Engagement party

What it is

A party to celebrate the engagement and bring both families and friend groups together, often for the first time. Keep it relaxed: drinks, good food, a few toasts and a game that tells the couple’s story.

Plan ahead

• Four weeks before: agree with the couple on the guest list (keep it to people who’ll be invited to the wedding).
• Two weeks before: collect photos of the couple from friends and family for a slideshow.
• The day before: set up decorations, buy drinks and plan who will toast.

Set the scene

Letter balloons spelling the couple’s names or “ENGAGED”, photo frames of the couple, fresh flowers, and a “date night jar” table with cards and pens. A neon sign or photo backdrop for pictures.

Activities

Date night jar

Guests write a date idea on a card (“cook a Thai feast together”, “visit a city you’ve never seen”) and put it in a jar. The couple pick one each month in their first year of marriage.

Slideshow

5 minutes of photos showing the couple’s story, from childhood to the proposal.

Who’s most likely to…

The couple sit back to back holding a paddle with their face on each side. An MC reads questions (“Who’s most likely to get lost?”, “Who said ‘I love you’ first?”) and each person holds up who they think. The crowd loves it when they disagree.

Food and drink

• Canapés, a grazing table or a buffet
• Champagne or prosecco for the toast, plus a signature cocktail named after the couple
• A small engagement cake

Tips

• Introduce both families early in the evening.
• Keep toasts short - three or four people, two minutes each.