It's finally happened—you're engaged! This is such an exciting time in your life with much more to come, but the first thing you should do is celebrate. Whether or not you're planning your own engagement party, you for sure want to include music you enjoy that matches the occasion. Continue reading "Engagement Party Playlist" »
An engagement party should be full of fun festivities for this new step in your life. Your friends and family will be delighted to celebrate this special occasion with you. Continue reading "Engagement Party Ideas" »
Hosting an engagement party can be a rewarding experience. Most happy couples are thrilled and ready to celebrate! This is not simply a bridal shower, but a party that announces their future life together. Invitations, decorations, food, the venue, and entertainment must be considered in your planning.
The Details
The couple of honor needs to first provide a guest list. Find out what type of party would they enjoy. Use them as a springboard for ideas when considering the theme, size, and formality of the event. Food may be casual or formal, dictated by the theme and the budget. Flowers add beauty and depth to any room, and depending on a color scheme or particular season, will help accentuate any area.
Seth and I actually grew up together at First Southern Baptist Church but never really knew each other! He was the drummer for the youth band and I knew I loved him when I saw that shaggy hair. We started dating in 2011 and got engaged September 3, 2015!
Our proposal is one of my favorites… We had been talking about getting married soon so I knew it was coming up. He wanted to throw me a birthday dinner but I hated having attention only on me so I thought it would be perfect to invite my best friend Kelsey to be a part of it too since her birthday was only a few days away! I was excited because now it would be a birthday dinner party for both of us.
Recently engaged? Congrats! You are about to embark on a fantastic journey to your happily ever after. But there is one event that kicks off the crazy planning–your engagement party! Here are some simple do's and don'ts so your engagement celebration goes without a hitch!
Don't Assume Party Hosts
It is tradition that the bride's parents usually throw this celebration, but that is now not always the case. Make sure to double check with each set of parents and even consider letting both sets throw you a party! Don't forget that friends can throw you one too!
Do Give a Guest List
Normally those invited to the engagement party expect an invitation to the actual wedding shindig. Make sure to give your party host a guest list so no one's feelings get hurt!
Don't Make It Too Formal
The engagement party is usually a casual affair. There are plenty of wedding events that will call for the formal attire (like the wedding)!
Do Get Thank You Cards
While it's not always expected to give a gift at the engagement party, many do like to bring a little something. Make sure to prepare a registry, just in case, and thank you cards.
The engagement party is a time to celebrate the news of your upcoming nuptuals, so celebrate with family and friends! For more great tips, make sure to visit the Wedding and Party Network Blog.
When is it appropriate to have an Engagement Party?
Answer:
Traditionally, an engagement party is thrown about a month or two after the proposal. A good rule of thumb is 9-11 months before your wedding date.
We hope this answered your question!
If you have more wedding questions, send them to: social@weddingandpartynetwork.com
Every Wednesday we will post answers to your biggest wedding questions.
The night I have planned out for years has finally come, my engagement party. Which has actually turned into my candlelight because I pledged a sorority. Long story short, you are really supposed to announce it at your meeting at this cute ceremony that surprises all your sisters. I had to wait 46 days to announce my engagement to my sorority. For those of you who do not know, that is an excruciating amount of time. I could not tell all my friends, my hometown community, basically like anyone. So, I had a good amount of time to plan this beautiful night down to the only thing I can really control: my outfit.
Outfit planning is the worst thing you can ever do to yourself. If you are anything like me, for example, we picture ourselves in this simple black dress with a perfect color that screams elegance and sass. Yeah, well most likely we dreamed that dress up and it is nowhere to be found, unless it is on a rack at Barney’s. That’s when we have to start thinking logically. We wear this outfit for like two hours and after you take your engagement pictures it is lost to world of Facebook. So the 1,000 dollar dress idea will fall flat I tell you (unless you are Serena Van Der Woodsen or Blair Waldrof). Here are a few ideas on places to look for the perfect dress.
Colors you can’t go wrong with:
These colors pop and are unforgettable.
Basically, find a dress or skirt that suits you best, that you feel comfortable in and that makes you smile! These are once in a lifetime fashion opportunities. Stake your claim on that perfect outfit.
So, he got down on his knee. and offered you a shiny diamond. Before he could even get the question out of his mouth, you excitedly said "YES!" You called your mom, friends, and family, while letting the rest of the world know by Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. So, what do you do next?
Throw a party, of course! Engagement parties are more common now than ever before, and you can plan one easily with a few of Wedding and Party’s simple and easy-to-follow tips.First, you should decide where and when to have your party. You can do it at a local hotel, your church's fellowship hall, or even your favorite restaurant. Whatever you choose, make sure it fits you and your fiance's personality well.
Next, you should decide what kind of food and beverages to offer. If you're having a party for under 20 guests, consider providing finger foods or small appetizers. If you're having a larger guest list, you may want to offer full-sized meals and dessert options. Talk with your caterer about different options that can be served.
Make sure to consider beverage options as well. Do you want to serve alcohol? This may be determined by whether you have kids at your engagement party. It's really up to you.
Decor is a must. You want to make sure the decor truly captures your personality. For example, do you like Paris? Have a Paris themed engagement party! You can find all sorts of Eiffel Tower decorations at any party store. Maybe you both have a love for the outdoors, you can incorporate that into your engagement party as well. Remember to keep it very "you-nique." This party is to celebrate YOU two as a newly engaged, blissful couple.
Above all else, remember to have fun. This is a party. It's meant to be fun. Enjoy it; it's your only engagement party!
Are you in the process of planning an engagement party? If yes, engagement parties are something that should represent the couple. It's a great time to get together to share this special occasion with friends and family. Engagement parties are focused on the couple getting married, representing them through the party and the joining of everyone together to celebrate. So, since it's all about the couple, everything should represent them. However, if you don't have a clue and want a party theme that is truly unique and can represent them, Wedding and Party Network has a few of our favorite engagement party themes.
A Night In ____ – The theme originates from A Night In Paris, which is ideal for any couple that loves Paris. However, if there's a certain place that they love or have always wanted to travel to, make that the theme of the engagement party. Make sure that the party decorations, party food and everything else represents the place they love.
Movie Inspired – There are some couples out there that share the love of movies together. Therefore, a movie inspired themed engagement party is ideal. Maybe they have certain movie genres, like comedy or horror, that they enjoy or maybe they have just one movie in particular that they love. Whatever movies they enjoy, go with that theme. For a certain movie, make the party represent that movie. Show that favorite movie, serve popcorn and even make a step and repeat for when guests arrive.
Art Inspired – Again, maybe the couple shares a love of art together. If there's a certain type or era they enjoy, make the engagement party centered around that. Create the cupcakes different shades of colors to represent an art pallet, use a rainbow of colors and even create a canvas where guests can sign their names, which will make a unique piece of art in the couple's home.
Lumberjacks & Jill – Do you know a couple who enjoys being outdoors? This shower is for them. Plaid decor, outdoor food, mason jars and all around rustic feel is what this engagement party is all about.
Destination Inspired – Is this couple having a destination wedding? Well, the theme of the engagement party can be the place where they're going to get married at. If it's an island get away, make sure to put leis everywhere and serve tropical food & drinks.
What Do They Like? – Combine everything that they enjoy into this party. If they share a favorite sport's team, food, colors or anything that they enjoy, make sure and include it in their engagement party. The couple will love it and guests will immediately get the sense that they are at this couple's engagement party.
The main key when planning an engagement party is to make sure it's suited towards the newly engaged couple. If it's suited towards their personalities and what they enjoy, the party will be a success!
This post is brought to you by Austin Caterers.
Not in Austin, TX? No worries, use Wedding and Party Network's handy party planning directory to help you find a caterer near you!
Are you in search of an party idea for an engagement party? Well, shower the bride & groom to be with An Autumn Affair. This is a great engagement party theme that will have everyone enjoying each others company. Invite the bride & groom's close friends and family or throw a big shindig with everyone. Whatever you choose, the bride & groom will truly enjoy sharing this time together. Lets shower them with an engagement party they'll never forget.
When planning this get together, keep the bride & groom in mind; always! Keep their style and taste in mind. However, An Autumn Affair themed party will be something everyone will enjoy.
Invitations: Keep them simple and elegant. An elegant invitation with embossed detailing will be absolutely lovely. If you choose to do a simple brown invitation with orange writing, that would be great too. A nice, classic engagement party invitation will be ideal for this event.
Table Decorations: It's Autumn, right? Well keep with that theme and think rustic chic. The table setting should be elegant, yet rustic. Have your local florist create simple, Fall centerpieces or find vintage bottles and fill them with a single flower. Place small tea light candles out on the table as a great accent to your flowers. You could also set apples or small pumpkins out too.
Another great way to create a unique table setting is to pick a bold patterned tablecloth. Browns, oranges, pinks or golds will be great colors in a tablecloth. It just makes it more fun. You can keep the plates simple to let the pattern speak for itself. The dinner plates should be simple & white. You could even switch it around, have bold plates and a simple tablecloth.
Place settings are another fun idea to create a glamorous tablescape. Wrap the guest's utensils up with twine and attach a cute place setting card to it. How about a decadent candy apple with the guest's name on it. It serves as a tasty place setting, but also a party favor they enjoy back home.
Meal For Everyone: A sit down dinner would be a great setting for this event. It will give the guests of honor a time to enjoy everyone's company. When planning the meal, keep everyone in mind. There are great dinners out there that everyone does enjoy. One idea that comes to mind is pasta.
Create a pasta bar! Have your party caterer create different pastas and different sauces so everyone can pick their favorite and even let them pick their favorite meat and vegetables to go in it. Get with your party caterer and they'll have lots of creative pasta dishes. So elegant and simple, just serve your guests in fun and unique shaped serving bowls and there you go.
And, for dessert? Serve up mini desserts. Everyone may be a little stuffed from the rich and hearty pasta that just a tiny bite of something to refresh their pallet would be ideal. Mini lemon drops, cake pops, mini cheesecakes or even small puff pasty's will be great for dessert. Just something small, yet ambrosial that your guests can pop in their mouth. Your expertise baker can come up with something yummy!
An engagement party doesn't have to be a big showing, just a great time with good friends celebrating the joining of two friends. An elegant setting with delicious food will be just the thing to create a relaxing mood, while everyone enjoys your great hosting skills.
This post is brought to you by Baltimore Party Foodproviders.
Not in Baltimore, MD? No worries, use Wedding and Party Network's handy party planning directory to help you find party food suppliers near you!
Table setting photo, rustic arrangement, mini dessert photo, pasta photo provided by Elin B, Pluentje, chotda, cproppe via flickr.
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