Let it be known that the countdown has started by kicking off the wedding festivities with an engagement party!
He popped the question and you said “Yes!” This calls for a celebration! After telling the good news to both the parents, it is time to formally announce this new milestone. An engagement party is the perfect opportunity to share the excitement of your pending marriage with friends and family in a relaxed setting before you sprint into high-gear wedding-planning mode. The engagement party is relatively uncharted territory compared to other wedding-related events.
Questions of where to have it, who should be invited — and whether to even have one at all —
confuse many newly engaged couples.
Questions of where to have it, who should be invited — and whether to even have one at all —
confuse many newly engaged couples.
Good Timing
Your engagement party should be spaced out from other events as much as possible. Too many events in a short time can be overwhelming for both you and your guests. Bridal showers are typically one to three months before the wedding, so if the wedding is any less than a year after your engagement, make sure it’s practical (and within your budget) to throw an engagement party. If the thought of planning yet another blowout to celebrate your union has your head spinning, don’t worry. Having an engagement party is not a necessity.
Your engagement party should be spaced out from other events as much as possible. Too many events in a short time can be overwhelming for both you and your guests. Bridal showers are typically one to three months before the wedding, so if the wedding is any less than a year after your engagement, make sure it’s practical (and within your budget) to throw an engagement party. If the thought of planning yet another blowout to celebrate your union has your head spinning, don’t worry. Having an engagement party is not a necessity.
Establishing a Plan
From intimate dinners for the two families to blowout bashes that include the entire wedding guest list — anything goes for an engagement party. The number of couples having engagement parties has dramatically increased over the past decade, and they are becoming larger and more elaborate than ever before. Even a casual event at a relative’s home is often catered and may sometimes include live music.
There are no strict rules about where it should be held, or who should host or send out invitations. Traditionally, the bride's parents usually organize a formal engagement party for announcing their daughter's wedding. However, these days anyone close to the family like a relative or a friend can also do it.
From intimate dinners for the two families to blowout bashes that include the entire wedding guest list — anything goes for an engagement party. The number of couples having engagement parties has dramatically increased over the past decade, and they are becoming larger and more elaborate than ever before. Even a casual event at a relative’s home is often catered and may sometimes include live music.
There are no strict rules about where it should be held, or who should host or send out invitations. Traditionally, the bride's parents usually organize a formal engagement party for announcing their daughter's wedding. However, these days anyone close to the family like a relative or a friend can also do it.
Who to invite
There are also no strict rules about who should be invited. Allow the type of event to dictate who should be invited. When inviting guests from out of town, you should consider that traveling to yet another event could be difficult. If you’d like them to be there, extend the invitation, but make sure they know it’s okay if they can’t make it. A skilled stationer can assist you in finding the right wording to express this.
There are also no strict rules about who should be invited. Allow the type of event to dictate who should be invited. When inviting guests from out of town, you should consider that traveling to yet another event could be difficult. If you’d like them to be there, extend the invitation, but make sure they know it’s okay if they can’t make it. A skilled stationer can assist you in finding the right wording to express this.
Setting the Mood
From Sunday brunches at a local museum to sit-down dinners in a hotel ballroom, there are a variety of ideal locations for engagement parties. Having an engagement party at someone’s home may set a less formal, more intimate tone, but can be a burden to the host. Hiring a caterer can take stress off everyone. So much work goes into planning a wedding, and this should be a time for everyone to relax and enjoy themselves — we say let someone else tend to the details.
From Sunday brunches at a local museum to sit-down dinners in a hotel ballroom, there are a variety of ideal locations for engagement parties. Having an engagement party at someone’s home may set a less formal, more intimate tone, but can be a burden to the host. Hiring a caterer can take stress off everyone. So much work goes into planning a wedding, and this should be a time for everyone to relax and enjoy themselves — we say let someone else tend to the details.
When choosing music, it’s important to think about the mood you want to create. Music shouldn’t make it difficult for guests to mingle — a pianist, guitarist or harpist can add to the ambience without taking over. Because an engagement party is typically more subdued than a wedding reception, a full band or a DJ is rare but certainly not out of the question!
Above all, a fabulous engagement party can set the mood for all the festivities to follow. And it’s an easy step toward bringing both worlds together before the wedding, so you won’t have the added pressure of introducing everyone for the first time on the big day!
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