Just engaged? How to plan your engagement (and party)
Congratulations. Before the spreadsheets and the group chats, the first thing to do when you get engaged is nothing at all: tell the people you love and enjoy it.
When you are ready, here is how to begin, and how to mark the moment with an engagement party if you would like one.
The first few weeks
There is no rush, but a few gentle first steps make everything later easier.
- Share the news with close family and friends first
- Talk, loosely, about the wedding you both picture
- Agree a rough budget and who might contribute
- Start a shared place to keep ideas, so nothing is lost
Should you have an engagement party?
An engagement party is lovely but entirely optional. It can be as simple as drinks at home or a meal with both families meeting for the first time.
Keep it relaxed and inexpensive; save the budget for the wedding itself. Its real value is bringing the two families together early.
Planning the party
Pick a date a few weeks or months out, a relaxed venue or a home, and a simple guest list of the people closest to you.
You do not need favours, a seating plan or formality. Good food, a few words, and the people you love is the whole event.
Common questions
What should you do first when you get engaged?
Tell the people closest to you and enjoy it. Then, when you are ready, agree a rough budget and the kind of wedding you both want before booking anything.
Do you have to have an engagement party?
No. It is entirely optional. If you do want one, keep it relaxed and inexpensive, and save the budget for the wedding.
How soon after getting engaged should we start planning?
There is no rush. Take a little time to enjoy it, then start with budget, guest count and a rough date when you feel ready.
Ready to start?
Plan every event, guest and tradition in one calm place. Free to start, no credit card.
Start planning, free