Congratulations! He finally proposed, and you’re officially engaged. While many brides-to-be immediately start focusing on those wedding plans, there’s still another fun party to enjoy before you begin. An engagement party is the best way to celebrate your exciting news, get together with all the people you love, and get everyone psyched up for the real big day. Make sure your engagement party is absolutely perfect with these planning tips.
- Choose an awesome location. Depending on your budget, you have plenty of choices for where you want to hold your engagement party. Start scouting out function venues melbourne and find a spot that suits your budget and your personal style. A chic hall with plenty of space to host all of your favourite people will work best – then do up the décor to reflect your unique taste.
- Plan out your budget. Your budget will need to cover the venue, food, décor, and will determine how many guests you should invite. Sit down with your new fiancé to work out exactly how much you can spend, and make sure to factor the bigger picture of your wedding into the equation. Working out your engagement party budget can actually be great practice for the bigger budget planning that’s coming soon. The parents of the bride traditionally host the engagement party – that’s obviously not a set rule, but it could come in handy if you’re looking to boost your budget to score the best possible party atmosphere.
- Send out some gorgeous invitations. Your engagement party invitations should be the build-up to your wedding invitations, so make sure they look great. There are tons of great invitation designers out there, but if your budget doesn’t allow for it you can always make beautifully handcrafted homemade invitations. Search online for creative ideas and get crafty. If you’ve already chosen a stationary service for your wedding invitation, they may give you a special rate on engagement party invites, so ask ahead of time.
- Design the guest list carefully. If you’re planning to have a small, intimate wedding, then you may not want to throw a large engagement party, as all of the people attending will probably expect to be invited to the real thing. Keep your wedding guest list in mind when you plan your engagement party, and make careful edits if necessary.
- Serve up some tasty snacks. Unless you’re having a full sit-down dinner at your engagement party, you probably don’t need to come up with a multi-course menu. Save that stress for your wedding planning and go for something simple. Sophisticated and delicious appetizers go down a treat with tasty cocktails, and you can always match up the vibe of the food with your intended menu for your wedding.
- Set a dress code. People are sometimes unsure of what to wear to these kinds of events, as there isn’t the kind of clear dress code that you’d get with a wedding. Make your guests’ lives a little easier by specifying your dress code on the invitation. If you want to go black tie and really dress up, take time to pick out the perfect cocktail dress so you can be sure to stand out from the crowd.