When a couple finally announces their engagement, it’s always a joyous occasion not only for the couple but for all of their friends, family, neighbours, and colleagues. Everyone will naturally want to celebrate the big occasion which can often put a lot of pressure on the newly engaged couple to put on a great party for everyone. However, with a little support from friends and family, the task becomes significantly more straightforward and easy to manage. As the old adage goes “many hands make light work” and when it comes to organising an engagement party, your help can make a huge difference.

Of course, when you’re attending an engagement party, you will need to bring a thoughtful gift for the bride and groom-to-be. You could even put together a registry of gifts and send the details to the attendees to help the happy couple out. There are some amazing websites online that offer a wide variety of different engagement gifts for you to choose from  (such as here: yellowoctopus.com.au/collections/engagement). With your gift ordered and on the way, you can focus on helping the happy couple to start putting plans in place for their dream engagement party. 

Let’s take a look at just a few ways that you can help support the newly engaged couple in planning the perfect party.

Volunteer For Planner Duties

Getting married means the couple has a lot of to-do items on their plate already.  If organisation and planning are some of your personality traits, why not volunteer your services and help the couple reach out to their inner circle in announcing the party date, time, and location? Gather guest list names and emails from the couple and draft a formal engagement letter or social media announcement. Tailor it to the couple’s unique personality traits to ensure those closest to the couple won’t want to miss this celebration.

For added fun, you can cloak the announcement in partial secrecy by announcing a “party” of some type like a picnic at the park, a beach barbeque or a pool party. Then once everyone is gathered, you can officially unveil the news, creating a special memory not only for the engaged couple but also for all their friends and family in attendance

Pick An Official Photographer

Paramount to weddings and parties is the goal of capturing those special memories. But why pay an outsider to take photos when we all know someone in our network who loves to take pictures and videos? Appoint someone with a laid-back, fun personality to capture all of these once-in-a-lifetime memories at the party. It can be as informal or as scripted as you’d like. If you feel up to the task or you have some photography experience, you could even volunteer your own services to the newly engaged couple. 

Whatever route you take, make sure that you use the personalities of the couple to decide how in-depth the camera operation should be, but be sure to include a group shot where everyone at the party is included and shots with just the happy couple toasting the beginning of their new life together.

Choose The Right Setting

Choosing the right space is essential. Ideally, you want an inviting, relaxing space with plenty of space for the guests to wander around, mingle and get to know one another. If you’re going to take on the responsibility of organising the venue, make sure that you finalise the dates with the happy couple before making any concrete reservations. Having an idea of the number of expected guests will also help you to fine-tune your search and hone in on venues that meet your requirements. 

Traditionally, the bride’s parents are the hosts of the initial announcement and celebration, but ultimately the decision lies with the couple. Extroverted couples may even want to hold multiple engagement parties, one for close family and perhaps one or two for business and University acquaintances. Some couples may want to hold one party for adults and one more family-friendly event to include children. Be sure to take the wishes of the couple into consideration when making your plans.

Toasts And Speeches

Finally, most engagement parties will include several toasts throughout the afternoon or evening. Traditionally, the father of the bride will first address the gathering and announce his approval by leading a toast to the happy couple. To keep things running smoothly, step in as MC to support the couple through what can often be a nerve-wracking experience for a lot of people. 

Take the time to introduce each person who steps up to speak and make sure that you give them the time to say their piece without making them feel rushed. This is an important role in any engagement party and if you can keep things moving along relatively smoothly, you can be sure that the happy couple will thank you.

Give All The Support You Can To The Newly Engaged Couple 

Following the tips outlined above, you can ensure that the happy couple have all of the support they need so they can relax and enjoy their engagement party to the fullest. Whatever responsibilities you take on to provide support, you can be sure that it will be appreciated and you will help to make the day even more special and enjoyable.

Photo by michael negrete on Unsplash