You’re Engaged, Let’s Throw an Engagement Party!

Congratulations! So you’re engaged, now let the celebration begin! The engagement party is the first step in celebrating your wedding and kickstarting your wedding planning process. Ideally, you should allow a year or so for planning your wedding, and while the thought may seem stressful or daunting, just remember it starts with and ends with a party! Engagement parties can range form simple to extravagant, but just like your wedding, the party should reflect you as a couple and those whom you care enough about to celebrate with. Get your toasting glasses ready…..

Who Hosts?

Traditionally the bride’s parents held the first engagement party, and if they were unable to do so, the groom’s parents would step in to host. As with most wedding traditions, you can choose which ones you will and will not follow. Today you may receive several engagement parties: one from each set of parents, both sets may decide to collaborate on one large soirée, or your wedding party may throw a casual celebration at your favorite bar. Typically, the couple does not host their own engagement party.

Where to Celebrate?

Engagement parties can be thrown almost anywhere. A family home, your favorite restaurant, the beach, or a winery. The location is less important than who attends. You can visit our Wedding Venue Directory to find a location.

When Should the Party Happen?

It is important not to have your engagement party too close to your wedding or other celebrations that traditionally happen closer to the wedding day i.e. bachelor(ette) parties, bridal shower, etc. This puts some strain on your guests, especially if they are travelling from out of town. The engagement party should happen two to four months after your engagement has been formally announced and no later than six months before the wedding.

Rules of Engagement:

There is really only one rule for enjoyment parties: anyone who is invited must also be invited to the wedding. Otherwise a guest may wonder what they did wrong at the first party to be crossed off the guest list for the next and it is just a common courtesy. Invitations should be relatively informal. Printed engagement announcements or invites for an engagement party screams “send gifts alert”, and neither engagements nor engagement parties are occasions for requesting gifts. It is acceptable for guests to bring a small personal or sentimental gift to an engagement party, and in that case it is wise to be prepared to send thank you cards.

What are you, as the couple, responsible for?

It’s a party for you that you are not in charge of planning, so what do you need to do? Well, you should work with the host to choose the date of the party. Most importantly, you need to provide the guest list. This will help ensure that no one from the engagement is left out of the wedding. Be prepared to toast! Nothing too formal, but while everyone is toasting and congratulating you, it is polite to say a few words and to thank your host. Most importantly, have fun and enjoy yourselves! Your engagement will fly by so fast while you are planning the wedding, so take this time to celebrate you and your partner.

Do you have any advice to share? Leave a comment below.