{"id":22775,"date":"2017-08-31T05:02:08","date_gmt":"2017-08-30T19:02:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.easyweddings.com\/uk\/articles\/engagement-party-etiquette-need-know\/"},"modified":"2021-11-11T16:56:30","modified_gmt":"2021-11-11T05:56:30","slug":"engagement-party-etiquette-need-know","status":"publish","type":"uk-article","link":"https:\/\/www.easyweddings.co.uk\/articles\/engagement-party-etiquette-need-know\/","title":{"rendered":"Engagement party etiquette you need to know"},"content":{"rendered":"
Congratulations on your engagement! A party can be the ideal time to announce the news to your nearest and dearest. We have the answers to all of your questions about engagement party etiquette.<\/p>\n
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Everyone is aware of the hens and bucks and all of the fun and frivolity that can go on there, but who do you invite to an engagement party? Do you receive gifts? Who should throw the party? These are all common questions, so we have brought the answers to you so you can brush up on engagement party etiquette before the event.<\/p>\n
Traditionally the parents of the engaged couple will host the party. But a number of factors could impact on this, such your partners family living in another state or even country. In this case, you might opt to have one engagement party hosted by willing parents, or even have one with each family so that no one misses out.<\/p>\n
If you are having multiple parties, you should invite guests to only one party, not both.<\/p>\n
If neither of your families are close by, you can opt to hire a venue<\/a>.<\/p>\n That said, this is the 21st century and if you are having a destination wedding<\/a> or elopement and would like a big celebration for your engagement instead, you can take on the responsibility yourselves so you can celebrate with everyone.<\/p>\n If someone is hosting the party for you, it is generally them who covers the costs.<\/p>\n If you are hosting your own formal party at a venue, traditionally\u00a0it\u2019s your responsibility to cover\u00a0the bill and if a dinner is too expensive, you can consider a cocktail party or even a pot luck in your own back yard if that is more your style. You can tailor the event to suit any budget.<\/p>\n It is becoming more common to hold informal drinks at a venue and in this case, it’s okay for guests to purchase their own drinks and you can consider putting up an initial bar tab or providing some nibbles.<\/p>\n It is tradition that everyone who is invited to your engagement party should also be invited to your wedding.<\/p>\n But there is an exception to every rule. In this case, if you decide to host your own wedding and keep the list small, you might want to throw a larger engagement party. The key here is to let everyone know that this is what you have in mind so that people don’t feel on the outer or that they have done something to upset you when they don’t receive a wedding invitation.<\/p>\n Try to make the guest list<\/a> a balance between you and your partner’s friends and family, so that one side isn’t dominant. Often, this is the first time before your wedding that all of these people will mix together, and ideally, you want them to mingle and get along!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Since the engagement party custom was designed to help you start building bridges between your families, if you have input into the location and style of the engagement party, it is best to consider what will make not only yourselves but your parents and partner’s parents comfortable.<\/p>\n If one of you has a very formal family, an impromptu picnic in the park might not be the most appropriate setting for getting to know one another and a five-course sit-down dinner might be intimidating for some who prefer the more casual setting. Finding a medium is key. Maybe a stand-up cocktail party <\/a>with a live band would be the ideal way to keep all parties happy.<\/p>\n You might like to take some time to revel in your new engagement and start some initial discussions with your partner about how long you would like to enjoy this status before walking down the aisle.<\/p>\nWho pays?<\/h2>\n
Who should you invite?<\/h2>\n
Thinking for both sides<\/h2>\n
When should you have the party?<\/h2>\n