Engagement Party Planning
Engagement parties are not only fun but also a great way to
announce your engagement to the world. Your engagement party
offers an excellent opportunity for your families and friends to
get to know each other.
There are no hard-set rules about when an engagement party must
occur. Your engagement party could be scheduled anytime after
your engagement and before your wedding day. Normally,
engagement parties are scheduled within a couple of months of
the engagement. The party should provide an opportunity for
friends and family to celebrate the engagement together.
Engagement parties are informal gatherings, and the main purpose
is for the families and friends to meet and become friendly.
Even though, traditionally the parents of the bride host the
engagement party, it can be hosted by anyone close to the bride
and groom. The location of the party is insignificant. As long
as it is conveniently located, a friend's house the parents'
home are both popular choices. It is quite common for the bride
and groom to host. Both sets of parents could throw a party
together for the bride and groom. You should invite anyone
that's important to you, friends, family, coworkers, and school
friends. You should only invite people to the party who will be
invited to the wedding too.
Engagement parties are informal events. The food is usually
finger food, or something simple. For people who require more
formal surroundings, it is not unusual to have engagement
parties held at restaurants.
Do not use the engagement party to introduce the parents for the
first time to each other. It would be best to choose a more
intimate occasion when only the parents and bride and groom are
present. A pre-engagement dinner might the perfect solution to
introduce your parents to each other.
While engagement parties are fun, they can be expensive. They
are more advisable for couples with long engagement; it may be
awkward to have an engagement party only a few months before the
wedding. You shouldn't expect gifts as etiquette does not
dictate that guests should bring them. The engagement party
provides a good opportunity to start thinking about gift
registry. After the party, don't forget to send thank you notes!