Congratulations! If you made it here you or someone close to you has made the commitment to spend their life with someone they love. It is a beautiful thing to celebrate. Now it is time to gather the friends and family for an intimate gathering as you plan the perfect engagement party.
This will be the first in a sequence of many celebrations leading up to the big day. As you embark on planning this event many questions may arise. First off who is actually in charge of the event? Traditionally it is the responsibility of the bride’s family, but in modern times it is not unusual for just about anyone to throw the party.
You can even throw your own party. There can also be multiple parties if the happy couple has family and friends in different parts of the world.
When do you have an Engagement Party?
This party traditionally happens shortly after the engagement. If you are throwing your own party you may want to give yourself a month or two to enjoy newly engaged bliss before starting to stress over the details of planning your party. Typically the party will happen a few months after the engagement, but at least six months before the actual wedding.
Your best bet is to get loved ones involved in the planning process to lessen the burden. You will have plenty of decisions to make as you plan for your big day. Decision fatigue is real, it may help if you lessen the number of decisions you make at this stage of the game.
What you would like to do for your party may help determine when you would like to have it. Perhaps your family lives in a cold state and would love a tropical getaway this winter. Having a lovely trip planned will provide memories for a lifetime as you celebrate your future nuptials. Spring and summer are popular times to plan these celebrations, just remember to plan in advance and that means venues will be booked out.
How to Prepare for the Perfect Engagement Party?
Start by deciding how formal an event you would like to throw. Anything from a sit-down dinner to a cocktail party is appropriate. Choose a level of formality that suits you and your guests will be comfortable with it.
Decide who to invite and send out the invitations. The guest list typically includes close friends and family. Send out invitations a month ahead of time, be sure to indicate how formal of an event you plan to host so your guests can plan and dress appropriately.
It is not customary to expect gifts for an engagement party, though some of your guests may want to bring one regardless. It is easy to provide a link to the wedding website with a preliminary gift registry. That way if any guests would like to bring a gift they can do so with confidence, but there is no pressure.
As far as the actual party goes, you should plan to have a round of toasts and speeches, traditionally starting with the bride’s father if her family is throwing the event. If your event is less traditional, have anyone toast in whenever order they would like.
Plan for spectacular food and beverage menu that fits the mood and level of formality for the event. Anything from a wine and cheese pairing to hiring a chef to cater to a lovely dinner is appropriate depending on how big you want to go for the event.
Best Places to Have an Engagement Party
Chances are that your perfect engagement party will be a smaller group of closer friends and family as opposed to a larger guest list invited to the actual big day. If you have always dreamed about having a large destination wedding, but don’t want to pressure that larger guest list to make an expensive trip, why not have a smaller destination engagement party?
Would you like to have a luxury experience that will produce memories for years to come? Have an engagement party to be remembered on a private charter in Cabo. Plan to have your special event on the Pelican Cabo. Give us a call at +52-6241228554 or email alejandro@pelicancabo.com to book today.
Looking for some other great party ideas? Check out these adult birthday Party Ideas or how to throw the best bachelor party.
