Throwing a Summer Engagement Party

You’ve just said yes to one of the most important questions anyone will ask you in life, and now it’s time to plan some celebrations! Before you get caught up in wedding planning, take a bit of time to celebrate with your spouse-to-be, your friends and your family with an engagement party. If you’re hosting this get-together in warmer weather, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to celebrate, so you need to know how to throw a summer engagement party.

Whether you wait for this get-together to announce your engagement, or you use it as an opportunity for your family to meet your significant other’s, throwing a summer engagement party is an ideal way to let loose a little before the big day. Follow these engagement party tips to make your event the best it can be.

1. PICK A THEME

A summer engagement party is a fun and relaxed celebration, so why not make it themed? Having a theme for any party makes it easier to decorate and create a menu, and it lets you and your partner show off your personalities and celebrate your engagement all in one. Choose from these summer engagement party ideas or think outside the box for a fabulous event.

• Carnival: Summer is all about carnivals and fairs, so create yours for a fun way to celebrate. Serve cotton candy, set up carnival games, use brightly colored decorations and party into the night with friends and family.
• Backyard barbecue: For the ultimate casual get-together, plan a backyard barbecue that doubles as an engagement party. Get grilling and play lawn games as your and your partner’s families get to know each other.
• Vintage: Plan a chic event with a vintage theme. Decorate with pastel colors or gold tones, serve some wine and incorporate old pictures of past weddings in your families.

The themes you consider for your engagement party ideas don’t necessarily have to relate to what you want for your wedding. You could match the color scheme or pick a similar theme for your party and your wedding, but you could just as easily mix it up and do something unique for both celebrations. It’s your and your significant other’s day, so choose whatever you like for your celebration!

2. SELECT A LOCATION

Not sure where to host an engagement party? Since you’re celebrating in the summer, why not take advantage of the nicer weather and throw a party outside at one of these possible outdoor venues?

• Your backyard
• A local park
• A public beach

READ: Outdoor Event Planning Tips

If the weather where you live is unpredictable, or you’re concerned about rain or bright sunshine, one of the best summer engagement party tips is to choose an outdoor venue that offers covering and shade. You won’t need to pick a rain date or cancel your summer engagement party at the last minute if you plan to move to an indoor or covered area. You’ll then be able to choose the ideal time of day for your celebration based on lighting and shade available, though most engagement parties begin in the early evening and continue into the night.

Also remember that when you choose a location for your engagement party, you don’t want it to upstage whatever you choose for your wedding. While your get-together should be in an enjoyable location, you don’t need to put a lot of your budget into a venue for an engagement party.

If you want as many guests as possible to be able to attend, consider what’s convenient for your friends and family members. If you or your partner’s parents and other family members live farther away, think about bringing the party to them for everyone’s convenience. Have friends and family in a few different locations? Try to choose something more central, so everyone has a shorter distance to travel. You could even throw multiple parties to get closer to your friends and family.

3. INVITE YOUR GUESTS

It’s not a party without plenty of guests gathering to celebrate your upcoming wedding. Get ready to tell the story of your engagement to everyone and answer plenty of questions about your wedding ideas. When you invite guests to your engagement party, be sure to:

• Host your get-together within a month or two of your engagement.
• Send invitations about a month before the party, longer if your guests need to travel from far away.
• Use digital invitations if your event is more casual.
• Invite an even mix of your and your partner’s friends and family.
• Try to invite only those friends and family members who will also receive invitations to the wedding.

Your summer engagement party is the perfect opportunity for you and your significant other’s friends and family members to meet each other, so encourage them to mingle with plenty of group seating and no seating chart. An engagement party is often more casual anyway, and it’ll help put everyone more at ease to meet each other and talk in a relaxed setting.

Read: How To Plan An Adult Halloween Party

4. DECORATE

Based on the theme and location you chose, you can decorate your engagement party to set a fun or classy mood. Decorations will elevate any get-together to an event that’s appropriate for such a life-changing celebration, so you may want to:

• Create displays with engagement photos and pictures of you and your partner throughout your relationship.
• Add classic engagement-related decorations like diamond ring shapes to favors, desserts and more.
• Emphasize your theme with fun centerpieces, celebratory balloons and other details.

If your announcement is a surprise, keep the decorations subtle instead of engagement-themed. Remember to do the same with your invitations, telling guests the event is just a casual get-together. Of course, if you have a few months between your engagement and the celebration, it’ll be hard to keep a secret, so don’t be afraid to let everyone know and go all-out with the themed decor.

5. PLAN ACTIVITIES AND ENTERTAINMENT

An engagement party doesn’t require that guests bring gifts, so you won’t have to set aside time to open presents. Instead, you’ll want to plan entertainment with games and other activities. Include these entertainment options in your engagement party for a memorable time:

• A photo booth with fun wedding props helps ensure you and your guests end your engagement party with plenty of snapshots to take home.
• A trivia game about your and your partner’s relationship gets both sides of your family and friends involved.
• An upbeat party playlist can get guests dancing and lets you get ideas for your future wedding playlist.

Remember the age range of your guests when you plan for games, as well. Have games and activities suitable for kids, especially if you’re throwing a backyard summer engagement party, so everyone has fun.