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A Guide to Wedding Festivities

Katie Sweeney — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 03:03:57 PDT

When a couple decides to get married, they aren't just signing up to host a wedding, they are also committing themselves to a lot of parties that happen along the way. An engagement party, shower, and bachelorette are all commonly associated with weddings. But with so many parties, it's hard to keep them all straight! That's why I've created this handy guide that explains everything you need to know - from the proper time to host a shower to the first person to toast at the wedding. Read on for all the details.

Heartfelt Engagement Gift Ideas

Tara Sharp — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 04:00:00 PDT

Once you're invited to an engagement party, you may be facing a gift conundrum. Chances are, the happy couple hasn't yet registered, and even if they have, you may want to save those offerings for the actual big day. Engagement parties are the perfect chance to go with something more thoughtful and personal, whether that be an experience gift or a small, inexpensive present with sentimental value. Here are some ideas!

Give them something useful: After all the money they'll be spending on the wedding, a splurge like a luxe photo album for wedding pics, personalized guestbook, or thank-you cards for after the wedding would be much appreciated.

Help them make their house a home: When a dear friend of mine had an engagement get-together, I got her and her fiancé a pretty and sweet-smelling candle. I knew she had an affinity for mood lighting, but I also knew it'd cozy up their new home together. Pay attention to the little things that mean a lot to the couple but may not make it onto their registry.

Give them one-of-a-kind art: Give the couple something truly personal with a custom portrait of the lovebirds from Etsy or their favorite illustrator. Another idea is to find a cute photo of the couple and turn it into wall art.

Help the bride stay organized: Gift a wedding planning book or a purse-sized planner with a calendar to help give the bride-to-be a jump start on her to-do list. Or you could just give her a pretty journal to jot down her experiences during the lead-up to the wedding.

Photo by Abby Jiu Photography via Style Me Pretty

How to Host an Engagement Party

Katie Sweeney — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 04:07:40 PDT

Wedding season kicked off earlier this week, and once you've gotten engaged, it's time to start thinking about an engagement party. The first step is to decide whether or not you want to have one. Traditionally, an engagement party was thrown for the couple to announce their engagement to friends and family, but these days, most people already know about it. To see my suggestions for planning the perfect engagement shindig, keep reading.

5 Reasons to Have an Engagement Party (and 1 Reason Not To)

TresSugar — Thu, 06 May 2010 11:30:00 PDT

One minute you're basking in the excitement of your recent engagement, and the next thing you know, you and your betrothed are being feted at an engagement party, with your likenesses rendered in marzipan atop a cake.

OK, so maybe that last part isn't true for everyone, but you may be surprised to find that when you get engaged, people want to throw you parties. Often, it's friends of your parents, who want to return some long-lost favor, or friends who love any excuse to celebrate. For five reasons why this tradition makes sense (and one reason it doesn't),

Someone offers to throw you one. Perhaps your aunt has five daughters, and you've attended every single one of their weddings. Or maybe your mom gave her best friend's daughter a fabulous wedding shower. These are the people who might want to host a party, so why not let them?
It's an excuse to eat and drink. I, for one, love any excuse to eat party food and drink free booze. Better yet, the timing should work out so that the event is before you and your groom start caring about getting in shape.
It keeps the guest list down. Chances are, you and your parents disagree about how many of their friends to invite to your wedding. So make a deal wherein you invite their top-tier friends to the big event and everyone else to the engagement party. Note: this works especially well if the engagement party is held in your hometown or wherever your parents live.
It's good practice for the wedding. Even if you engineer your wedding to be as much fun as possible, you and your mate will still spend a considerable amount of time on the big day greeting people you haven't seen in years while trying to make your way to the food table. So consider this training.
It's a chance to pause and reflect. After the initial bliss of getting engaged, you and your fiancé may find your conversations too consumed with wedding talk. Even if you try to be low-key about planning, you're bound to have some wedding-related stress. So remember: this is a happy time, an exciting milestone. An engagement party is a nice way to remind yourselves of that while spending time with people who are genuinely happy for you.

And one reason not to: it's expensive. If no one has offered to throw you an engagement party, don't feel obligated to host one, especially if you or your parents are footing a big wedding bill. Of course, that doesn't mean you can't still celebrate by inviting a bunch of friends to toast with you at a local bar.

If you are planning a wedding, happily wed, or looking for Mr. Right, start sharing your big day with our community. Just check the wedding content box on any community post.

Source: Cake Girl by Hyeyoung Kim

Fit and Fun Engagement Parties

FitSugar — Tue, 12 May 2009 03:00:00 PDT

Weddings call for many celebrations, but all those parties don't need to be formal affairs. There are many fun ways for you to celebrate your engagement and bring guests together without having to stress about seating arrangements. Here are a few of my ideas for healthy and fun engagement parties.

Garden party: In my mind, a garden party is just a little more formal than a BBQ, but games are a featured activity nonetheless. You can play badminton and croquet. The Italian lawn game bocce ball is a fun way to engage (pun intended) guests of all ages. I also like that the Italian word for kiss, bacio, sounds a lot like bocce - it adds a romantic twist to the game.

Healthy cooking class: Many chefs, restaurants, and catering companies offer hands-on cooking classes, where every guest gets to play chef. Guests are placed into small groups to prepare different dishes. At the end of the class, you all sit down to eat the feast you created. Many of these schools allow you to participate in planning the menu, so you can opt for healthier fare.

See my third idea when you

read more. Square dance: How long has it been since you have been to a square dance? Not only does a square dance offer the perfect opportunity to wear your fave cowboy boots, but you will also burn some serious calories while you do-si-do. This is a great way for everyone to mingle. Need more wedding inspiration? Check out all of the Sugar network’s wedding coverage here. Source

What to Bring to an Engagement Party

TresSugar — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 15:30:00 PDT

xlarger" height="400" width="266">So you got invited to an engagement party. Fun! But what should you bring?

First things first: you are almost never required to bring a present to an engagement party. In fact, bringing something too extravagant could be considered poor taste. The couple will get plenty of gifts at the wedding, so you don't want to overdo it at the more informal gathering.

But, if you're like me, you probably want to share your excitement for the couple by offering them a thoughtful gift. Here are some things to keep in mind:

Lighten up: Depending on the couple's sense of humor they may get a chuckle out of a book like Honeymooners Forever: Twelve Step Marriage Survival Guide.
DIY: You could team up with friends to make a photo memory book of good times shared among the couple and your group of friends. Or you could put together a book of well-wishes from the guests and present it to the couple.
Keep it simple: a nice bottle of wine or a fancy box of chocolates shows that you're in the mood to celebrate.
Stick with the planning theme: Planning a Wedding to Remember: The Perfect Wedding Planner would be thoughtful and useful.
Be sincere: A heartfelt card might make the best gift of all.

Source

Come Party With Me: Engagement Party - The Look

partysugar — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 09:15:01 PDT

Theme parties are my favorite to decorate because it's so easy to create a festive look. For Ronda and James's Latin-themed engagement party, complete with salsa dancing class, the look will be fun and fabulous.

Set a folding table or console in an area that is far away from the dance floor. Run a printed table runner down the middle. Place the empanadas and chicken with mango salsa on dark blue serving platters. Serve the Mexican seafood cocktail in stemless martini glasses.

Stack red cocktail napkins near the pitchers of mojitos and arrange the glasses next to them. Geometric candles cast an inviting glow and a beautiful bouquet of yellow flowers adds a pop of color.

Source

Come Party With Me: Engagement Party - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 12:50:07 PDT

While some parties - like a bedazzle bonanza - require nothing more than a neverending flow of bubbly, others - like a Latin-themed engagement - scream signature cocktail. When selecting a signature cocktail, be it for your engagement or wedding, it's best to choose a drink that's easy to make in batches, matches your theme, and represents your personality as a couple.

When I was planning Ronda and James's engagement, sangria was the first drink that popped into my head. However, I came across this recipe for pomelo-mint mojitos. Although it makes one drink, I will increase the proportions to make a big pitcher.

To look at the refreshing recipe,

Pomelo-Mint Mojito
From Food and Wine

Ingredients

4 peeled sections of pomelo or grapefruit, chopped 6 mint leaves 2 tablespoons orange juice concentrate or orange sorbet 1 1/2 ounces white rum Ice Club soda 1 lime wedge

Directions

In a cocktail shaker, muddle the pomelo with the mint and orange juice concentrate.
Add the rum and ice and shake well.
Pour into a highball glass. Top with club soda and garnish with the lime wedge.

Makes 1 drink.

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Come Party With Me: Engagement Party - Dessert

partysugar — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 11:30:35 PDT

Since the cake is a huge part of your wedding day, when planning the engagement party, select a dessert that is not cake based and totally different from what you want to serve on the big day.

For Ronda and James's Latin-inspired affair, I'm making caramel-coconut shortbread. Cut into rectangles or squares, it's ideal because no utensils are necessary. Although this dessert has several components, it's far from intimidating and comes together quickly. Get the easy recipe when you,

Caramel-Coconut Shortbread
From Everyday With Rachael Ray

Ingredients

1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 3/4 cups flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 14 ounces soft caramel candies 5 tablespoons heavy cream 2 cups shredded coconut, toasted 1 cup chocolate chips, melted

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°.
Using a mixer, beat the butter and sugar on high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in the vanilla.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt, then add to the butter mixture. Mix on low speed just until the dough comes together.
Press evenly into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Using a fork, prick the dough at 1-inch intervals. Bake until golden, 20 to 22 minutes.
In a medium saucepan, melt the caramels with the cream and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt over medium heat. Stir in the coconut, then spread over the shortbread.
Using a spoon, drizzle the chocolate on top. Let cool completely before slicing.

Makes 24.

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Tips For the Perfect Engagement Party

partysugar — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 07:50:52 PDT

If you were recently engaged: congratulations! While the weeks after he proposed can be overwhelming, they are also very exciting. First things first: you'll want to properly announce the engagement. One way to do so is by hosting an engagement party. To find out my tips for planning the perfect engagement party,

Host the party soon after you are engaged. The engagement party should always take place before the save the date cards are sent.
Select your guests wisely. Everyone who attends will expect to be invited to the wedding. However, there are circumstances - if your big day is a small destination event - where you may want to host a party for those who won't be attending the wedding.
Be creative! The party should reflect you and your fiancé's style. It can be anything from a private dinner at your favorite restaurant to a backyard barbecue to a salsa dance class followed by a buffet.
Traditionally, the engagement party is hosted by the bride's parents, but it's 2009, and really anyone, from the bride's best friend to the groom's brother, can throw your engagement party.
Whoever ends up hosting the party, thank them afterward with a nice note, tickets to a show or sporting event, or a cool coffee table book.
You don't want to upstage the wedding, so choose a theme and style that is different from the one you envision for the big day.
After a round of toasts, don't forget to thank your friends and family for joining you.
Promote mingling: an engagement party is a time for the two families to come together and get to know each other.
Gifts are not customary at an engagement, but some people may choose to bring them, so set up your registry.

What was your engagement party like? Please share your stories below! Source