The wedding reception. A fun night of festivities that is frequently forgotten on the wedding events calendar. With our simple guide to organizing the ideal engagement party, we're here to revive the great celebration that has been written off as an extra event that couples don't want to arrange.
There are many valid justifications for including an engagement party in your wedding celebration schedule. Perhaps you're planning a small-scale destination wedding and would prefer to enjoy the festivities with more local friends? Or perhaps you want to update your engagement party even though you're planned a traditional wedding.
Having an engagement party provides you the chance to try out potential wedding vendors, which is another benefit. To make the occasion stress-free for you, hire a planner. Choose floral arrangements from a nearby florist that fit the aesthetic you're going for for your wedding. Engage a photographer to record this momentous occasion.
The organizers of this lovely engagement party, Detailed Touch Events, shared with us their top advice for organizing your own event:
"If you choose to keep your wedding day look more traditional, now is the time to really make your celebration extra personalized and all about the two of you as a couple," I would say.
Therefore, how do you organize an engagement party? Here is our 10-step process...
1. Determine who will be hosting: you or friends and family?
This is a critical detail. If you choose to host your engagement party, you are in charge of the exciting details and more useful planning. Make sure you have the time and resources to take on this task in addition to wedding planning. As an alternative, request a family member or friend to host so you may unwind. Of course, in this situation, you have to be prepared to give up some of your control over specifics.
2. Establish a spending plan.
Establish your budget before making any reservations or purchases for your engagement party. Downloading our free wedding budget spreadsheet is advised. By doing this, you may determine how much of your entire wedding budget is left over for your engagement party.
3. Book a venue and planner (if necessary).
Backyard or restaurant? Large event venue or public beach? Find the perfect place to celebrate your engagement and make sure it allows for the things you might want: catering, alcoholic beverages, certain curfews and more. Booking a wedding planner first, if you can swing it, might open some doors to great venue spaces you may not already know about. And perhaps, this may be a great trial run for hiring them to plan your upcoming wedding as well!
4. Choose your gifts.
Some visitors might want to give you something as a celebration even if engagement presents are becoming less common. Determine your gifting approach before you send out your invitation. Would you like the invitations to link to a gift or wedding registry? Maybe you want to request donations in your honor from visitors to a favored charity. Or perhaps you don't want any presents at all. On your invitations, you can make that explicit.
5. Distribute invites.
Already have a designer in mind for your wedding invitations? Request that your wedding stationer include invites to your engagement party in your wedding suite. As a result, every invitation to a party will be attractive and coordinated. However, digital invitations are a terrific option if you haven't yet reached that point. Browse our recommended sites to purchase invitations on paper and online.
6. Create a mood board for your decor.
Everything's time to create an engagement party Pinterest board, whether you're using an event planner or doing it yourself. Organize all of your preferred florals, furnishings, and accents. This will serve as your source of inspiration when it comes to styling your engagement party with the help of your planner, florist, friends, and family.
7. Create a menu.
Most engagement celebrations take place in the evening. You will need to prepare food and beverages whether that is a cocktail hour, dinner, or late-night party. Check out potential cake makers, local booze suppliers, and caterers for weddings. Even better if you decided to have your party at a bar or restaurant. Your catering job will be straightforward. Create a mood board for your decor.
Everything's time to create an engagement party Pinterest board, whether you're using an event planner or doing it yourself. Organize all of your preferred florals, furnishings, and accents. This will serve as your source of inspiration when it comes to styling your engagement party with the help of your planner, florist, friends, and family.
8. Use a photojournalist.
Considering scheduling engagement photos? Why not make the occasion your engagement party? In their wedding packages, the majority of wedding photographers include additional event add-ons. This is a terrific opportunity to get to know one another and, in the end, add to the wedding album if you have your heart set on a particular wedding photographer.
9. Pick your flowers.
Try out a nearby florist or get bouquets of flowers on your own. Your engagement party is a fantastic opportunity to get started with your wedding's flower arrangements. You can integrate beloved flowers that might not be in season when your wedding is held, which is especially exciting if your engagement party is held in a different season.
Would you like to try making some DIY wedding centerpieces? Create stunning floral centerpieces by following this tutorial. Your ability to DIY the flowers again on your wedding day will be revealed by your experience.
10. Look for the ideal clothing.
The greatest advise is saved for last: it's time to look for the ideal attire for the engagement celebration. We have short wedding gowns, amazing bridal pantsuits, and reasonably priced jumpsuits if you want to wear only white (you know, to show off you're the bride)! If you want to go modern for your engagement party and traditional for the wedding, our friend and wedding planner Sneh Diwan has provided some stunning non-traditional South Asian wedding outfits.
Trying to order things? Shop our selection of faovirte calendars, notebooks, and planners for weddings.
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