Engagement Party Planning

When someone close to you says that 'we are engaged', you would be as delighted to hear the news as the person delivering it. Whether it is your daughter, son, your best friend or roommate, when you are bestowed with the responsibility of hosting an engagement party for him/her, you would want to make it the most memorable party in his/her life. For the purpose, you would want to come up with a 'flawless' plan that fits everything right into the place and helps you conduct the ceremony without any hassle. A well-planned engagement party would be a special event for all of you, including the couple, the guests and yourself. If you are running out of time, do not have a clue where to start with, you would want an instant plan to serve you. Here we are to help you with ideas for engagement party planning.

Engagement Party Planning Ideas

Discussion
First, let the newly engaged couple know that you are going to throw an engagement party for them. Meet them in person or inform your decision over the phone. If they decline your offer, then accept it gracefully. On the other hand, if they are thrilled about your proposal, then proceed further.

Date
The first thing to do, after getting the approval from the couple, for hosting the party, is to fix a date. Do not decide a date abruptly and expect them to be available on the day, because it is not the right way to approach the entire thing. Sit and discuss with them about the matter, before jumping into conclusion.

Budget
The moment you have finalized the date, it is the time to set the budget. Some people do not hesitate to reveal their budget set for the party, to the engaged couple. If you also find it all right to disclose your financial capacity for the party, then go ahead and discuss the matter with the couple. This will help you figure out how much to spend on the party essentials, including the venue, invitations, food and drink, entertainment, favors and d�cor.

Guests-List
It is the time to make a guest's list. Ensure that they do not include the guests who are not invited for the wedding. In addition, you should know that not everyone, who has been invited for the wedding, has to be invited for the engagement as well. Ask how many people they want to invite for the engagement. This will give you an idea of how many invitations you have to dispatch. At the same time, this will tell you the size of the venue.

Venue
The bride or groom's home and restaurants are usually chosen as the venue for engagement parties. In case you want to surprise the couple with some thing new, you may arrange an enthralling party at unique locales like farmhouse, beach or countryside cottage. However, it is always better to consult the couple before finalizing the location. Make sure that venue you choose doesn't burn a pocket in your hole!

Invitations
Now that the venue and the guest-list have been decided, it is the time to invite the guests to grace the occasion. Choose an attractive way of inviting the people, which clicks them and makes them look forward to the event. You may choose the tradition way of sending invitation card to the invitees. Novel ways of inviting people by sending them SMS, e-mail or over the phone can also be incorporated, provided the occasion is not too formal.

Food
Decide the menu for the engagement party. Remember, the food should be a real delight for the taste buds of the guests and most importantly, the couple. In case you are hosting the party at your home, then you make cook some exotic dishes on your own (if you are adept at the culinary art). These days, even for a get-together, people prefer to hire professional caterers. Consult them well before the event.

Drink
Toasts are inevitable parts of engagement parties. The father of the bride is usually the first to raise a toast for his daughter, followed by the groom and others in the acquaintance. Therefore, set aside some time for toasting, during the party.

Entertainment
Apart from raising the toast, entertainment plays an important role in enhancing the mood of the party. You may ask a local musician to give some special performance for the couple. Games and activities can prove to the be economical way of entertaining the guests and the engaged couple.

Favor
Last but not the least - decide what kind of party favors you want to bestow upon the guests. This may include small homemade gifts or shop-bought favors. Ensure that the favors have been packed attractively.