around the world to access 34 unique Westminster venues at the click of a button.

The full new-look branding will be revealed exclusively to those in attendance at the launch event which will also give guests the chance to meet and network with the collection’s member venues as well as industry peers and key media.

Entertainment will be in abundance on the night with music provided by member venue St Martin-in-the-Field’s resident choir St Martin’s Voices and guests can get snap-happy with a photo booth provided by PhotoBooth Magic, a preferred supplier for the collection.

Following an introduction from The Westminster Collection’s chair Clare Arouche, Rob Chambers, collection board member and events manager at London Film Museum, will deliver an opening speech highlighting the key features of the new website, the thought-process behind the branding and plans for the collection’s future.

Those in attendance on the night will also have the chance to win one of ‘12 treats of Christmas’ as well as the ultimate ‘Westminster Way’ grand prize with everything needed for the perfect Westminster day out including two tickets to the London Transport Museum, lunch for two at One Great George Street, afternoon tea at Conrad London St James and dinner at the Lansdowne Club.

Chair of The Westminster Collection, Clare Arouche said: “We, as a collection, are thrilled to be able to reveal our re-brand and new website that offers event buyers and planners an even more efficient way of accessing a host of premium and diverse Westminster venues all in one place. A lot of work, research and development has taken place to ensure that the new website offers today’s time-poor planners all of the functionality they need to easily access, enquire and book prestigious venues in the heart of London. The news marks a dynamic time of change and development for the well-established collection.”

To pre-register for your place at The Westminster Collection’s exciting re-brand showcase contact Verity Lethbridge on [email protected] before Big Ben strikes midnight on Sunday, 11 December.

Places are strictly limited and The Westminster Collection reserve the right to qualify your event planning credentials in order to confirm your place.

Spotlight on Cavendish Venue’s event sales executive

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After the recent 21st anniversary questions with Cavendish Venues past and present, this month’s spotlight falls on Hadleigh Miles, event sales executive at Cavendish Venues.

 What has been your most embarrassing moment in events?

This would have to be The Westminster Collection’s 2015 Christmas showcase where I ended up sitting on Santa’s lap!

What gets you up and out of bed in the morning?

My cat who has a pre-set alarm for feeding at 7.00AM which doesn’t go down well on Saturday mornings.

What do you enjoy most about working at Cavendish Venues?

As obvious as it may sound, it has to be the events themselves. Coming in every day to see each client put their own stamp on one of our 7 venues is always a joy to see and work with each day.

What is your most-watched film?

This would definitely be Straight Outta Compton. After over 10 times of watching it, I think it’s safe to say this is my new favourite film! (although both Jump Street movies came very close).

What is your favourite band/artist:

Some people may find this surprising but I am a huge heavy metal fan and as the band I have seen live the most times my favourite has to be Slipknot!

Describe yourself in three words:

Amiable, outgoing, determined.

If you could invite five people past and present to dinner who would they be?

Ray Charles, Anthony Hopkins, Corey Taylor, Robin Williams, Ray Liotta.

What would be your dream car?

Pagani, Zonda.

If you would like to find out more about Cavendish Venues or talk to them about your next event, please click here.