An engagement party is a brilliant way to get all your family and friends together to kick off the celebrations for your exciting news. Often times, most people haven’t planned a huge party before, so it’s an ideal way to get some practice in before the wedding. A relaxed and as stress-free-as-possible engagement party is an ideal gathering.
What Happens at an Engagement Party?
An engagement party is a gathering to celebrate your engagement news. An engagement party should be used as a chance to let the future in-laws meet and get to know each other better, catch-up with friends and family, and show off your ring, of course!
What happens at an engagement party depends on what you choose to do. It can just be dropping in for drinks or an engagement brunch, but if you want an activity, consider something fun like throwing a movie night with an outdoor projector or going for a boat ride.
Planning an Engagement Party – All the Steps You Need to Know
Pick a Host
The most common practice is the couple throwing the engagement party together with their parents. You should definitely speak with your partner and your family beforehand so that you know what budget you have for your theme.
Set a Date
You can choose any date that works for you, but the engagement party should typically happen around a month after the proposal. A simple notice is enough for guests to reserve that day for you.
Create a Guest List
You should start drawing up a preliminary guest list for your wedding because people are going to assume that they are invited to your wedding if they are invited to the engagement celebrations.
The most important thing to remember is that the engagement party should be about you, your partner, and the people you want to celebrate with. Keeping the engagement party guest list smaller is going to allow you to speak to every quest and give everyone enough attention.
Plan the Theme
When you’re planning your engagement party, you won’t know what the theme of your wedding is going to be yet. This is why it’s best to stick with something easy and non-restrictive for now. You should choose a theme you both like, and don’t be scared to get creative with it.
Choose a Venue that Fits with Your Theme
Your venue is going to be very dependent on the atmosphere you are trying to create, theme you are going for and your guest number. If you want your engagement party to be more formal, you should hire a private room in your favorite restaurant for a meal. If you are working with a tight budget, a BBQ in your garden is a great idea.
Send Out Invites
As we previously mentioned, your engagement party should be planned out around a month after your proposal. Once everything is planned out and ready, you should send out the invites out as soon as possible. Paper invites are beautiful and traditional, but e-vites are an option too.