Congratulations! You’re engaged. There are so many things to do, but one of the first is celebrating your engagement with friends and family! The best way to do that is by planning an engagement party to mark the beginning of your wonderful journey. While the specifics of your party will depend on your personal preferences, there are some general engagement party planning tips that will help you plan a successful engagement party in Atlanta. Keep reading to learn more about how to plan an engagement party everyone will enjoy.
Your Engagement Party Planning Questions Answered
Before we dive into how to plan an engagement party in Atlanta, let’s cover some of the most commonly asked questions about this event.
Should I have an engagement party?
An engagement party is a dedicated time to celebrate your engagement that kicks off the festivities leading up to your wedding day. It is a great opportunity for friends and family to become acquainted, as they’ll be hearing from and seeing each other more often during the wedding planning process.
Another reason to have an engagement party has to do with the size and location of your wedding. Suppose you’re going to have a small, intimate wedding like a micro wedding or elopement. In that case, an engagement party enables you to celebrate your upcoming marriage with more people than will be invited to the actual ceremony. Similarly, if you’re having a destination wedding, an engagement party is a time to gather with friends and family who won’t be traveling for the ceremony.
Regardless of your reasoning, it comes down to whether or not you want to have an engagement party. If you do, go for it! If you don’t, here are other things to do as a newly engaged couple.
Who plans and pays for an engagement party?
Traditionally, the bride’s parents host and pay for the engagement party. However, these days, most couples are all about breaking traditions. Many opt to hire a professional event planner to plan their engagement party. Hiring a social event planner is especially helpful if you want your engagement party to be theme-specific, hosted at a venue, or professionally catered.
What do you do at an engagement party?
Celebrate! An engagement party is all about the newly engaged couple. It is a time to celebrate their love with friends and family. Planning engagement party games and activities for guests is a great way to do this. One of the best engagement party games that gets everyone involved is, How Well Do You Know the Couple?
How to Play: Create a list of 20 questions about the couple, including their favorites (food, band, season, activities, etc.), their relationship (when and where they met, their first date, their first kiss, etc.), and them individually. Read each question out loud and have guests write down their answers. Then, read the answers (answered by the couple beforehand), and give a point to participants each time they guess the correct answer. The guest with the most points wins!
Engagement Party Planning Tips for Your Celebration
Whether you are planning an engagement party in Atlanta for yourself or your newly engaged friends or family members, here are six engagement party planning tips to ensure your celebration is one to remember.
1. Take a Breath, Then Pick a Date
The ideal time for an engagement party in Atlanta is about a month after your actual engagement. While it can be tempting to celebrate with friends and family right away, give yourself time to plan a fantastic event. After all, your engagement party is the first celebration of your wedding season. Waiting at least a month gives you time to dive into engagement party planning with less stress.
2. Go All Out with an Engagement Party Theme
When choosing a theme for your engagement party, go with what suits you as a couple. It could be something as simple as Sunday brunch or a backyard BBQ because it’s one of your favorite weekend activities. Other ideas for an engagement party theme include:
- Garden Picnic Engagement Party
- Vineyard Hopping Engagement Party
- Murder Mystery Engagement Party
- Time-Period Engagement Party (throw it back to the 90s or the year you and your finacé first met)
- Ice Cream Social Engagement Party
- Mexican Fiesta Engagement Party (with an on-site taco truck and margs all around)
- Pool Party Engagement Party (check out this awesome destination birthday party as inspiration)
- Hollywood Glam Engagement Party
3. Select a Venue You Love
Once you know the theme of your engagement party, you can choose the best venue in Atlanta to host your event. Some couples hold their engagement party at their home or a family member’s house, while others rent out space at their favorite restaurant or outdoor gathering space. Go with whatever works best for you!
4. Curate a Guest List and Send Invitations
With the details coming together, the next step in engagement party planning is to decide who to invite. While the choice is really up to you, there are some things to keep in mind. First, engagement parties are traditionally smaller events (but remember, we’re in full support of breaking traditions if you want to). Second, generally, the people invited to your engagement party should be invited to your wedding, unless you’re having a small or destination wedding. Lastly, consider whether or not you want your engagement party to be a child-friendly event. If not, clearly communicate that on your invitations, so your guests have plenty of time to arrange for childcare.
5. Don’t Forget the Food and Drinks
What’s a party without delicious food and drinks? While you don’t have to serve a three-course meal unless you want to, it is a good idea to provide refreshments. You may even decide to have your engagement party catered, whether you want to bring in a food truck, a mixologist, or a specific type of cuisine that goes with your theme.
6. Propose a Toast to Your Friends and Family
It is a kind gesture to say a few words to your friends and family at the end of the event. Sharing a toast or short speech is a great way to show appreciation to your loved ones for celebrating you and thank anyone who contributed to the engagement party planning.
Plan All Your Wedding Celebrations with Park Avenue Events
An engagement party is the first of many celebrations surrounding your wedding. There’s also the bridal shower, bachelorette party, bachelor party, rehearsal dinner, wedding ceremony, reception, and send-off brunch. With so many events to plan, save yourself time and stress by hiring a professional wedding planner. At Park Avenue Events, we love planning special events and one-of-a-kind weddings. Contact us today to learn how we can help you start the wedding planning process as soon as you say “Yes!” to marrying the love of your life.