Engagement Party Invitation Ideas

Whether it's a formal party thrown by the family of the couple or just a fun get together organized by friends, an engagement party has become a part of the wedding tradition. It's right up there with the bridal shower, bachelor(ette) party and rehearsal dinner.

Just like a bridal shower invitation, an engagement party invitation becomes essential that can also serve as a save-the-date card, formal engagement announcement and a memento the couple can save in a wedding scrapbook or album.

To put together a successful engagement invitation, consider these three ideas:

1. Tell their story

The best wedding celebrations make the guests feel they are really sharing in the couples' adventure. The engagement invitation is a great place to tell the story of how the couple first met. A good way to put the story together is to interview the bride and groom separately, but using the same list of questions. Then, edit down the responses to include a romantic story in the invite. You can place the story on a brochure or paper insert to save space on the invitation itself for the party details.

2. Make an announcement

For some recipients, the engagement party invitation may be the first time they're hearing the happy couple's news. If there are several guests who only know the bride or the groom, then its always a good idea to make a formal announcement within the invite. The announcement should tell guests a little more about the union, i.e. how the couple met, what they do for a living, where they are from and who their parents are and where they live. For more tips on engagement announcements, see this related post.

3. Share wedding plans

People's schedules fill up fast so if the date and location of the wedding are fixed, then its always helpful to announce that in the engagement party invite. A save-the-date bookmark is a creative way to do so. Recipients can hang on to the bookmark, slip it into their calendars or put it on the fridge. Or you can include a postcard with a photo of the couple on the front and the save-the-date information on the reverse. If the couple has set up an online gift registry or wedding website for their event, then share that information in the invitation as well, as most guests will bring gifts to the engagement party and the registry is a good place to start.