The Engagement Party

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

01 May 2006 05:00 PM

They say that every little girl imagines her wedding as she grows up. Every little girl has dreams of being a princess. She may dream of the beautiful dress. She may dream of the beautiful day. She may dream of the beautiful ceremony. Little boys may think about it, albeit briefly and usually with a faint note of distaste, but they do think about it.

However, very few of us dreamed of all the details that will happen during the time leading up to the wedding of our dreams. Among those details is the engagement party. Depending on how long of an engagement you plan - typically a year - that year is filled with a multitude of events that can make it a year of celebration.

One of the main events to launching this year of celebration is your engagement party. A formal engagement party is usually thrown to announce the engagement of the couple in question. One way to make the party personal and fun is to have a party where friends and family are invited; instead of announcing the engagement prior to the party - - announce it at the party.

The party can be a family barbecue, a formal dinner or even a potluck. Be sure to invite the parents on both sides, siblings that are nearby and close friends. You do not need to invite everyone you know, instead you are better off inviting the friends and family that you are most close to.

Make the occasion social and festive, resist the urge to reveal your news before hand. There are several reasons why, first of all - having such a secret can be delightful and fun. You get to have the rare pleasure of doing the great reveal to your families together. You also alleviate the question of whether people need to bring gifts to the engagement party.

The announcement can be as formal or as fun as you like. While it's usually a good idea to keep the proposal private (for a multitude of reasons and we'll discuss this another day); announcing your engagement can be a real treat that you can share with your prospective spouse and families.

After all, what better way to start a life together than by throwing an intimate party for those closest to you and inviting them to share your joy with the announcement of your engagement? It's a great way to kick off the year of celebration that will culminate in a wedding and in many ways - the prologue to your life together.

Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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