Wondering how to plan the best engagement party? Many newly engaged couples plan a post-proposal celebration to mark the occasion ahead of the Big Day.
Much like planning the perfect proposal, hosting and organising an engagement party requires some key considerations when it comes to venue and date. However, when it comes to the finer details, like who is supposed to host and pay for the engagement party, things can get a bit more complicated and confusing.
In this article, we will take you through the steps to planning the perfect engagement party and answer all the questions you may have about party planning.
What is an engagement party?
Put simply, an engagement party is a celebration of the new engaged couple! They give the couple’s friends and family the chance to toast the occasion and offer a perfect opportunity for those who will be attending the wedding to meet in a more casual setting ahead of the Big Day.
Often, engagement parties are held soon after the proposal to extend the excitement. Usually, they’ll be around two to three months after the question is popped.
As wedding planning can take many months, an engagement party is a lovely way to extend the post-proposal bubble and excitement and celebrate with your nearest and dearest.
How to plan an engagement party
Here are our top tips to take the stress out of engagement party planning.
Decide who is hosting
Traditionally, the Bride’s parents would host, and pay for, the engagement party for the soon-to-be-wed couple. This is rooted in a time when the Bride’s family would host the soiree at their home, and it would be a chance for the two families to meet, sometimes for the first time.
Just as relationships and wedding traditions have changed, contemporary views on who pays for the engagement party have evolved, too.
Many modern couples now decide to host and fund their engagement party themselves. This allows them to have more control over the party, just as theme, guestlist and budget, letting them plan a party that is truly reflective of them as a couple.
Whether it’s a family member or the couple themselves, it’s important to decide who is hosting the engagement party early on in the planning process, as it will help to inform many of the next steps.
Pick a date
Usually the engagement party would be held in the months following the proposal, even if the wedding isn’t due to take place for a while. However, some couples who plan to have a longer engagement may decide to wait a while before hosting an engagement party.
Choosing the perfect date for an engagement party will be individual to the couple. You may want to pick a date that has some significance for you as a couple, like an anniversary date.
If you are flexible with your date, it may be a good idea to find a venue you like and check their availability first.
Make a guestlist
As a general rule, everyone who attends your engagement party should also be invited to your wedding, so keep this in mind when putting together your guestlist.
This can help you to stay focused and relieve the pressure to invite people because you think you should. Instead, think about the people who mean the most to you and who you want with you as you embark on an exciting new chapter in your relationship!
Find a Venue
Now you have an idea of how many people you want to attend, you can look for venues that accommodate that many guests. Popular engagement party venues include pubs, bars or restaurants, though depending on the size, some are still hosted in a home.
As engagement parties tend to be less formal than the actual wedding will be, you have more flexibility when it comes to finding a venue, and can choose somewhere unusual or unique.
Try to consider how accessible the venue is, and understand what transport and parking options there are, as this will help your guests travel to the party and increase the chances of ‘yes’ RSPVs.
Create a wedding email address
It is worth considering creating a wedding specific email address that can be used when contracting any wedding related contractors or contacts. Try using ‘thesmithwedding’ or use both your names.
Setting this up ahead of your engagement party will mean you can use this to collect and keep track of your RSVPs, can help with future wedding communications and keep all wedding related emails together, without getting lost in or cluttering up your usual inbox.
Design and send invitations
With your date, venue and guestlist set, it’s time to tell people when and where the party is taking place. Sending invitations out as soon as possible, with plenty of time before the event is taking place will mean people can arrange travel and book hotels if necessary.
Your engagement party invites don’t have to be in keeping with your wedding theme or how you plan your wedding stationary to look. We suggest keeping engagement party invites simple, with a sleek, chic design that captures all the important information.
Be sure to include details on how to RSVP (maybe using the new email address you’ve set up!) and, most importantly, a deadline for RSVPs, as this can help you best prepare.
Choose what to wear
Generally, engagement parties won’t have a strict or super formal dress code, but guests can be expected to wear cocktail attire or dress up a little bit to suit a party atmosphere.
For the couple, it’s a chance to wear show-stopping outfits and be the centre of attention. Many brides-to-be choose to wear white to their engagement party, for a nod towards their wedding dress. Other popular colours include light colours, like pale pink or cream, or metallics, like silver or gold. It’s a good idea for financés to treat themselves to a manicure, as guests will want to admire the beautiful new engagement ring!
Grooms may choose a smart outfit, which may include a blazer and dress suit, or even opting for a full suit. Grooms may want to take this opportunity to invest in a special pair of cufflinks for their engagement party. These could even be reworn on the wedding day!
Most importantly, the couple should dress how they are comfortable in outfits that make them feel amazing.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, planning the perfect engagement party should be an exciting time for the newly engaged couple, so keeping it simple and following these key steps can help ensure that it is a stress free process – allowing the happy couple to enjoy the planning as much as the party itself.
Perfecting your party planning early with your engagement celebration is also a great practice run for wedding planning, too!
