How To Plan An Engagement Party
The engagement party. An exciting evening of celebration is often overlooked in the wedding events calendar. Passed off as an extra event that couples don’t wish to plan, we’re here to revive the wonderful event with our easy guide to planning the perfect engagement party.
There are plenty of good reasons why to add an engagement party to your wedding celebrations calendar. Maybe you’re doing an intimate destination wedding and would like to celebrate with a larger group of local friends. Or perhaps you’re planning a traditional ceremony and would like to take this opportunity to modernize your engagement party.
Another plus of choosing to do an engagement party is that it gives you an opportunity to test out potential wedding vendors. Hire a planner to make the event stress-free for you. Pick out floral arrangements from a local florist in the style you might want for your wedding day. Hire a photographer to capture this exciting moment.
So, how do you plan an engagement party? Here’s our ten-step guide…
1. Decide who is hosting: you or family and friends?
This is an all-important detail. If you decide to host your engagement party the fun details and more practical organization is in your hands. Be sure you have the time and wherewithal to take this on in addition to your planning your wedding. Alternatively, ask a family member or friend to host and you can sit back and relax. Of course, in this case, you have to be ready to relinquish control over various details.
2. Determine your budget.
Before you book or buy anything for your engagement party, determine your budget. You can see how much money you have available for your engagement party within your overall wedding budget.
3. Book a venue and planner (if necessary).
Backyard or restaurant? Large event venue or public beach? Find the perfect place to celebrate your engagement and make sure it allows for the things you might want: catering, alcoholic beverages, certain curfews and more. Booking a wedding planner first, if you can swing it, might open some doors to great venue spaces you may not already know about. And perhaps, this may be a great trial run for hiring them to plan your upcoming wedding as well!
4. Decide on gifts.
While engagement gifts are phasing out, some guests may want to give you something in celebration. Before you send out your invitation determine your gifting strategy. Would you like to include a link to a cash or wedding registry on your invites? Perhaps you plan to ask guests to gift to a favorite charity in your name? Or, maybe you don’t want gifts at all. You can state that on your invitations clearly.