When there’s wedding planning to worry about, the engagement party can often feel like a bit of an afterthought, with a lot less energy put into making it wonderful. This makes total sense: there’s only so much time, money and attention to go around. Unfortunately, this often means smaller engagement party details are completely forgotten about. By making a little extra effort on these details, you can really make your engagement party something special.
The decorations
While decorations are usually considered one of the key parts of planning your wedding, they can often be forgotten when it comes to the engagement party. Whether you DIY engagement decorations, buy some bits and pieces from a store or online, or let the venue take care of decorations, it’s a good idea to have something planned. Decorations are the difference between the bare necessities of an event – food, a venue, and guests – and that little extra something. Something simple like flowers (or even paper flowers!) will perk up any space and look great in photos. Other trendy options for engagement party decorations? Bunting, garlands, banners, photo walls, lighting, confetti, and hanging features are a great place to start. They can be as formal or casual as you want, depending on the nature of the event. Just choose patterns, colours and textures to create the right aesthetic.
On-the-day stationery
You’re probably not going to forget to send invitations or RSVP cards, but on-the-day engagement party stationery can be overlooked all too easily. What sort of stationery? Think menu cards, seating charts and place cards. These things obviously serve important practical purposes, but they can also be a key part of the decor and aesthetic of your event. Make sure you order these extras when you order your invitations so they match and you have them in plenty of time for the big day. Another bonus of these on-the-day stationery pieces? They often serve as souvenirs or mementos for guests to take home, finding their way into memory boxes, in scrapbooks and on fridge doors. Regardless of the style and feel of your engagement party, there is a style of stationery to match perfectly: rustic, classic, bold, modern, minimalist, vintage or something else entirely. You can also choose your print type to make a statement. Premium print types like foil stamped or letterpress are perfect for more formal engagement party, while fun options like print on wood are great for rustic or more whimsical events. Whatever choices you make about the style, just having on-the-day engagement party stationery can make a huge difference to your day.
The jewelry
Engagement parties usually happen within a couple of months of the big proposal, which is also the time when the engagement ring is often returned to the jeweller to get resized. Many a bride-to-be has found herself at her engagement party being asked about the diamond and having to explain that it’s back at the store. If your ring needs resizing, take this into consideration when planning your engagement party. Resizing doesn’t usually take a long time, so just a small amount of planning can make sure the ring is right where it belongs, on your finger, for all the photos and admiring guests at the party. For bonus sparkle, consider getting some extra jewelry to complement the ring: a bracelet, necklace or earrings. You can wear the extra jewelry at the engagement party, the wedding, and for the rest of your life.
Your engagement party is a sort of prelude to the wedding. Focusing on these smaller details will help make it an event to remember in its own right, and keep people eager for the main event!
This was a guest post by Maddison Wallace from Paperlust. Maddison is head of content at Paperlust. She is a communications professional who loves words and drinking cups of tea.
Website: https://paperlust.co/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paperlust.co
Pinterest: https://au.pinterest.com/paperlust_co
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paperlust.co/