Congratulations! You’re engaged, and now it’s time to celebrate with an engagement party! Don’t know how to start planning? No problem, this is most likely the first party of its kind that you’re planning. That’s where FLEXX comes in to help. Whether it’s a smart event planner or simply chair and tent rentals, FLEXX can make your engagement planning easy and amazing. Follow these 8 simple steps to plan your engagement party
Step 1: Who’s Hosting?
As we all know, wedding festivities come with many etiquette rules and traditions to follow. What’s fun and different about engagement parties is that they are a lot more laid back, allowing you and your S.O. to be involved in any way you’d like! That being said, most often the bride’s parents will be the first to host a celebration, though if the groom’s parents, your siblings, your BFF, or even you and your fiancé would like to put together this one that is A-OK! Just make sure that the bride’s parents have the first right of refusal. It may also make sense to have more than one celebration if families live in two different places! Just a friendly reminder to whoever is hosting; this means they are the one to send out the invitations, make the toast, and pay for the party — so this is something for them to keep in mind.
Step 2: Set a Date
Just like you would with any other party, make sure you’re keeping important dates in mind when setting your day. You can have all of the event rental supplies you could ever want and it won’t matter if no one can make it! Consider the timing of holiday seasons, family birthdays, etc. Your engagement party should be within a few months of the proposal and before you dive deep into planning the wedding.
Step 3: Pick a Venue
You’ll want to choose a location that fits your guest count, matches the formality of your party, and stays within your budget. Engagement parties can be big or small, formal or informal — it is totally up to you! Part of these costs to consider are the venue cost, the size, the formality of the layout, and the cost of your event rental supplies like tables and chairs. Commonly, these events are held in a parent’s home or backyard, saving cost here and giving it that more relaxed feel. It’s also fun to do something a bit more formal and intimate, such as renting out a room in your most-loved restaurant or reserving some chairs and tables at your favorite speakeasy for a “cocktail hour” type celebration.
FLEXX featured products: Tall Cocktail Tables, 5′ Serpentine Bar, Wine Barrel Umbrella Tables.
Step 4: Send Out the Invitations
Again, depending on how formal you want to be, you can either mail out paper invitations or use a free online service to electronically invite your guests. You can be fun and creative here as these invitations don’t necessarily need to match your wedding stationary. Don’t forget to include your wedding registry on the invitation, and make sure you’re sending these out with plenty of lead time — we suggest about a month in advance.
Step 5: Plan the Menu
As much as you don’t have to plan every minute of every facet of your engagement party, the food is a pretty important part to consider. We recommend the “heavy hor d’oeuvres” route to keep all the guests happy and fed with a variety of finger food types. No need to put together a 5-course meal, your friends and family are gathering to celebrate the couple and will want to mingle and catch up with one other. You’ll also want the freedom of roaming around to greet everyone and allow them to give you their congratulations. Cookouts in the backyard or taco bars are other fun, classic, and effortless ways to have a good time! For dessert, you could, but you don’t have to make a cake. We recommend doing something a little unique such as an ice cream station or assorted baked goods, like this amazing doughnut wall at this cocktail hour!
Venue: Planet Bluegrass
Caterer: A Spice of Life
Donuts: Voodoo Doughnut Mile High
Decor Rentals: Yonder House
Step 8: Decorate!
You don’t need to get too crazy here, but a little bit of fanfare can always help an event. When in doubt, keep it simple! And again, your engagement party decor doesn’t need to match your wedding colors. This is a great time to try out a florist in your area. Have them put together a few small arrangements which will add a nice touch to any space and provide a romantic atmosphere. Utilize an effective event rental service like FLEXX Productions for chairs (and tents if it’s outside) rentals; dress up your tables with colorful linen (check out our linen collection here!), a variety of candles, or a few pieces that hint at your wedding theme.
Everyone wants to plan the perfect engagement party, but it’s no easy task. Follow these steps to make sure that nothing falls through the cracks. And now that your special day gets nearer and nearer, it might be time to start tackling your wedding checklist as well. But some of the first steps are helping plan a great engagement party. Start planning your engagement party or even your wedding with help from our Wishlist, or speak with a wedding specialist here to help perfect your special day!