You made the wedding memorable for a reason.
That day started your life together, sealed the deal.
Every detail was important – the cake, her dress, his tux, the vows, the guest list, the reception.
It’s time to bring every detail back and then some when you plan your anniversary party, making the occasion beautiful and sentimental all over again.
Make Your Anniversary Party Memorable
No anniversary party would be complete without the right anniversary cake. Get out those wedding photos and upcycle the vibe. Do you want to replicate the original cake or borrow the colors and style from your wedding day? Both approaches work well. Consider how much time has passed between your wedding day and your anniversary party. If enough time has gone by, recreating the original cake may offer a pleasing retro feel.
If your wedding day is more recent, consider mixing it up a bit. Change the cake shape, for one; while round is traditional, you can opt for rectangular or hexagonal for a contemporary twist. Update the cake or filling flavor; if the first cake was vanilla cake with lemon curd, add a spice or herb like ginger or mint to the curd, or swap out fruits altogether. The food critics at Epicurious aren’t afraid to make such recommendations. Alternatively, the gold standard of buttercream frosting enjoys a new profile in 2024. Modern buttercream effects, chefs say, range from smooth and crisp to natural stone and even ombre. Fresh flowers are another option.
Sit Down and Talk It Through to Find Your Party Theme
Using your wedding photos as inspiration, sit down with your spouse or partner and talk about what’s important to you and your anniversary party. If one of you is ready to hand the planning over to the other, enlist a close friend or family member as a sounding board. Talking things through will help to make your preferences clear: If you start with the cake, will that likely set the stage? What do the words “beautiful” and “sentimental” mean to you?
Borrow from creative writers on this one and make a list of things that come to mind at the mention of each word, no matter how outrageous the list gets to be. Once you have your list, follow the breadcrumbs to the best vision for your perfect anniversary party. Will your gathering be a get-together of only close friends and family, or are you ready to invite coworkers, people you would like to get to know better, or the entire neighborhood? Deciding the correct guest list early on might just help you determine the ideal location, too.
The All-Important Choice of NYC Venue
Where was your reception before? Will you draw from that experience, maybe make some changes while keeping what worked the first time around? Own the narrative. Today’s parties mean more options than ever before. Your anniversary party may be indoors or outdoors or a little of both, because urban doesn’t necessarily mean indoors.
You are wise to consider outside locations, including high-profile NYC hotspots, Hudson River verandas, outdoor seating at fashionable restaurants, and rooftop gathering places. If you’re an animal lover and an out of the box thinker, you might explore the web site of the Central Park Zoo to learn that both the Bronx Zoo and the New York Aquarium can be leased for a private event. On a budget? Visit Tagvenue for more ideas to include wine bars and chocolate bars and pairing good weather with New York City’s nightlife. But don’t stop there.
Hire An Event Planner Who Can Wrangle Every Sentimental Detail
You’re going to want some help, pursuing your perfect vision for the beautiful and sentimental anniversary party. That’s because you’ll want to enjoy the planning phase and the occasion. Remember how busy you were the first time around, organizing and dreaming up your wedding and reception? The perfect anniversary party is no different. You’ll need an event planning professional who can guide you through all the decisions. Will you want to get guests on the dance floor? Are photo ops important to you? What about décor, food, and entertainment? The list of choices is as endless as your imagination allows.
Savvy compromises allow you to have it all. Something as simple as watching your food being plated with artistic flair can be entertainment enough, permitting you to spend your money on the best quality food for your guests while not skipping the entertainment factor. If a list of the music that worked at your reception the first time around is one of your keepsakes, pull out that list and let its magic guide you to the perfect DJ or cover band, or save your pennies there, burning your own dance mix CD and splurging on a well-respected professional photographer who will capture every aspect of your anniversary party for you and your guests.
EMRG Media Will Make Any NYC Anniversary Party Magical
Here at EMRG Media, we’ll help you craft the narrative of your choosing on the best of terms. We’re the Big Apple’s top event planner, with decades of experience managing every detail for events small and large. We’ll work with you to realize the event of your greatest aspirations, give you wedding jitters all over again.
Who knows, you may even want to throw the bouquet, just for good measure.
Contact us today to get started down memory lane and on your way to a magical and sentimental anniversary party.
