Looking to gather your friends and family together to celebrate your upcoming nuptials, but not quite sure how to get the ball rolling? Let Zipcube guide you through some of the very best engagement party venues London has to offer. Your wedding day is one of the most joyous occasions in your life, so why not double up on the fun and enjoy a warm-up party for all your invited guests?
Whether you feel like gathering your friends together at a rooftop bar with fantastic views over the Thames, or would prefer to enjoy a long weekend with your nearest and dearest in a luxurious hotel – Zipcube have a range of great venues which provide plenty of options. Just use our search function to browse available spaces and let our expert bookings team make the arrangements.
Engagement Party Planning Tips
Congratulations! The proposal has been made and the big news has been announced. Now it's time to throw a party which celebrates your relationship and lets your guests get to know one another ahead of the wedding itself.
- The bride or the groom's parents may want to play host for the event itself, although they certainly don't have to. Discuss things in advance to see how far they want to be involved.
- Everyone will want a chance to see the ring – why not arrange a quick presentation at the start of the party?
- Is there a special place where you first met or went on your first date? A party venue nearby might be an appropriate place to celebrate your engagement.
- You don't need to invite everyone who'll be attending the wedding reception to the engagement party, this can be a much smaller affair and should help to keep the overall costs down as well.
- Will some of your guests be hoping to party late? It might be worth looking into a bar hire for the after party.
- The catering at the event could also be themed. If you went for an Italian meal on your first date, you could arrange bruschetta and olives as canapés.
- Guests may feel they have to bring a present, so be sure to let them know whether that's expected or not. One approach is to choose a charitable cause for your party so that guests can make donations if they would like to.
Engagement Party Ideas
- If you want the event to be very intimate, you could hire a private dining room for a small number of friends and family.
- Or, if you're keen on having an informal atmosphere, you could look into hiring a small pub venue.
- This might be a nice occasion on which to give a short speech as a couple. You could co-write it or even present it together.
- Why not ask a mixologist or bar tender to create a signature drink for the happy couple? It could blend a few of their favourite ingredients together, or be a twist on their pre-existing favourite cocktail.
- This might be a good opportunity to find out what your friends are hoping for from the stag do or hen party. Why not ask around or do a quick survey to find out people's opinions?
- If you're still searching around for a bit more inspiration, you can take a look at this article on how to plan an Engagement Party.
How Should We Announce Our Engagement?
It's very traditional to put an announcement in a newspaper, but of course digital media has helped to change things more than just a little. You'll need to let everyone know the news before the day of the engagement party itself, so here are some suggestions:
- Creating a short Engagement Video – perhaps a slideshow of some of your favourite photos together – is a great way to break the news. If you want to do something a bit more personal than a post on social media, you can email this around to close friends and family.
- In this day and age, it's not impossible that the proposal itself might have been captured on camera. Why not share it around? There are plenty of apps you can use to share videos privately so that just your intimate circle will see.
- We might live in an age of smart phones and instant messaging, but there's nothing wrong with some less recent pieces of technology. Picking up the phone and going through your contact list is a lovely way to let your nearest and dearest hear the good news.