What better way to announce and celebrate your upcoming wedding ceremony than with an engagement party? If you find yourself asking “what is an engagement party and what happens at an engagement party?”, then we have answers for you. 

An engagement party is held to celebrate the couple’s recent engagement, and to help future wedding guests get to know each other. There are usually speeches, love stories, toasts, dancing and fun games or activities to celebrate the future couple and let families and friends mingle.

How to Organize an Engagement Party?

Planning an engagement party is no easy task, so we laid out some step-by-step tasks to help make your job a little less stressful and a whole lot more enjoyable.

1. Budget

First and foremost, you will want to set a budget. This will help set the foundation for all your planning going forward. We recommend having an overall budget, but then breaking that budget down into subcategories, to make things a little more manageable. This will help you track your funds throughout and make sure you’re staying on track.

2. Venue

When it comes to different engagement venues, there are a plethora to choose from. We first recommend choosing whether you want to tour indoor or outdoor engagement party venues, and from there narrowing down your choices based on budget, décor, ambiance and so forth. If you tour multiple venues, this will also help you when it comes to pricing negotiations.

3. Set the Date

Next you will want to set the date. Now that you have your venue selected, you can work with the venue consultant or the venue directly to see which dates are available. You will want to keep in mind that holidays or certain times of the year may be pricier than others. It’s also important to think of your guests, giving them ample time to plan and mark their calendars.

4. Formality/Attire

Once you set the date, you can now start focusing on the more finite details. What type of attire would you like your guests to come dressed in? Casual? Beachy? Formal? This will set the tone for your party and allow guests to plan ahead of time. The attire usually coordinates with the décor and aesthetic of the party.

5. Guest List and Invites

Now that you have set the date, found your venue and decided on attire, it’s time to select your guest list and send out the invites. You will want to make sure your guest list considers the capacity of the venue. When it comes to invites, you can send digital invites or more formal invites through the mail.

6. Menu

Next you will want to decide on the menu and how you would like your event to be catered. Do you have a theme in mind for food that you want to stick to? Do you want to serve the food buffet style? Or perhaps you would rather hire food and drink services and have a more formal bar presentation or servers walking around the event. These are things to consider in terms of the flow of your event.

7. Décor

Do you have a theme or a color palette you are trying to work around when it comes to décor? The attire you chose, along with the venue itself, can help lead and guide you when it comes to the aesthetic.

8. Gifts

Gifts are typically not given at an engagement party; however, some people never go anywhere empty handed. This could be a great time to start working on your registry and if guests do show up with gifts, we recommend placing them somewhere discreet, so other guests don’t feel awkward.

9. Assign Roles

Finally, ask a few friends and family members to help with setup and takedown. This way you have dedicated people who are ready to help you throughout the party. Now sit back and enjoy, because it’s time to celebrate!

We hope these tips help you plan the best engagement party of your life. At Piovra Group, we are partnered with some of the most beautiful wedding venues in Los Angeles and Orange county area and are always happy to bring your special day to life. As a venue consulting company, we like to make things as easy as possible on our clients, so if you are looking for a partner to assist throughout the event planning process, we would love to discuss what that would look like with you.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: If I’m not sure what venue I want to have my engagement party at, can you help with that?

A: Of course! We have numerous different venue partnerships we work with so we are confident we can find you an event space that will suit your needs and wants.

Q: If I don’t want guests to bring gifts, how do I go about that?

A: A great way to announce this is on the invite, or you can always donate to a charity instead of gifts. This has been popular over the past couple of years.

Q: If I wanted to cater the whole event, could you help me find a contact for this?

A: Yes, we can help you with any contacts you need in the industry, and sometimes venues already have catering options available to you.