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Planning an Engagement Party

© Amy Cunningham, Editor

Do you want to have an engagement party, but aren't sure where to start? Planning an engagement party is much easier than you may think!

The engagement party celebrates the newly engaged couple and their upcoming nuptials. Some couples even chose to officially announce their engagement to family and friends at their engagement party.


Traditionally, the bride's parents host the engagement party as well as the wedding itself. While the groom's parents may choose to host an engagement party of their own, it's more common for them to join forces with the bride's parents and host a joint engagement party.

In today's social circles, it's not necessary for the parents to host the party though. It's common for friend's, other family members, or even the couple themselves to host an engagement party.


Once the party is planned, it's time to send out your invitations. Make sure your invitations include all pertinent information including the date, time, and location of the party. Make sure that you mention the reason for the celebration and the happy couple's names. In addition, you may want to include gift ideas, registry locations, maps, or anything that you'd like guests to bring, such as photos of the happy couple.

It's important to note etiquette-wise that whomever you invite to your engagement party must also be invited to your wedding and reception.


While your party should be full of music, dancing, are mingling, here are a few more ideas for your party:

• Have guests bring photos of the happy couple growing up and throughout their romance together. Use these photos to put together a photo video to be shown during their wedding reception.
• Have the guests sign an scrapbook page and take a picture of each guest to include on the scrapbook page next to their message. Another idea is to have guests sign a photo matt, then have it framed with a photo from the party or from the couple's engagement photography session.
• Setup a microphone so that guests can make impromptu toasts to the happy couple. Ask them to share fond memories of the couple or advice for their future. Anything from sentimental to funny and cheesy goes at an engagement party.
• If you're having a smaller party, go around the room and have each guest introduce themselves and share a memory of the happy couple.

Wedding planning will soon be in full swing, so the engagement party is a time to celebrate and let loose before the storm. There are several things you can do to make the party go smoothly.

• Give the couple a bit of time to themselves to reflect on the proposal and just be in the moment together, particularly if they got engaged during the party.
• Consider your parents & in-laws. While the party is for the couple and celebrating their engagement, be sure to include your parents in the planning and the celebrating.
• Keep it simple. While you may be tempted to go extravagant, remember that the engagement party is not your wedding. Your engagement party should be a lead up to your actual wedding, not the other way around. If you have an over-the-top engagement party, you'll find yourself wanting to top it with something even more extravagant for your wedding.
• Set a budget and stick to it. This is good practice for your wedding planning as well. ;)
• Have fun and let loose!