Throwing An Engagement Party? Here Are Our Pro Planning 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!!!
Engagement parties are fun, but if organised poorly, they can end up being a stressful event. Here are a few of our top tips so you can enjoy the process of throwing a great party and announcing your engagement to all your family and friends.
The timeline is just a guideline
Though most couples will plan their engagement party within the first three months after the proposal, don't stress out! If you've been engaged for more than three months and haven't even decided on a venue, it's ok, people get busy, and a party isn't always on the top of the priority lists. However, as a rule - the party should take place before the save-the-date cards get 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. Even if you have already let people know about the engagement, you can still plan a fun party to formally announce to your family and friends at any point.
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.
So, just think it through. Engagement parties are more about announcing things to those who are very close friends and the family. In a way, your marriage brings their lives together through you, so it's good for them to get to know each other as well.
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 happy couple to announce their engagement with their friends and family, and for everyone to enjoy themselves in good company.
Try to include a few party elements that will get people to mingle, such as a photo booth with props or some fun games to play. Let your guests in on a little taste of what they can expect on 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.
One idea that we loved was for each of the couple's parents to say a few words and maybe give a bit of advice on what to expect in married life.
Break tradition
According to tradition, the engagement party is meant to be thrown by the bride's parents, but it's 2022 now. 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. We don't think anyone's going to be too upset if the responsibility of planning it gets shifted a little bit. Besides, it could be fun to plan and organise as a couple, throw the party you want to have.
A creative idea that we liked was to split the party venue into two distinct spaces, one decorated by each partner and bring both styles together in the middle. This is a great way to symbolise the two of you coming together.
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 organised, and on top of your game, this would be a perfect time to send out the Save-The-Date announcements as well.
Bonus Tip: Hire A Marquee For An Outdoor Engagement Party
If there is one thing that we have learned over the last two years with Covid-19 is that things can change quickly. Events get canceled and venues get closed first. Our best advice for the foreseeable future is to take your event outside and control your space.
This summer has been one of the wettest rainiest summers in recent years. With a properly set up marquee we can weatherproof your event so that you and your loved ones can still party come what may.
A marquee will also allow for an easier clean up. Pillingers Hire will setup and take down your marquee as well as collect any other equipment hired for your event, taking that burden off of you.
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