Traditionally, the engagement party is hosted by the bride's parents to announce the upcoming wedding to family members and friends. But if your family and friends already know about your engagement since, especially in this day and age, engagement news travels fast, then who hosts the engagement party is a matter of preference to the bride, groom, bride's family and groom's family.
If you and your groom decide to host the engagement party yourselves, here are some ideas:
Theme your Engagement Party as a "Prologue" for your Wedding
If you already have in mind a basic idea of your wedding theme, why not apply it to your engagement party? For instance, if you're planning
a beach wedding on Cape Cod, your wedding ceremony and wedding reception would be based on your plans for having a beach wedding. For your engagement party
you could decorate the tables with seashells or a candle bowl with beach sand and candles inside. You might have blue hydrangea flowers also as part of
the decoration. Think of the engagement party as a hint of the wedding to come and tie it in to your wedding accordingly.
An Old-Fashioned Dinner Party
Are you looking to bring some elegance into your life? Why not have an old-fashioned dinner party. You can do this at your home and
if you don't want to do the cooking and cleaning, you can hire a caterer. But having a dinner party the elegant way goes beyond the food.
Make sure you're aware of proper dinner settings and course arrangements and use cloth napkins and silverware if you have it or your best
flatware. Invite your guests at least two weeks ahead of time via paper invitations. You can get the invitations from the same place as
you'll get your wedding invitations, and again, you can make your engagement party invitations as a tie-in to your wedding's theme.
Your Favorite Restaurant
Many restaurants have function rooms or special rooms that you can book to have a private party. Having your engagement party at a restaurant
saves you or your family from having to do the cooking or the cleaning afterwards. If you choose to do it at the establishment (such as a
hotel) where you plan on having your wedding, you may be able to work out a discount or a package deal.