Keeping Party Drinks Cool

As luxury car manufacturer Aston Martin – voted the ‘Coolest Brand’ in the UK 1n 2014 – launches a £17 750 ice bucket, I have to admire the seventy seven people who can own one as it looks just as stylish as the legendary cars.

But on a more modest budget, you can still invent stylish, fun and slightly wacky ways of keeping party drinks cool this summer.  Here’s just a few:

-Vintage party – we used a roll-top Victorian bath which we filled with ice and bottles of beer.  Simple, eclectic and fun.

-Ice Luge – We used a giant vodka luge in the shape of an Aston Martin that kept the drinks chilled and also formed part of the décor for our ‘Bond’ night.

-For a party we had individual ice buckets for every table, sculpted from coloured ice and the company logo etched on each one.

-For a Formula One party we put red lighting in the bottom of old oil drums, followed by a false Perspex ‘lid’ to seal the lighting and then filled to the top with crushed ice.  Placed bottled beers in the top and it created an amazing ice bucket with ‘coloured ice’. 

-I have filled old bin lids with crushed ice and displayed mini-bottles of Champagne in them for a themed ‘Oliver’ party.

-Use frozen drinks!  Popular at summer parties are frozen vodka ice lollies or maybe an ice cream van with ‘alcoholic’ ice creams and Pimms ice lollies.

-Try putting a bottle of vodka into an ice bucket.  Add small seasonal flowers around the bottle and gently fill with water.  When frozen, carefully remove the ice and bottle from the bucket and you have an iced ‘sleeve’ from which to serve the vodka.  Looks amazing too.

-You can hire some amazing ice buckets these days – I like the LED ones that mean you have an illuminated ice bucket which looks perfect at a hip house party.

-I have used wine ‘sleeves’ for keeping wine cool and thermal ‘beer sleeves’ for bottled beers.  Even the inexpensive ones can help, but the better the quality the longer the chill lasts.

-Try freezing the glasses before you serve beer – helps to keep it chilled.

-You can buy bottle holders for wine and Champagne sculpted from ice – the look really amazing and last all night so you can keep using them to chill wines until the party is over.  There are lots of suppliers online who will also deliver to your home.

-I have filled everything from metal planters for a winter garden party to stainless steel dust bin lids for house parties.  As long as you keep the crushed ice topped up, it really keeps the drinks cool.

Keeping party drinks cool as the temperatures rise is a crucial aspect of your event planning.  Just be creative – and enjoy!

As promised, here’s some photos from our Christmas ‘thank you’ event.  Just wait until you hear what we have planned for Christmas 2014…….

Thanks to everyone who came along 🙂

Valentine’s Day trends usually revolve around creating the best aphrodisiac menu for your loved one, setting the scene to propose marriage or simply creating the hottest look for your special romantic Valentine’s Dinner.  

All good stuff if you are in a relationship, but this year the trend for Valentine is actually a celebration of ‘singledom’ and a stylish journey to finding that special someone.

Why not go with the US trend and consider throwing your very own ‘Single and Mingle party’ to mix things up a bit.  Provide your single friends with a perfect excuse to turn off Bridget Jones, get dressed up and join you!

Top tips for creating a ‘Single and Mingle’ party:

The absolute key to this type of event is to make sure it has some style – the idea is to bring together a collection of your friends, and friends of friends, not to create a tacky cattle market!  And this will be ensured by planning it well and with some thoughtful fun in mind:.

– When we think of Valentine’s we think about romance, and European influences from Italy and France – where they ‘do’ romance with such style – so adopt a continental flavour for the night and you can’t go wrong.

– Your invitation will be the key to setting the scene for this party, whether it’s sent via email or in the post.  Use it as an exciting taster of things to come, so be creative!

– Dress your room to give a feeling of fun!  Include a little red in the décor to reflect romance and design the space so that it won’t be intimidating for guests, but rather encourages everyone to mingle.  A fabulous cocktail bar where guests can gather, a dessert bar and even an Italian gelato counter will add to the ambience.

– It’s important to keep your head at these events, so choose drinks that are fun but not too intoxicating.  Think bright Campari mixers, or amaretto sours or some fabulous Italian fizz Prosecco – and get your guests involved in making them teaming them up together – the perfect way to get people talking and mixing!

– And if you really do fancy playing cupid with your event, why not set up twitter wall where guests can tweet messages to others that are there to encourage a meet up 🙂

– Photo booths are all the rage, and there are some brilliant ones out there which provide a variety of hilarious props and costumes for you to don for your shots creating some wonderful mementos of a great night and new friends.

As the Palace of Versailles confirm that Kanye West and fiancée Kim Kardashian are not planning their big day at the historic venue, it reminds me of the constant challenge we face to find the right venue for any wedding day. Click: HELLO!

Whether it be palace or stately home, marquee or rooftop garden, boutique hotel or The Savoy, it is crucial that you choose a venue that reflects something of the happy couple. 

Here’s some advice on what to look out for when choosing your wedding venue:

* Shortlist venues – at least three venues that you like in case your first choice is not available or too expensive and you must visit them; this is not something that you can do by just surfing the internet.

* Be practical – consider accessibility for guests, car parking, what season the wedding will be in (as some work better as summer venues than winter), where the cloakrooms and toilet facilities are, if their stairs or lifts to the reception room, and be sure the reception venue has somewhere suitable to take good wedding photos.  You should choose venues that can accommodate your guest numbers, entertainment set-up and any accommodation needed.

* Book in advance – it is never too soon to book!  Unusual venues are still popular and create a unique element to the day, but just be sure that your choice can actually stage the wedding effectively too. Creativity and no substance is a recipe for disaster!

* Bring in the experts – hire a wedding planner to take the pressure off and negotiate the best venue deals for you, so all you have to do is enjoy the big day!  If the budget doesn’t allow the full services of a planner, you could use them to plan key aspects for you such as the entertainment.  Also consider using a professional florist and toastmaster, I find that they are worth the investment as doing the floristry yourself is time consuming and just adds pressure on the wedding day, plus a good toastmaster really does keep the wedding moving and lets all the guest know what is expected of them and when.

* Think dreams – turning your dream wedding reception into a reality with creativity and innovative thinking.  Use linen drapes/curtains to add warmth to a room, improve acoustics (large empty spaces and marquees can have poor acoustics) or perhaps to create separate relaxation areas/chill out zones in your venue for guests to relax and chat in away from the main event.  Lighting can be used to tie in with an overall colour theme and is a cost effective way of transforming your venue if budgets are tight – for example whole walls can be flooded with a particular colour instead of being decorated.

* Personalise the catering – the more adventurous couples are choosing ethnic cuisine for the big day with details such as personalised chop sticks adding some fun. Thai, Sushi belts and late night curries are still popular, but what you choose should always be a personal decision.  You can take wholesome fayre and give it a make-over though, to keep both the traditionalists and the younger generation happy.  For example serve your favourite desserts as canapé shots, serve roast beef inside miniature Yorkshire puddings, duos of hearty soups in one bowl or present an individual homemade pie made to granny’s recipe with contemporary flair.  You just don’t have to stick to the venue’s set menus – work with them to create something bespoke, or choose a marquee and bring in innovative caterers.

Liz Taylor, MD of the events management agency, Taylor Lynn Corporation, steps into this month’s hot seat…Conference News. Click here for more information

Baby showers were once only seen in the realms of a celebrity life, but these days it seems that everyone is joining in the fun.  There are lots of simple ways to plan for such an occasion, but this is a time to pamper the mum-to-be and enjoy time together with friends ahead of the new arrival.

Tamara Ecclestone has it right HELLO! with her invitation.  Make a statement ladies and use the invitation as a way of setting the tone for the event.  So be creative here – think ‘nappy’ invitations made of chocolate, invitations printed on kids toys and so on.

Choose a venue that is not the expectant Mum’s home – she doesn’t want to be tidying up!  A lovely tea room that will offer a vintage afternoon tea or a boutique hotel which can offer a lovely light lunch and some Champagne.

A cake is a must!  Today you can get some fabulous cakes made so go to a good local cake designer and choose something that will be fun, personal to the Mum to Be and memorable!

Photos are essential.  Consider a photo booth to add some fun to the day.  Many people now set up their own website where pictures of the baby shower can be downloaded by guests, and a memory book can be made of the prints as a keepsake.

Champagne – of course!  But keep the drinks light too.  Prosecco or Champagne with fruit purees or personalised with an infused sugar cube are a lovely touch.  Add some sexy waiters and get that party underway ladies!

Baby showers should definitely be fun, and the Americans love to use games to get people talking.  That’s not everyone’s idea of ‘fun’ though, so consider something more relaxing such as inviting a manicurist to offer mini-manicures/pedicures, make up artist to give everyone a new look and then a stylist to get you all dressed for your cover shot.

This can be used as a mock cover for one to the celebrity magazines, and a fabulous keep sake of the day!

New images online now!

TLC hosted a Christmas drinks reception for friends and colleagues from local venues. Thanks to all who came along and shared a glass or two of festive spirit with us!

Want to know what is in store for the celebrity weddings in 2014?  Check out this article in Wedding Ideas Magazine for the scoop! Click: Wedding Ideas

A fabulous day, and many congratulations to our friend Sally Lindsay on her wedding.  We loved working with you! Click: SALLY LINDSAY

The former Coronation Street star and Loose Women commentator looked amazing, so check out the pages of Hello! for images of the wedding day.