In this era of social media, engagement announcements are usually done via Facebook and/or Instagram. Still, many happy couples choose to share their happiness with family friends in person, thus the popularity of the double sided engagement party invite.
But, before we design the engagement party invitation or even the engagement announcement cards, we need to look at the rules of engagement party etiquette, first.
Who throws the engagement party?
Traditionally, it’s the bride’s parents but with the changing social mores, almost anyone can have that honor. The groom’s parents, friends or even the couple themselves can throw the party in lieu of the bride’s parents.
Can you have more than one engagement party?
Traditionally, having more than one engagement party is a social faux pas. But, with a very mobile society and family members living in different states, having more than one engagement party is becoming socially acceptable.
Cases in point – your friends and/or co-workers want to throw an informal party like an after-work drinks. Or, your parents live in a different state and they decided to hold an engagement party for you while you and your significant other are visiting.
There are so many situations wherein having multiple engagement parties seem to be the appropriate thing to do.
Who sends the engagement party invitations? And, what type of invitation do I send?
First, the person(s) throwing the part are the ones sending the invitation, i.e., after they have consulted with the bride and groom on who will be on the guest list.
As for the type of invitation to send – it depends on what kind or party you are throwing. With an informal get-together or a family gathering, an Evite is acceptable be it on social media or other apps like a group text or email.
A formal invitation is needed if you are going to have a sit-down dinner with all the trimmings. The invitation does not need to be as fancy as your wedding invitation. Hence, the double sided engagement party invite comes in handy.
You can have all the bits and deets on one side and the photo of the happy couple on the other side. You can even put a cute blurb.
Who do you invite to your engagement party?
The guest list depends on who is hosting the engagement party. Ideally, the guest list should only include those who will also be invited in the wedding. Then again, that is also changing.
Many couples decide to have a destination wedding or even a cruise wedding. If this is the case, may family members and friends already say that they cannot attend the wedding due to scheduling conflicts or even financial.
That said, the engagement party becomes very important because this is the best time for them to share their happiness with the couple.
Another scenario – the case of parents living in a different state or more than a 5-hour drive away. If they throw the engagement party, then they will invite their friends and most of these friends do not expect to be invited to the wedding. But, they will attend the party because the son or daughter of their friend is getting married.
Also, with the high cost of weddings, many friends and coworkers do not expect to be invited to the wedding unless they are close to the bride and/or groom. So, to them, the engagement party is it, whether it’s a formal one or after-drinks in a bar.
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