Emily Post's Wedding Parties

Chapter One

It's a Party

We have an announcement to make engagement parties

I've yet to meet a newly engaged couple who doesn't want to shout it to the world—and what better way than with a party? An engagement party is the first chance that a couple has to celebrate their decision to marry and to share their happiness with their family and friends. Engagement parties are not required, but they are traditional and very popular.

A Good Place to Start

Of course, the main point of an engagement party is to celebrate and announce the couple's engagement, but it's also a great chance for their families to get to know each other better. The same goes for friends: The couple's close friends may already know them as a twosome, but older friends may not. This party is also the moment when the engagement is officially "announced" (typically by the bride's father), and guests toast the couple's future.

An engagement party also builds anticipation and sets the tone for the wedding to come—something that should be kept in mind when planning t ... read full excerpt from: Emily Post's Wedding Parties ebook