You just got engaged—yay! You’re still on cloud nine, but the first order of business you might need to figure out soon is your engagement party. Of course, your friends and family want to celebrate you (and even host it in your honor) but how soon are you supposed to have it? Below, find everything you should consider before deciding on a date (no, not that date).
Do It Before the Planning Begins
You’ll be in the thick of wedding planning soon, so you’ll probably want to get the celebrations out of the way before the craziness begins. The sweet spot is usually between one and three months after the proposal—you’re still in the giddy, recently engaged phase, but you haven’t dived into venue shopping, cake tasting and menu planning yet. This way, you’ll still be relaxed, and will have plenty of time to focus on planning this party (and only this party) for now.
Feel Free to Take Your Time
The amazing thing about engagement parties (as opposed to most other prewedding events) is there aren’t many rules, especially when it comes to timing. As previously mentioned, there is a sweet spot, but it’s totally okay to take your time to plan whatever it is you’re envisioning. Depending on the type of party—whether it’s casual cocktails in a friend’s living room or a formal affair—you might need more time to plan. And that’s allowed.
Think About the Length of Your Engagement
If you’re having a particularly short engagement, you should consider having your engagement party in the first month following the proposal. You’ll be antsy to get right down to business as soon as possible, and following your celebrations, you’ll leave time for the other prewedding events that’ll soon be popping up.
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Consider Location
Of course, it wouldn’t be a celebration without your most important friends and family. If either of your loved ones live far away, you should give yourselves a few months to ensure everyone has enough notice to figure out travel arrangements. Or—in some cases—enough time for you to travel somewhere for your engagement party in a different location.
Decide If You Want Multiple Parties
Yes, you might need to have more than one engagement party. For instance, if you and your partner have close friends in your current city, and you both have family in different states, you’ll obviously want a chance to celebrate with every group (because they’re important to you). Ideally, you could get everyone together in one place, but in some cases, you might have to settle on three different parties. And that’s a good thing—your loved ones want to honor your love, and that’s worth celebrating in its own right.
