So, what are the Kate Park Events team’s top tips to ensure the magic continues throughout the engagement and doesn’t vanish quicker than all the After Eights?

1.    What else?

·         Select your Wedding Planner – we recommend Kate Park Events 🙂  for a wedding that is organised around you, for you.

2.    Enjoy.

·         Always remember this time is to be enjoyed, not endured –  let us take the stress away and present you with only the most exceptional options to choose from.  We know all the best venues, entertainment, florists & photographers.

3.    Decisions.

·         Make them once – avoid, if you can, having a long engagement, life is short and long engagements only lead to decisions being questioned in time and having to be remade.

4.    Do all the best bits.

·         Finding the perfect Dress, picking the flowers and candles, sampling food for your Wedding Breakfast, Cake Tasting, listening to musicians…You do all the best bits and Kate Park Events will take on the Suppliers, the contracts, the travel arrangements, the logistics.

5.    Imagine

·         In 25 years time, what do you want to remember about your Wedding Day?  The feeling of Joy and Celebration or the worry and stress of something going wrong? Let Kate Park Events take the latter away; we always have a Plan A and a Plan B and sometimes even a Plan C.  We think on our feet to react to surprises along the way.  Let us protect your memories and be with you every step of the way, we can be there until the last dance and the last goodbye.

6.    Never…

·         …Feel like you can’t say what you really want – your Wedding can be as individual as you are.  The options are endless and if you’ve dreamt it, let us in and we promise we’ll do our best to turn it into reality.

7.    Glow

·         From the glow of the candles to a light show to rival The Northern Lights – never underestimate the difference beautiful lighting can make.

And so, I leave you for now with this final thought on love, wedding celebrations and marriage, in the words of Leo Tolstoy, “Just as one candle lights another and can light thousands of other candles, so one heart illuminates another heart and can illuminate thousands of other hearts”.

Let’s celebrate and spread some love.

Kate x

The post Ring in the Year! appeared first on Kate Park Events.

My fondest memories as little Kate involve childhood birthday parties – maybe I was always destined to be a Party Planner!  I’m not always sure that they are my memories though, but the fond memories of my parents, sisters, relatives and friends or the periodic perusal of the Photo Drawer that made them come alive, even if my 3 year old memory didn’t lock them in. 

Bouncy castles in the rain, dresses with ribbons and full skirts that were perfect for twirling around in, all our favourite food, people & music all brought together in a few glorious hours to make me feel like the most loved person in the world.  Parties are magical and powerful…and sometimes memorable for all the wrong reasons!

In my late teens I agreed to help at my nephew’s 5th Birthday Party, calling out to the party goers in the garden that I had chocolate ice cream for them, I didn’t expect the stampede that ensued, and if I’d realised, I certainly wouldn’t have worn a white top! My sister thought it was hilarious and has never forgotten it…  but I’d like to think I’ve come a long way after 20 years in the Event’s Business and can make sure both the Little Ones and the Big Ones have a fantastic time – arriving with a gasp and leaving after having a blast!

Here at Kate Park Events we’ve had such fun putting together Birthday Parties for special Little People, some with very strong voices on what their favourite things are…Peppa Pig, Moana, Frozen, the colour Pink…and as they also believe in magic and that their parents are superheroes and can do anything…we can be the Robin to your Batman and help save the day and bring their dreams to life. 

Tailoring the party to your son or daughter’s dreams, pulling together the best acts and suppliers together and running the day with as much energy as a 3 year old on Smarties, you can rely on Kate Park Events to deliver.   (BTW I know the best Elsa too). 

I can help your older family and friends enjoy the day too.  If you’d like, I can guarantee that the parents won’t want to drop and run but stay and play too, with parallel activities that they’d love or perhaps just a comfy sofa with their own refreshments to watch their children in comfort.  It’s a great way to say thank you to all those in your support network for their help over the years. 

With two boys of my own, I know how important a good party is and how much it means to them when you pull something wonderful off.  To see their little faces when you put them to bed exhausted but with a smile on their lips gives such a warm fuzzy feeling.  They grow up so quickly and I’m under no illusion that they’ll soon be off celebrating their Birthdays with teenage friends, so whilst they still think I’m a superhero I’ll be making the most of arranging their Birthday Parties where I’m part of the memory too.

Has your Little One got a party coming up?  Let Kate Park Events help you bring their dreams to life and make sure your overriding memories are joyful and not stressful.  And my first piece of advice?  Don’t wear white. 😉  Kx

The post Parties for Little Ones appeared first on Kate Park Events.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.  Let’s start with the all-important Proposal.

First let me assure you; at Kate Park Events we are excellent at keeping secrets.  Surprise parties, surprise presents, surprise guests; we love arranging them all, but when it comes to surprise Wedding Proposals we can be completely relied upon to be as devious as necessary to make this life changing moment, well, life changing! 

How you envision your Wedding Proposal and more importantly, how you think your Intended envisions the big moment, takes some planning, and who better to help you than a Wedding Planner?  I say this for a number of reasons:

1. We are amazing listeners. Every event we plan is as individual as our clients are
2. Stress Reducers – we are the little magic super-efficient fairies working behind the scenes to make your Special Events run like a dream. 
3. We are just full of romantic ideas – it’s our day job after-all. 
4. We’ve got so many trusted suppliers and contacts that we’ve built amazing relationships with over the years that we can be relied upon to deliver in that all important moment.
5. We’re discrete – no Wagatha Christie or Poirot investigations required where we’re concerned
6. It’s also a great way to test-drive us, ahead of your big day – we won’t disappoint.

But what could you do? We can do dramatic locations or your lounge filled with candles and flowers.  In front of a crowd of thousands or to a romantic escape without another soul for miles.   You know your other half and know what they would want… and if you don’t you could ask their Mum or Best Friend…just to be certain!

Feeling like your partner knows you, wants to make you happy and are willing to go to lots of effort to make your dreams come true are sure fire ways to get the big Yes!  

We might be Manchester based Event Planners but we’ve arranged events locally, nationally and internationally and are willing to travel the world to get you to your perfect spot for that all important question. Will you Marry Me? Veux-tu m’épouser? A wnewch chi fy mhriodi? Willst du mich heiraten?

What to wear, how to make sure they wear something they’d want a surprise proposal in are all things we have arranged in the past.  If you’re going public, getting your intended in the right outfit is a must – see we think of everything!    You certainly wouldn’t want to someone to Pop the Question returning from a run or workout!   But inventing a reason why they might put on their favourite dress, shirt or lucky underpants will avoid embarrassment or resentment in the long run! 

And music, oh we can’t forget the music! String quartets, harpists for the traditionalists or sing along to a beautiful song that puts how you feel into words.  What you choose might become ‘Your Song’ so pick something you love to move to…it might just become your choice for that all important first dance a little down the line. 

There you go, proof that we’re always Planning, Party Planning especially here at Kate Park Events and we can’t wait to help bring some love and joy to your celebration.  

What are you waiting for, you can trust us; our lips are sealed. Kx

The post Will You Marry Me? Proposal Tips appeared first on Kate Park Events.

And so it began… cancelling suppliers, claiming for flight refunds and talk of what next.

With all the uncertainty of travelling abroad Craig & Chloe felt they couldn’t ask their guests to book flights again so it was our job, at Kate Park Events, to find their dream UK wedding venue. It was a lengthy process trying to find somewhere that ticked all the boxes but after exploring a range of different venues, and even considering craning a marquee structure over one, the winning choice was the beautiful Castle Howard in York.

With the venue chosen and with it being so different from what they originally were having in Portugal, we essentially started the planning again from scratch. Although the majority of the suppliers we had booked for Portugal were available on the new date (luckily!) the whole vision for the wedding had changed. This meant new supplier site visits, florist design meetings and sample showcases, all of which we (Kate Park Events) arranged and attended to bring Craig & Chloe’s new wedding vision to life.

Craig and Chloe’s wedding took place in July 2022, 2 years after their original date, and it was definitely worth the wait! The ceremony was held in the Great Hall and then the wedding breakfast and party in a marquee we had built in the grounds with glass windows so guests were looking out at the stunning views of the Castle. The service was slick, the flowers were showstopping and the entertainment was electric!

To some a marquee is just a standard structure with basic linings but to us at Kate Park Events it is a blank canvas for us to bring it to life! With no limitations in terms of space or rigging, which can inevitably come with a venue, it gives us the freedom to think big and make our clients dreams into a reality. Our organisation, creativity and knowledge of the best suppliers means we can transform any space (marquee or otherwise) to make your big day everything you’ve ever dreamed of.

Craig & Chloe’s wedding was 4 years in the making, and we have grown to know each other very well in the process (having even helped Craig with the proposal!) so receiving their kind words the following day was a delight and made everything worthwhile…

“Kate you absolutely nailed it. Thank you for creating such an unforgettable day, you and Rachel deserve a medal… The amount of comments we have received is overwhelming. It was amazing!”

The post Happily Ever After appeared first on Kate Park Events.