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Who doesn’t love a good party? This girl does! An engagement party is a wonderful way to bring those you love together to celebrate. In this section, we’ll discuss who’s throwing the party, the timing of the party, who to invite, location, how to invite your guests, the ambiance, food, and what to wear.

 Who’s throwing the party? Traditionally the brides’ parents would host the engagement party. However, today anyone can throw the party. Often, the couple hosts their own party to celebrate with friends and family. It’s also acceptable to have multiple engagement parties. Let’s say your parents live in another state. It’s your hometown and a lot of your close friends still live near where your parents live. Most likely, those people will be invited to your wedding. Have your parents host an engagement party in your hometown. You may also have a group of friends who live where you and your fiancé currently live. You as a couple can throw your own engagement party where you live with your close friends.

 Timing of the party. It’s best to host a party as close to your engagement as possible. If you’ve been engaged for over six months, the excitement of your engagement has probably dwindled because you’re now in full wedding planning mode. Celebrate your engagement when everyone is excited about the news and before you have dived face first into planning your wedding. Be prepared for the questions to begin. When is the wedding? Where are you having the wedding? Do you have a dress? If you host the engagement party as close to the engagement as possible you can reply, “We don’t know any details yet, we are just excited to celebrate our engagement first. We will start planning soon and will let you know all the details as soon as possible.”

 Who to invite. An engagement party is usually an intimate event with immediate family and your closest friends. If you already have your bridal party in mind, consider inviting just your bridal party and their dates and ask them at the engagement party to be in your wedding. If you have other friends who are invited, consider telling your bridal party at a different time to avoid hurt feelings. Invite the people in your life who do life with you. Invite mutual friends and your individual close friends. This is the first time that you’ll have all the people you love at the same event. It’s an exciting time to see your lives and the people who have influenced you individually come together to celebrate your life as a couple.

 Location. An intimate engagement party at either the host’s home or your home is always a special night. There is something about having your closest friends and family with you in your home that makes the party so meaningful. If you’re inviting a large group of people, consider renting out a room at your favorite local restaurant. They’ll be able to handle all the food and beverages so you don’t have to worry about that. This will be more expensive than a home party but if you have the budget to do it, then plan away. A local restaurant is a great place to celebrate, and you won’t have to worry about cleaning your home — either beforehand in preparation or after the party is over.

 How to invite. Once your guest list is established, it’s time to invite your guests. Engagement party invitations can be sent in the mail or electronically. They don’t have to be as formal as your wedding invitations. They can also be any style or design that you like. At this point you most likely don’t have your wedding invitations picked out, so these don’t have to match. Send them out a month before your engagement party and set the RSVP date for two weeks before your party. This will allow plenty of time for your guests to respond so that you know how many people will attend.

 The ambiance. Simple flowers and decor are all you need for your engagement party. There will come a time later in the planning process where you can go all out on the flowers. The engagement party needs only simple flower arrangements or decorate with just candles. Candles are my best friend to give a romantic feel to any event. You’ll want to create an intimate atmosphere at this special event with your special people. They’ll appreciate just being invited, so save your money by designing a simple ambiance that everyone will enjoy.

 The food. There’s no need to provide a four-course meal at an engagement party. Appetizers are perfect for this, such as a charcuterie board, sliders, and dips. This will create a casual environment where your guests can eat as they like while talking with you about how excited they are that you’re getting married. If you’re hosting a home party, these are items that you can make on your own. If you’re hosting a party at a local restaurant, pick some of your favorite appetizers for your guests to enjoy.

 What to wear. Momma needs a new dress! Buy yourself something fun to wear for your engagement party. Treat yourself, because this is a special occasion. If you really want to spice things up, coordinate your outfit with your fiancé. This might be the first time that you get to wear white. Or maybe a vibrant dress because you want your joy to shine bright. Either way, have fun planning your outfit and pamper yourself a little bit with something new to wear. A cocktail dress or summer dress for the women and a sports jacket or button-up with slacks for the men would be the perfect attire to celebrate with.