After announcing the engagement to family and close friends, many couples choose to celebrate by throwing an engagement party. Read on for party ideas and tips on engagement invitation wording.
Engagement Party Ideas
Deciding what to do for the engagement party will depend on the couple’s personalities and budget. Engagement parties are a great way to celebrate and a way for both the bride and groom’s families to get to know each other better.
Traditionally, the bride’s parents would host the engagement party or even the groom's parents as the bride's parents may be covering costs for the wedding itself. However, these days many couples host the engagement parties themselves. There are plenty of options for what sort of party a couple can have, and this will depend on taste, budget and perhaps even the guest list.
There are no hard and fast rules and couples may choose to have a formal party, an informal one, or a party in between. Some party venues and theme options are:
- intimate dinner
- small party at home
- a barbecue
- a huge party in a hired function hall or pub
- a cocktail party
- a vineyard
- on a boat
- a restaurant
- the local gardens
As budget plays an important part in organizing an engagement party, the couple should work out their budget first. They should consider the costs of food, alcohol, decorations, invitations and entertainment. Entertainment could be a band, a DJ or a piano player, depending on the type of party and the venue selected. To keep the cost of the engagement party down, the couple may decide to have a small party, inviting only immediate family and close friends.
Engagement Party Invitations
While deciding on what type of engagement party to have, the couple should consider their guest list. If they have a large budget, they can invite everyone they intend to invite to the wedding, to the engagement party. If the couple have a smaller budget to work with, an intimate party may be best. In this case, they should only invite people whose presence they desire at the wedding to the engagement party. Guests who come to the engagement party will expect to be invited to the wedding and the couple may offend people if they don’t think ahead.
The length of the engagement will determine when the party should be held, but generally about 3 months after the proposal and 6 months before the wedding is a good guideline.
Even at the more informal engagement parties there are usually speeches or toasts. Traditionally, the father of the bride and the groom will speak. The father of the groom and the best man may make a toast as well. This will also depend on who hosts the party, as the host will need to make a small toast.
Below is a simple example of an engagement party invitation, but wording will depend on how casual or how formal the party is and who is hosting it. For a simple party hosted by the couple, the invitation could say:
Dear Frank and Ingrid,
Kylie and Trent
Request the pleasure of your company to help celebrate their engagement!
Where: 13 Happy Street, Marriageville
When: Saturday 4th September
Time: 7pm
Dress: Casual
Details: Food, softdrink and alcohol provided
R.S.V.P: Monday 23rd August
Contact: Kylie or Trent at
kylie@fakeemail.com or phone 0412 777 8475
trent@fakeemail.com or phone 0417 889 3711
The invitation wording will, of course, be based on personal choice and how formal/informal the engagement party will be. Remember these ideas and tips when planning your engagement party to make it a fun and stress-free event and don’t forget to send Thank You Cards. You may also like to read Choosing an Engagement Ring and Engagement Ring Insurance.
Roberta Goli - Roberta has a Bachelor of Science Degree (Zoology), has worked with animals for over 10 years and enjoys writing short stories and flash ...
