The 5 Best Engagement Party Tips
Announce your impending nuptials in style.
Congratulations on your engagement! Now it’s time to tell your friends and family – but what’s the best way to do that? Throwing an engagement party should be fun, but if organised poorly, can end up being a stressful event. Here are a few of our top tips so you stay sane during the planning process and give yourself energy to enjoy yourself on the night!
The timeline is just a guideline
Though many couples will tell you that you should have a party within the first three months of your engagement, don’t stress out if you’ve reached the end of the three months and haven’t even decided on a venue – people get busy and a party isn’t always on the top of the priority lists. However, the party should take place before the save-the-date cards are sent. This way, your guests can ensure that they're able to attend at least one of the events and organise their plans around them.
Choose your guests wisely
Remember that everyone you invite to your engagement party will be under the assumption that they will also be invited to the wedding. However, an exception to the rule is if the wedding will be taking place at a destination venue – that is, where the guests will have to travel a considerable distance to attend.
Don’t be afraid to have fun
Engagement parties sound like they are heavily steeped in tradition, but they are really just meant to be a fun time for the to-be-bride and groom to announce their engagement with their friends, and for those friends to enjoy themselves in good company. Try to include a few party elements that will get people to mingle, such as a photobooth with props or some fun games to play. Let you're guests in on a little taste of what they can expect at your big day. The engagement party is also a great time to experiment with some of the ideas you want to try out at your wedding; colours, flowers, music or vendors, the engagement party can be a bit of a trial run.
Break tradition
According to other people, the engagement party is meant to be thrown by the bride’s parents, but it’s 2014 and we think that anyone should be allowed to throw the party – whether it be a best friend, a sibling, or if you throw it yourself – a party’s a party and we don’t think anyone’s going to be too upset if the responsibility of planning it gets shifted a little bit.
Give thanks
On the night, prepare a toast for those who have attended the party. After the night is through, send thank-you cards. It’s important to let your loved ones know that you appreciate that they have shared this important time with you.
If you're super crazy and really want to impress your mates (weird them out) maybe you should consider doing something like this...