Talking point food and drink, summer event catering...

Not content with your standard run of the mill catering offering, here at Wonderland we see the food and drink as an integral part of your event design and styling. Talking point food installations, towering seafood platters, Spanish tapas served from wooden blocks, food stations displaying global dishes..

Summer is on the way so we can pull out all the stops creatively, as summer event catering is all about fun! Fine dining is still an option for the right event but there are so many other food ideas perfect for a summer evening:

Sleek shiny Airstreams serving top notch gastro burgers and classic hot dogs. Hampers of picnic foods spread out on rugs - mini bottles of bubbly, stunning sandwiches, boxes of berries, delicious summer cupcakes. Pimms bus surrounded by picket fencing; cocktails in jam jars with fresh mint and ice...the weird and the wonderful: jelly sculptures, mini meringue lollipops, and bubbling molecular canapés. Fish and chips served from branded newspaper cones, mini bottles of ketchup and British condiments to accompany mini ploughmans lunches.

Is your mouth watering yet? We work with london's best caterers, creating tailored menus to your specification, from chic to quirky and everything in between, with the focus always on the highest quality, beautiful, delicious food.

That's entertainment!

Choosing the right entertainment for your event is a tricky one...do you go for someone 'of the moment', like Got to Dance's Prodijig or X Factor runner up Marcus Collins (who releases his first single today, a cover of the white stripes, Seven Nation Army - who'd a thought it?), who is attracting massive media hype, and could therefore be a guestlist attraction for your event...

Do you choose classic event entertainment: a string quartet, covers band, or DJ?

There are so many cutting edge acts that you don't need to settle for average:

Über cool djs to add that certain je ne sais quoi to your event, breathtaking free runners who can bounce off the walls, incredible magicians who boggle the mind, simply stunning characters of magic, myth and wonder, outrageous circus acts who amaze, and visually arresting stunt masters that create an atmosphere like no other.

Cool and quirky bands and singers who are just coming into the public radar, east London djs to please the cool kids, themed characters like grumpy old men in deckchairs or Queen's Guards with bearskins, for that quintessentially British event!

The elusive 29th feb - birthday parties, proposals and weddings...

So, the elusive 29th February. It must be an amazing event for people born today...imagine only having a birthday once every four years! What an epic birthday party they must have. The party to end all parties. Do they spend four years organising their party? Lots of lovely bubbly, some great event catering, themed styling, the works. Private parties can be the hardest to plan (for the host) as it is such a personal thing...think of the guestlist, the venue, what to eat and drink, and how about event entertainment? It's easier to pass it over to an event production company (oh yes, just like us) who can take the stress of organising the event out of your hands. A bonus of having your birthday on a leap year? Think of all the presents! Plus on your 40th birthday you can say you're only 10 years old (a bit like dog years?)...

What else is happening today? Well - 29th feb, traditionally the date ladies can propose to their beaus. Wedding bells anyone? Now there's another event headache! Wedding planning is surely the biggest event most people ever have to organise.

Time to call in the experts! 

Warming up for Summer parties

We are having near-record unseasonably warm weather at the moment - according to the Met Office it is going to peak at 18C tomorrow. Lucky us!

What better time then to start looking ahead to spring and summer parties in some of London's finest venues, with rooftop bars, outdoor terraces with views of the Thames and London's stunning skyline, chic courtyards, or even entire secret gardens in London's hidden gem venues. We have a sublime collection of chic, quirky and cool venues all over London - central London, west London, south London, north London and east London - with outdoor spaces to suit every event, from a Miami style pool party to a secret garden party, a quintessentially English afternoon tea on a manicured lawn, to a BBQ and funfair for 500 people or an urban roof terrace retreat.

Further afield, our venues include awe-inspiring manor houses with perfectly tailored gardens, lush fields perfect for bespoke marquees and teepees (ideal for mini festivals), many just a short coach (or London bus) journey from London. We even have venues with swimming pools for your summer party, not just in the countryside but even in the centre of London.

Summer parties really lend themselves to some fab styling ideas (see our last blog for more ideas), from retro sorbet summer with deckchairs and pink lemonade, to a mother nature-inspired woodland party with jam jar cocktails and outdoor cinema. Summer is when events really come alive!

Event styling trends

When styling an event you need to keep an eye on current trends in much the same way as fashion. Event styling themes recur seasonally, like summer's sorbet colours, retro styles, English eccentrics (the return of Upstairs Downstairs brings a new wave of wartime glamour to event production, check out the Upstairs Downstairs set design blog); current films, tv and pop culture all influence what is hot and what is not... 

Current trends for event styling include:

>Tribal, Asia and Japan inspired
>Sorbet Summer (think candy colours, deck chairs, pink lemonade and pick 'n mix)

>Mother Nature (think grass furniture, log seating, vintage books, branded recycled crates and jam jar cocktails)

>Blank Canvas (think high white gloss with neon flashes)
>Extreme styling (think OTT interiors,  3D projections, and high impact make-up)

>Tickety Boo: uniforms and tailoring (think pie n mash, buttoned collars, post war east London - thanks to BBCs Call the Midwife)
>All things Gold  (think gold leaf, metallics, towering installations of entire treasure troves of delights sprayed gold)

...and not forgetting The Best of British - 2012 is the year of the Union Jack, corgis, mini Yorkshire puddings and London landmarks, thanks to the Olympic games and the Queen's Jubilee - positively brimming with ideas for events (think Marmalade fizz, acrylic London Eye sculptures, jelly St Paul's, London skyline in back-lit vinyl, Olympic colours cocktails).