Atlanta Wedding Update: Breaking The News...Our Engagement Party

So I am at that point in my life where a lot of my friends are getting engaged or married. My HTB (husband to be) and I did things a little less traditionally than some of our other friends. We announced to my parents that we were thinking of getting engaged, then suddenly we were thrown into full planning mode. HTB and I were purchasing a home before we knew it, and hadn't gotten engaged yet!

I tend to be a more practical gal, but I did want an element of surprise to my engagement story. After all you will tell this story for the rest of your life (and countless number of times for the two weeks following your engagement). Being a good HTB, I got a great story and a great ring and we were off to the races.

My future mother in-law (FMI) threw us a great engagement/going away party since we would be moving into the new home together prior to getting married. (this was a sticky subject with some of our family, but I have to say living together before marriage was a personal choice and it has worked for us). We didn't use a formal invitation for our engagement party, just a general word of mouth to family and friends about a month before the event. My FMI is a great cook and prepared a huge spread of yummy rolled tacos and appropriate side dishes. (she is Hispanic, and I just happen to LOVE Mexican food) The rolled tacos were perfect because they were hand held and contained...in other words they weren't messy and didn't spill! Many of our guests stood and mingled (because we had a house-full). We of course had chairs for those who wanted to sit.

I did of course ask my HTB to give a toast to thank everybody for coming together and sharing the special time with us. I know he was nervous about this so I showed him this website to help him put together a great toast. Click Here To Visit The Love To Know Site.

All in all, our engagement party was just what I wanted, a gathering of friends and family and really good food. It was less formal than others may want. Here are some ideas to make your engagement party perfect...

The guest list should be limited to those who you will be inviting to the wedding. If you are unsure of your guest list for the wedding play it safe and invite family members and close friends.
It was traditional for the couple to greet their guests at the door as they arrived at the party. This can make people feel uncomfortable and also create a long line at the door. Today, I would recommend creating name tags for each of your guests. The tags should include the guest's name and something like "Susie's college roommate" or "Steve's co-worker". This will help your guests mingle.
You should consider activities to bring guests together. If you are having a backyard BBQ consider lawn games. You can also create a quiz about the couple to test guest's knowledge of the couple's history.
Consider hosting the party at a restaurant. Many restaurants in our area have separate dining rooms for large gatherings. You can talk to the restaurant ahead of time to create a specialty menu to help minimize cost. Guests also appreciate a specialty menu as it alleviates any concern for their choice of dinner entree.