WEDDING WEEK: Planning an Engagement Party

An engagement party is the time for couples to revel in excitement with their potential wedding guests in honor of the next chapter they are taking in their lives. Though the word "party" is attached to the event, the host should really set a mild yet celebratory tone for the party. If there is one key word I would accompany with an engagement party to make it successful is PERSONALIZATION. I say this for many reasons, one, depending on the size of the wedding you anticipate having, your engagement party may be the BIG celebration with all friends and family. You might plan on having your actual wedding be small and intimate; not including everyone that was invited to your engagement party. Therefore, you really want to make each guest feel special. To do this, we must use all Five Senses, especially the activation of sight.

Activate Sight

INVITATIONS

Sending out personalized invitations to guests that uniquely showcase the engagement party theme is one of the ways you can activate sight. I like the idea of creating your own handmade ones and at Michaels craft store they have several cutouts that with some fabulous stationery from Fine Stationery would make it so pretty & perfect. Be sure to make a couple things clear on the invite: 1) The mood of the party..fun & flirty, semi-formal, or formal 2) If this is the main event (ie: your wedding will include a small party of close family & friends 3) Whether or not you are accepting gifts. Usually at an engagement party gifts do not need to be brought, but lately this is becoming the norm.

PLACE CARDS

It is very gratifying to see your name written out. It makes you feel relevant and important and this is the exact feeling a host wants the future bride and grooms' guests to feel. Two places that have ready made place cards is The Wedding Outlet and Paper Style. Another great option is shopping at Etsy, an online crafter's boutique store. It has great place cards that you can purchase or find ideas to make your own creations.

SPACE

Renting out a hall at a venue can be pretty pricey because usually you are not just renting the space, often times they require you to have a food & beverage minimum and as the host you do not want to be burning a hole in your wallet, after all this is just the first step in the wedding process, there is still a bridal shower and bachelorette/bachelor party to plan!

Thus, the most affordable yet still intimate outlet is to have the engagement party at a restaurant. Preferably a restaurant that has a separate area that can be enclosed. That way people are free to roam & mingle apart from the main dinner table/s. Not to mention, a restaurant usually has a bar, and for those who would like to drink or even drink more than your budget can accommodate, they can serve their needs at the restaurant bar.

DRESS UP TABLES

Just because you're at a restaurant you can still dress up their tables. Unless the restaurant already has nice, clean table cloth, purchase table cloth that matches the theme & colors you are going for.

*Picture from: The Party Dress

Bride and Groom Table

It makes sense to have a table that showcases the couple, after all, this party IS about them. Ask the bride and groom to give you various engagement photos that you can include in beautiful frames to be placed on a dedicated table for them (you can even use the photos as decorative paraphernalia such as table centerpieces or streamers). Also, place a sign in book on the table for people to give their congrats! Gifts can also be placed on this table.

Food & Beverage Table

If you are having a small, intimate engagement party, being served food at a restaurant from a menu is an appropriate option to take. But, if you're having a large party, cut out the headache of individual orders and set up a buffet with food that caters to all dietary needs. Below is a beautiful example of a Food & Beverage Table at an Engagement Party courtesy of Cake Ink.

With this example I love how they expedited sending out Thank You cards by placing "Thank You" grab bags on the table for their guests.

~Centerpieces should be included on all the tables used at the engagement party. Click here where I will showcase some DIY centerpieces that are quick, easy to make, and affordable.

Easy enough right?