When you get engaged, there will be lots of parties and events in your honor. The first of these is typically the engagement party. This fun bash is a party hosted by the bride's parents to celebrate the news of the engagement.
The engagement party should take place fairly soon after he pops the question. Usually somewhere between one and four months. If you hold it fairly soon after the engagement becomes official, this gala can be when the announcement is officially made to your extended circle of family and friends. Keep in mind, though, that just as with a bridal shower, anyone invited to the engagement party should also be invited to the wedding.
Engagement parties will often be much larger events than a bridal shower. The idea of a shower is for the bride-to-be to have an afternoon spent in the company of her closest female relatives and friends. The engagement party, on the other hand, will involve a much broader spectrum of guests. Your good friends will be there, but so will your dad's golfing buddy and your mom's old collage roommate. Depending on the size of your parents' social circle, it can really end up being more for their friends than yours.
It is customary that no gifts be brought to an engagement party, but this tradition is not always followed these days. Because an engagement party really is not the same as a shower, you might consider putting "no gifts, please" on the invitation. If you decide to leave it up to your guests, be sure to get your bridal registry done before the party. When people bring engagement gifts, they also know that they will be buying a wedding present down the road, so this gift is generally going to be from the less pricey end of your wish list.
The party itself can be any style that suits your family. Engagement parties are often done as cocktail parties with appetizers. The guest list is usually too large to lend itself to a seated dinner in a home, so a mix and mingle type of event makes more sense. Besides, it really is not the food that matters at an engagement party; it is the Champagne! Expect plenty of joyful toasts in your honor.
The bride-to-be will definitely want to get a pretty new dress for her engagement party, no matter how formal or informal it may be. Certainly keep it line with the general flavor of the party, but also feel free to indulge in a really gorgeous frock - you are the guest of honor, after all (well, you and your fiancé are). Get your hair done for the party as well, so it will look fantastic in the pictures - nothing too fancy is required, but at least have your hair blown out by a professional.
Although it is not always done, the bride's parents might want to make a special gesture for the couple or at least the bride during the engagement party. Certainly, the father of the bride should make a toast welcoming his future son-in-law into the family. It would also be very thoughtful for the father of the bride to present his daughter with a beautiful necklace or other piece of bridal jewelry. By the time she wears the bridal jewelry on her wedding day, it will already have great sentimental meaning for the bride.
Beyond the basics, the rest of the engagement party is really about what suits the newly engaged couple and their families. If you love to dance, you can have a band. If you prefer to keep things more relaxed, you can have a barbeque in the backyard. The type of engagement party does not matter; what matters is the celebration of the upcoming marriage.
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