Congrats, you’re engaged! This is just the beginning of an exciting chapter.
Now, you might be wondering where to start with planning an engagement party. To help make your celebration both fun and stress-free, here are the top five key things to consider.
Budget
A good place to start is thinking about your budget. Do you want it to be an elaborate event or an intimate gathering? Firstly decide what you and your fiancé want it to look like, and from there you can decide how much to spend. From choosing the right decorations and venue, to deciding how much to spend on food and drink, our wedding planning software will help you stay on top of your planning so you can enjoy every moment - all while staying within your budget!
Timeframe
Next, decide on the timeframe. Depending on when you want to get married, your engagement party may be closer or further away from the wedding day, but we generally find 9-12 months before the wedding day works well. This allows enough time to plan for the wedding after the engagement party.
Guest list
Decide on a guest list. Depending on your budget, you may want to invite more or fewer guests than you will invite to the wedding. However, it's important to communicate this. Some people may think an invitation to an engagement party is an invite to the wedding but this isn’t always the case. Equally, your engagement party guest list is a great way to help you decide how many people you will want at your wedding. Starting with an A list, and then a B and C will allow you to decide the priority order of who you want there. Our wedding planning software has a guest list organiser so you can prioritise guests, and even track who has RSVP’d so you can turn to the B or C list if priority A can’t attend.
Location/Venue
Now it’s time to think about the venue. What venue will comfortably host the amount of people on your guest list? Traditionally an engagement party was hosted by the parents but really you can have it wherever you like. A bar may be more suitable for what you want or you may have a home that would work well. Either way, you can personalise it with beautiful decorations, speeches, live music, or a photo booth. There are many great ways to keep your guests entertained, no matter your budget.
Food & Drink
There’s no rules when it comes to food and drink at an engagement party. You may want to have a sit down dinner or casual drinks and nibbles. Putting on a bar tab and ordering bar snacks can be a great option, and once the bar tab is used, it’s up to your guests to buy more. We also love the idea of a champagne toast!
Planning your engagement party is an exciting task! But it can have its challenges. Our wedding planning software doesn’t just make planning your wedding a whole lot easier, it can also help with planning your engagement party. Take the stress out of all the planning and keep all your vendor information, guest list, inspiration boards, seating arrangement plan, and budget tracking in one place. Check it out here.
Above all, soak in the excitement of getting engaged and planning for one of the biggest days of your life. You only get married once (fingers crossed) so do it right, and enjoy every moment.