Engagement Party Planning Tips

Here are some tips on pulling off an engagement party. It’s easier than you think!

1. Who Hosts?

Traditionally, the parents of the bride will host the engagement party. That is not the case anymore. It is not uncommon to hear of the bride and groom throwing their own party or friends and family may volunteer to throw you one instead.

2. When should I have it?

The perfect time to have your party is after your engagement and before the serious planning begins (unless you are enlisting a wedding planner to help you plan the engagement party as well you would not have even looked for one yet) . Don’t have it later than 11 months before the wedding. Give your guests enough notice before the party and the party serves as a great stepping stone before invitations are sent out for the wedding day

3.Who makes the list?

It use to be a serious faux paz to invite someone to your engagement party that you won’t invite to the wedding. These days the large number of destination/out of town weddings has altered that rule.

It is acceptable to have a smaller get together with new friends, co-workers and others who may not make the invitation list dues to numbers or other reasons.

4. What is it for?

This is a time to celebrate and share your joy with those close to you. It is a great time to introduce the two sides of the family and give them a chance to get acquainted.

5. Do I need a theme?

My best advice is to go with a theme, color scheme or concept that does not resemble your ideas for your wedding day. Leave the real gasping from your guests for the wedding day.

Click here to see more ideas on my Engagement Party Pinterest Board.

Cheers! Creative Food and Drink Idea.

Guests come for the nuptials but stay for the food and drinks! A creative idea is offering individual bottles of champagne, soda or an alcohol of choice. These can be given to guests as favors or for their use during the reception. You will just need to contact the individual companies for more details.

Planning Tips: The Reception Dinner

The reception is a huge portion of the wedding budget, mostly due to the cost of food and beverage. Choosing how to use your money is not as simple as couples imagined when they begin their planning process. The hardest decision may be choosing how to serve the meal to your guests. There are three styles that are most popular: Buffet Style, Seated Dinner and Dinner Stations. There are different reasons to choose each and here are some details and tips to help you decide.

Buffet

Although a buffet has the rep of being the most cost-effective option, that is actually misleading. A buffet gives the guests multiple options to choose from, but the caterer cannot account for the size of the portion each guest will take. Caterers typically make more to accommodate, resulting in a bigger price tag. 

When considering a buffet also remember that a line will be unavoidable unless you have a small guest count. As a planner, lines are my event peeves and aesthetically unappealing. One way to shorten the line is to have a duplicate buffet station with all the same options. You should also make the stations double-sided: guests can form lines on both sides of the buffet and two people can help themselves at once.

Seated Dinner

A seated dinner is an option that eliminates the lines and is more formal. The trade-off is that the guests get a limited choice for their meal. 

An option that is becoming more popular for seated dinners are to have them served family-style. Whether the whole meal or just the sides, it is a compromise to giving the guests some options for their meal and encourages interaction between the guests at their tables.

Dinner Stations

This is one of my favorite options. Dinner stations allow for you to get creative with your food choices, and provides your guests with multiple choices and usually the opportunity to customize their meal options. Have fun with your station choices: Chinese lo mien station, Sushi station, Macaroni station,  Satay/Kabob station and a few carving stations. Have 4-5 different food choices. Make sure to have 2 of each station to avoid lines.

This can be a bit costly, so you may consider doing 3 stations for cocktail hour. 

How to Determine The Size Of The Dancefloor?

In a previous blog post (here) I provide tips on how to choose your perfect venue. One important tip I provide for couples is to remember that your dancefloor will take up some of the space on that special night. Need some help figuring the size of your dancefloor? Here is a chart to help you figure out which dimensions are perfect so your guests can party the night away.

                                                                    50 guests: 12' x 12'

                                                                   100 guests: 12' x 20'

                                                                   150 guests: 14' x 14'
                                                                   200 guests: 16' x 28'
                                                                   300 guests: 26' x 26'

                                                                   400 guests: 30' x 30'

                                                                   550 guests:  36' x 36'

* Remember, approximately half of the guests will be on the dance floor at the time. This chart gives you an approximation of the dimensions needed for dancing. Choose the dimension closest to your guest count.

Decor Tips: Bringing the Garden Indoors!

Although we have come to the season where garden weddings are in abundance, some brides and grooms are unable to find that perfect garden location in their city. That is not a problem! Here are some tips to bring the garden indoors for guests to enjoy the beauty and charm, without the heat and bugs.

Trees lining the aisle create the perfect picture setting as the bride walks down the aisle. 

Mix the table arrangements with overhead floral chandeliers. If you can't dine under the stars, why not dine under the next best thing! You can never have too much flowers.

Bring the garden look to every table with luscious arrangements in unique garden-themed vessels. Get creative, and provide place elements on the table that will make guests feel like they are dining Al Fresco.

Wedding structures created with natural elements, like willow, lush greens and gorgeous flowers like hydrangea and roses, create an intimate setting for the couple, in the middle of an garden clearing. Add candles or uplighting for an ethereal glow.

Garden gates are another decor feature I love!

Adding grass to the walls is not only unique, but it easily creates the illusion of being surrounded by the hills of the Emerald Isle.

10 Ways to Save on Your Wedding

1. Keep the guest list small - This is a way to keep costs down. Instead of inviting your parent's friend who you have only met once, keep the guest list to those who are close to you.
2. Consider non-peak dates and times - Saturday and Sunday evenings are peak dates and times for weddings You will be competing with other prides for vendors and venues. Choosing other days may also get you lower prices from your vendor because you are the only wedding that day.
3. Choosing your venue - Be creative with your venue choices. Locations outside of reception halls or venue halls can offer better deals. A Botanical garden, a friends gorgeous backyard or a Zoo may offer more affordable options.
4. Keep it together - Keeping a ceremony and reception in one venue is efficient and allows for easy travelling for guests.
5. Ceremony music - Look at local performing art schools with the possibility of hiring students to perform at the wedding. A string quartet or a piano player consisting of these talented students allows you to cut costs on the DJ and only use him for the reception.
6. Reception and cake - There are different choices that are equally wonderful for your reception. Have a lunch reception; limit your sit-down dinner to three courses; provide different stations of food favorites; have a dessert-only reception later at night. A cake can be more waste than a bride and groom anticipated. Choosing alternatives like a dessert bar or cupcakes will provide the same deliciousness that the guests will enjoy.
7. Decor choices - Flowers can be very expensive. To keep costs down, use flowers that are in-season for your wedding date. Use an abundance of candles instead of huge flower arrangements. Large Candelabras are a great elegant alternative to flowers.
8. Make it special - Have specialty drinks available for guests instead of an open bar. Creative names for the drinks that are personal to the bride and groom make the drink even more special.....and fun!
9. Photo and Video - The photographer and videographer capture the special moments throughout the day/night, but they do not have to stay the whole time. After the cutting of the cake, the dances and a bit of dancing, these vendors can leave. As the guests continue to dance, the images begin to become repetitive.
10. Hire a Wedding Coordinator!!! - Some think this is just an extra expense, but a wedding coordinator is a valuable  asset to your wedding planning process. With their vendor contacts, the coordinator is able to negotiate and get you the best price. They also help you stay on time, avoiding overtime charges from your vendors.