Basic Tips for Planning Your Engagement Party
After you and your significant other have decided to tie the knot, there are a number of preliminary steps you need to take. Before you start planning the details of your wedding, consider whether or not you should have an engagement party. For many couples, this event is a great way to announce an engagement and get family and friends excited for the upcoming marriage. Of course, you are also not required to have this kind of party if you do not wish for it or want to spend the money on it.
Planning an engagement party requires a bit of forethought. There are a number of traditions to consider and rules of etiquette to adhere to. Think over these points and decide if this gathering is the right fit for your needs.
The Details of the Engagement Party
Traditionally, there are a few guidelines for the planning of an engagement party. For one, make sure that this party takes place within the first few months after you have decided to wed. Waiting too long can push the date far too close to the wedding and create conflicts. In addition, you also need to think about who will be hosting the event. According to some experts, the bride’s family takes care of this cost, though there is no reason to adhere to this tradition.
Modern couples have found that combined efforts produce far better results. Instead of asking one side of the family to host the event, see if both sides want to come together to plan out the engagement party. This can be a fun way to bring everyone into the same space before the wedding and see how they interact. If you don’t wish to ask your families to host this event, then you and your significant other can take on the task on your own.
Simple Etiquette
No matter who hosts the party, there are a few etiquette tips to stay mindful of throughout the process. For one, it is very important that you only invite people to the engagement party who will be invited to your actual wedding. It is considered poor taste to ask people to attend the preliminary events and not the final event. Things can get tricky when parents or other relatives decide to invite someone to a pre-party without telling you. Talk to family members in advance and set ground rules to avoid uncomfortable discussions about who gets invitations.
While some guests will bring gifts to this event, it is not expected according to custom. Showers and the wedding itself are usually more focused around presents. While some guests might still bring you a gift, you should not mention presents on invitations at all. Your friends and family will show you plenty of love in this department during your actual wedding, so don’t worry yourself about gifts for this event.
Food and Drink
Finally, don’t go overboard with food and drink. While you should provide refreshments, there’s no need for a full meal. Depending on the size of the group, appetizers and smaller snacks can suffice. Some people opt to host these gatherings at restaurants, which can solve the problem of food and drink. You’re not trying to feed everyone so much as you are offering a little something to keep everyone satisfied while enjoying the company. As long as everyone has enough to munch and sip on through the duration of the party, you’ve got plenty.
Determining whether or not an engagement party is the right choice for you may take a bit of time. Weigh out your options and discuss the idea with your partner to decide if you’d like to host – or have others host – this type of event, and do your research to find the right fit for your pre-wedding needs.