Engagement Party Etiquettes

An engagement party is obviously an occasion to celebrate the happiness of a newly engaged couple. It is the beginning of a series of long festivities that conclude on the wedding day. An engagement party is usually held 4-6 months prior to the wedding and can be in the form of a simple family affair or a huge bash. It is held for the families of the couple to meet and know each other. Although there are no strict rules and regulations to be followed for an engagement party, certain etiquettes need to be kept in mind while organizing or attending one.

The Host
Traditionally, an engagement party was organized by the bride's parents, to officially announce their daughter's engagement. However, nowadays, engagement parties are also held by the groom's parents or a close relative or friends and sometimes, even by the newly-engaged couples themselves.

The Venue
An engagement party is customarily held at the bride's place, but can be organized at a relative or friend's place, restaurant, resort or club. The host is responsible for taking care of the details of the party. It is essential to confirm with the couple, before deciding on the date of the event.

The Event
An engagement party can either be a formal dinner or a luncheon. It can also be a semi-formal event, like a casual tea, cocktail party or a brunch. A theme party would also be a novel idea, where you could think of a dress code and decorate the venue accordingly.

Guests and Invitations
An engagement party is usually an intimate affair involving close family members and friends of the parents as well as of the couple. The guest list should be planned carefully and only those people who would be invited to the wedding, should be called for the engagement party.

Formal invitation cards could be sent to the guests to invite them to the engagement party. If you are having a theme party, the invitation card could also be based on it!

Gifts
Normally, guests are not expected to bring gifts to an engagement party. However, if you are a guest, you could send one in advance to the bride's place. If someone brings a gift to the engagement party, the couple should open it only after all the guests have departed.

Party Etiquettes
At an engagement party, every guest should be introduced by the host. According to the etiquette of an engagement party, the oldest female member should be introduced first. While introducing a person, it is important to give some information about him or her.

During an engagement party, generally, the father of the bride announces the engagement of his daughter and her fiance, and is the first person to ask the guests to raise a toast to them.

Then, the groom-to-be says a few words about his would-be wife and her family and raises a toast to them. After this, the guests can also raise a toast to the couple. At the end, the couple can raise a toast to their parents and guests to thank them for joining in their happiness.

Guests should take care not to pass any unfavorable comments about the relationship of the couple. If they have some issues with either of the couple, it should not be mentioned during the engagement party and they should not make any other announcements during the party. Engagement etiquettes say that the couple should send thank you cards to the guests after the party and similarly, should not forget to thank the hosts.

An engagement party is a time to enjoy, and following certain etiquettes would avoid creating misunderstandings between people. Getting engaged is one of the happiest moments in a couple's life and an engagement party is a wonderful way of sharing this joyful event with the people they love.