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Engagement parties can be awesome, fun, and a great way to kick off the wedding planning season of your life.
Here are some ways that you can throw a kick-ass engagement party that will make everyone (even you!) excited to RSVP “yes!”
Have a party at a place that's special to your relationship
I'm still kicking myself for not having an engagement celebration at the place where I met that guy I married. Now that bar is closed and gone, it would have made for a great excuse to take awesome pictures and document us the location (hell in the very chair!) that was responsible for bringing us together. Do you guys have a park you like to go to? Why not just throw a picnic-style get-together as your engagement party? Or use the party as an excuse to head out of town for a smaller, but more experiential party.
Surprise people with the news
You can turn any party into an engagement party with a simple secret announcement, or hell — propose during the party. This method is great for those people who get pre-party anxiety. You could just treat and act like this upcoming shindig is nothing but a chill get-together, and then make a brief announcement and boom — you're at your chill get-together that also happens to now be your easy engagement party.
Manga-inspired engagement party: Come for the incredible DIY decor and rainbow cake, stay for the tutorials!
My fiancé Will and I celebrated our engagement with a shoujo manga (Japanese girls' comics)-themed party, complete with DIY manga decorations, a magical cake, and... Read more
Pick a theme that makes you excited
Not every party needs a theme, of course. But do you remember the amazing Manga-inspired engagement party? Michelle and Will had such a blast at their party because they picked a theme that meant a lot to them — their shared love of Manga comics — and ran with it all the way to awesome party town. If you're not excited about the prospect of an engagement party, pick a theme that makes you want to party!
Mix up the timing
Not every party has to be in the evening with dinner and cocktails and evening wear…
- Throw a breakfast or brunch event.
- Have a mid-day pool party.
- Take advantage of your favorite bar's happy hour.
Think about entertainment
Not too into the idea of all eyes being on you? Think about hiring some entertainment, or hosting your party in a space that provides it: magicians, circus performers, fortune tellers, live music?
Or did you guys document the proposal in any way? What's better than letting your friends celebrate your engagement, than letting them SEE your engagement. Screen the video of the proposal, or do a slideshow with the photos!
No pressure
You know we never want to make you feel like you NEED to do anything. If “not having a fucking party” is the way you want to celebrate your engagement, then that's exactly what you should (or shouldn't?) do!
Who's thinking of having an engagement party? What are your plans? How are you going to combat the “stuffy stigma”?
About the Author: Megan Finley Horowitz
When Megan's not writing, traveling, and sleeping, she's eating like the fate of the world depends on it. (You're welcome, world!) You can snoop into her personal life over on her website The Dash and Dine!
I love the idea of surprising people with the news. It keeps the pressure off of guests to bring engagement presents.
Ooh, I didn’t even think of that aspect. TOTALLY!
Something I didn’t know when having my own engagement party… Etiquette says that if you invite them to your engagement party, you’re planning on inviting them to the wedding. This is a great way to do a “dress rehearsal” guest list, but it also means you need to be careful about who you invite. I didn’t know that, and pretty much everyone at my engagement party didn’t get an invite to the wedding. You don’t HAVE to follow etiquette, but you may upset people if you don’t.
Its interesting you say that as just last night my mother expressed her understanding that you invite everyone to a big engagement party, then can have as small a wedding as you like! Not sure if mum has just gotten mixed up (she also thought it was traditional for the grooms family to pay for the wedding), or if this really is the done thing here in Australia.
I have heard you dont invite someone to a shower that isnt invited to the wedding…do the same rules apply to an engagement party (and do I care about the rules anyway!)
I so wanted an engagement party. However on my list of ‘Stuff that is super super important on the wedding front’ I knew I would get stressed out organising that as well. So I left it up to the boys family, who only remembered now and our wedding is two months away hehe. Our ring was very late and only arrived 2 weeks ago, so I think a family dinner will be our party.
Definitely agree about the theme! We got engaged last month and my man was immediately planning the engagement party but I wanted to skip it – I figure a wedding is basically a big party, why have a party to celebrate another party?
But then I realised that I was uncomfortable with the ‘he asked, she said yes’ ‘celebrate the diamond’ vibe of most engagement parties. So I designed a party that I can get excited about – at the local lawn bowls club (decor straight from the 70s), door prizes, games and I’m catering an awesome taco bar and dessert bar. Tons of fun, no reference to the e-word except one mention on the invite, just all our nearest and dearest for a relaxed drink-and-eat. It’s in a couple of weeks and I truly can’t wait!!
Engagement parties seem to confuse me. I want to have one but the idea of mixing friends and family stresses me out! How am I supposed to entertain such wildly different groups of people!? If its too crazy the older people will be alienated but if its too stuffy and dull the younger group won’t have fun. And I do care about everyone being happy. And what does one even do at such a party aside from eat/drink/socialize?!
We’re having an engagement party in a few weeks. No theme, no presents, nothing fancy – it’s at my fiance’s aunt’s house. I basically decided to have the party for all the people involved in the wedding to meet each other. It’s bridal party, people involved in the ceremony, and our parents (who will meet pre-party at lunch for the first time!). I’ve just been in too many weddings where I don’t meet the other people in the bridal party until the big day!
My friends want me to have one and I would like one but the thought of my future in laws or at least some of them coming to this party makes my skin crawl. She doesn’t get along with that part of the family real well either so we really would be having this for our friends and the family that is friendly towards us. It is hard when you have Bio family on each side and chosen family we share and then friends how do you blend those all when her family would not be accepting of our chosen family or probably most of my family or our friends?
My inlaws are planning a party for us too but we don’t really like to be the center of attention. She rented a room at a restaurant (food is good there!) but we don’t know how to utilize our theme here and not take away from the wedding. We are videogame/internet/pop culture types of nerds. Think Sherlock, laptops, Xbox 360, Animal Crossing and Playstation games. I’m also having a hard time bringing all of it together and finding things to use for the engagement party. Any tips?
My Friend got engaged and one of my duties besides throwing a bachelorette party is to throw a engagement party. I have never thrown one before and I do not know where to start. Can you throw some ideas at me to help me get started.
My Fiancé and I are actually throwing an engagement party for ourselves. See, my folks don’t have the funds for it, his rents didn’t mention anything about it (which is absolutely okay). We’re not soliciting presents. In fact, the invite will say “no gifts”. But, we do want to have a potluck to cut down a little on costs since we are paycheck to paycheck people. We want to do a Harley Quinn and Joker theme and invite people to dress in Superhero attire. It’s in December but who cares, if someone says you can wear a costume I say jump on the opportunity. His family is a bit….reserved. My family is mixed. So, let’s face it, this is an excuse for me and my fiance to dress up. Lol We already put a deposit down on a site located on the same farm where we would like to have our wedding next yr. I just have no damn idea how to entertain people who are…. reserved. Anyone out there with advice?
I kind of really want an engagement party but nobody seems excited enough to care or come. We have been together for a long time. People think we’re married already. Even telling people I got engaged weirds folks out, in a “oh I thought you were married” way. I have no close family and literally no one to talk about or help with wedding planning let alone an engagement party. I’m just in a major funk over this whole getting married thing. I was super excited. Until I realized I had nobody to be excited with.