Budget-friendly birthday party ideas

Birthdays come once a year, so it’s always nice to plan a memorable celebration for your friends and family when their birthday is near. Finding birthday party venues in London is undoubtedly a challenging task, but similarly, there is often an expectation for such parties to be a grand gesture. There are plenty of opportunities for low-key, high-value celebrations, mainly if they are being shared with your family and friends. Here are few fantastic ideas for an affordable birthday party that is perfect for your loved ones.

Viva piñata

Some activities are timelessly fun and rewarding. Piñatas fit this mould perfectly and are often overlooked as an excellent centrepiece for a fantastic birthday party. If you want to try another take on things, try setting up a separate piñata just for the adults. There is something intrinsically entertaining about a grown man or woman flailing a brightly coloured stick at a paper-mâché donkey in a bid for tasty candy.

Movie night

If the climate is a little too hot or cold outside, then seek some sanctuary indoors and chill out for a movie session. Get yourself some large bowls of popcorn at the ready, find a movie that everyone will truly enjoy and settle in for a night of beautiful screen indulgence. You can also expect a binge movie watching to take hold by the end of the night.

Bring the indoors outside

If the weather permits, there is no better way to enjoy the company of family and friends than around a table on a warm day in the summer. To add a little something extra, you can bring some of your indoor furniture outside. Add the sense of comfort with the perfect climate and a spread of tasty food makes for a truly unforgettable birthday.

Light up the night in style

If your small party makes its way into the evening, then keep the fun outside to make it memorable. Place some nice tea-candles to illuminate your outdoor area. Try to create a beautiful, ambient mood where you can chill out with your family and friends.

Popcorn paradise

Try your hand at making a variety of different flavours of popcorn. This new trend has allowed for some unique varieties of popcorn – from an elegant rosemary/sea salt blend to traditional caramel corn. Look for classic, old-fashioned movie bags, or try to source some old apothecary jars and fill them with your popcorn.

What would you Prefer: Buffet or Sit-Down Reception?

Are you finding it challenging to decide whether to have a sit-down meal or a buffet for your wedding reception in London? While it can be little tricky, but both options can work out well, depending on your requirements or special preferences. If you are choosing the wedding reception options for an Indian wedding in London, then the task is more challenging. So, after discussing with few reputed Indian food caterers in London, we have come up with a list of pros and cons. In this blog, let us explore the pros and cons of each option mentioned above to help you make the right decision.

Sit-Down Reception

Pros

●     Sit-Down Reception is a suitable option if you are looking for a more traditional and formal event. It also appears chic, allowing your guests to be appropriately served while seated and thus depreciating movement, queues, and delays.

●     Since there is the least movement, a three-course meal can readily be served in tandem with your wedding reception programme. Spreading out food this way on the tables would make your wedding event more organised and maintain enthusiasm throughout.

Cons

●     This option isn’t suitable if you are looking for a cost-efficient option. It needs more catering staff to serve guests at their tables, which would fatten your catering bill.

●     The menu at a sit-down reception has to be limited. Guests who may have special favourites or particular restrictions may, therefore, be inconvenienced, making the wedding reception less memorable for them.

●     Furthermore, there’s always the risk of food wastage when guests are served in set quantities of food. On the other hand, few guests might wish for a second helping, which can be little tricky to accommodate with this option.

Buffet Reception

Pros

●     If you are looking for a more casual reception where your guests can mingle and enjoy the event, a buffet can be a suitable option. A buffet can create a more festive and memorable environment. Your guests can also go for a second helping too if they like a specific selection.

●     This option can also cost-efficient if you are budget conscious. In the buffet, guests would serve themselves along set food stations and would need less catering staff.

●     Also, it becomes easier to provide guests with a broader range of food items to choose from. A buffet can offer a practical solution, and you don't need to worry. Guests with allergies, specific preferences or dietary restrictions, can enjoy the buffet with their favourites only.

Cons

●     There’s a risk of long-serving queues, resulting in delays that may finally diminish your guests’ pleasure of the event. However, you can balance this by having more number of food stations.

●     Guests also tend to serve themselves extra food in a buffet than they eat. Considering this, you may, therefore, need to factor this into your final budget.

●     Moreover, having your guests carry plates full of food isn’t fancy. In the worst case scenario, it can result in few messy and embarrassing incidents.