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An engagement party is a great way to celebrate your news with loved ones, as well as giving families and friends an opportunity to meet each other. It is also a fabulous way to start planning for the main event.

As excited as you will be to look to the future, planning for your engagement party is a great way to enjoy what is present. Once you start to plan for your wedding it will be non-stop so make the most of this while you can. You may want to find the perfect engagement ring to show off at your party; as an option, take a look at Diamonds Factory range of rings and get some help from their in-house jewellers.

Here are some other tips to help you plan the perfect engagement party.

Who hosts the party:

Traditionally the bride’s parents are the ones who host the engagement party, but these days it is more common for you as a couple to put it together and organise it yourselves, or for your friends to volunteer together and get involved.

Who do you invite:

Your engagement party tends to be an intimate event for your nearest and dearest but a lot of people these days are using it as an excuse to invite anyone and everyone such as new friends, colleagues, parents’ friends or anyone who can’t make it to the wedding itself.

For a more traditional party, those invited to the engagement party should be invited to the wedding too, so it is best to organise your wedding guest list before you throw your party.

The invites:

Now you know who you are inviting, it’s time to send out the invites. For something like this you can send out informal email or social media invitations, but if you don’t like that idea opt for traditional paper invites. Get them personally designed too – you can order them online or hand-make them yourself. Here’s some ideas for inspiration.

When to have it:

Ideally, your engagement party should come quite soon after the proposal, so that the excitement is still fresh – and before the stress of serious wedding planning kicks in. You should give your guests a month’s notice for your party.

Where to throw the party:

Most venues can set the scene for you for an engagement party. If your party is hosted by parents, a reception at their house is a great option. Alternatively, you can rent out a room in a restaurant, a bar, pub or a garden.

Your theme:

The theme of your party will centre around you as a couple, and a lot of people match it with their wedding theme. So for example if you are thinking of a beach wedding, have a beach-themed party, a cocktail do, or something simple and vintage. Whatever it may be it should be a reflection of you both. The Knot has put together a list of engagement party themes for those of you who need some quick inspiration.

Food and drink:

Don’t host a big sit down dinner like you would for the wedding; instead, go for canapés, buffets or a food truck. As for the drinks, have beers in ice buckets where people can help themselves and cold juice in jam jars as well as cocktails. Or why not hire a bar?

Cake:

This will more than likely be the focal dessert at your party. It won’t be as lavish as your wedding cake and will probably be a much smaller size, with details such as “She said yes” or both of your names on it. You could also think of having a dessert table, which includes cupcakes or baked goods.

Now get planning and enjoy your party!