Georgina Clatworthy

By Georgina Clatworthy

From the moment you get engaged anticipate a whirlwind of excitement to be whipped up around you, from your own feelings of elation to endless phone calls asking about the ring, proposal and more importantly when the wedding will be! So as you embark on your engagement party planning, your thoughts maybe turning to just how long your engagement will be and when will the wedding day happen?

Many couples plan long engagements these days, often because they need to save the money for their dream wedding day. But whether your engagement will be long or short, one thing is for sure – you will want a ring to flash at that engagement party! Despite saying ‘Yes’ when he proposed, an engagement ring really seals the deal and shows the world that you belong together and choosing the ring together is wonderful experience to share.

So now you have said yes and you have the ring, it is time to begin that engagement party planning and tell the world your news. It is a good idea to decide between you how you want to announce the news, you may want to tell your parents first before announcing it to the rest of the world, but make sure you are both agreed about how you will do it. An engagement party is a good way of telling everyone at once and a great precursor to the celebrations to come!

Your engagement party also gives you an opportunity to begin your wedding planning and draw up your guest list for the big day. Once you have set your wedding date you can send out your save the date cards or hand them out at the engagement party, just remember that everyone you invite to the engagement party should be also be invited to the wedding. You may also want to tackle the issue of who will be in the wedding party (maid of honor, bridesmaids, best man etc) at this time.

It is common for many couples to have been together for some time before they get engaged so chances are your parents will already know each other quite well. But if the thought of everyone together in one big room fills you with dread then you may want to scale down your party plans and have a quiet dinner for family first. This will allow your parents to talk about the wedding with you together, and hopefully help you avoid any of the usual pre-wedding tensions that can occur within families when a wedding is being planned!

Whether you engagement party is big or small it is a good trial run for the big day itself. It gives you an insight into planning a big party complete with venue, guest list, catering and decorations, along with you both being center of attention for a few hours, something which many couples find awkward when it comes to the wedding day itself.