Eeeeek! You JUST found out one of your closest friends is getting engaged!! You are SO excited and want to help throw her the BEST surprise engagement party right after! This can be a little overwhelming because you usually don’t have a ton of time to pull it together. No worries!! I have been in your shoes multiple times and I am here to help! Engagement parties are actually one of my favorite things to help with! Here are a couple of surprise engagement party ideas you will want to think about as you plan the best event!
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The bride-to-be’s style
Just because someone is one of your closest friends doesn’t mean that they have the same style as you! Make sure to consider their style and preferences when picking everything out.
The space you are hosting in
Before you plan out food or decor, make sure to envision it in your space! If you have a bunch of cute wall decor but no wall space to put it on, that will be a problem!
How overwhelming the night will be
For most brides, it can be very overwhelming to go from engagement to engagement party all in one day (or weekend for that matter). While this is still super fun for everyone, try to make the engagement party a little more on the low key side. This allows the bride and groom to naturally flow between their friends and enjoy the moment! This isn’t the time to have games and events that don’t allow them to process what just happened.
All of the couples friends
No matter how close you are to a friend. They will ALWAYS have friends from other parts of their life. If they are close to the couple, don’t forget to include them! The bride-to-be will be so excited to have all of their favorite people in one place and the friends from other walks of life will be thankful they were included!
Decorations
Decorations and gifts are the two categories that I absolutely LOVE and tend to go a little overboard on. Decor can be done on any type of budget and still look super cute. The easiest and cheapest (if you already have one) is to use a Cricut or Sillouette, a machine that cuts vinyl and paper in the shapes you want, to make banners and such. I love using my Cricut for all sorts of different items for engagement party decor. I love making a banner that says either “she said yes” on it or “future Mrs. [new last name]”! Another thing I love to make is confetti in the shape of rings.
You can obviously find these items on Amazon or Etsy, but it is a lot cheaper if you or someone you know has a Cricut! PS if you are planning an engagement party on a budget, let me know and I might be able to make you a couple of items on the cheaper end!
Another thing I like to make with my Cricut is little diamonds to put on toothpicks to make donuts look like rings! You can see these in the photo below!
Some other ideas for great decor include balloons! I recently made my first balloon arch and it is actually wayyy easier than it sounds. They have these balloon arch kits on Amazon that are so simple to use and can look so cute! Engagement ring balloons are also super cute and always a winner!
I also think it is super cute to have pictures of the couple around so that everyone can see the couple throughout their dating time. Streamers can also be a super cute way to decorate a space that the new bride is regularly in and make it look different! You can see how we twisted streamers on a wall below!
Food
Food may or may not be necessary depending on the time of day, but appetizers are always nice to have on hand. Some engagement party appetizer ideas include:
- Watermelon feta bites
- A charcuterie board
- Champagne punch
- Caprese Kabobs
- Pesto flatbread
- Crockpot meatballs
- Popcorn – in bags that say he “popped the question”
It is also great to have some sweets on hand! I love:
- Donuts – with the ring toothpicks shown above
- A small cake
- Cute “she said yes”/ring cookies
- Cupcakes
- Macaroons – a great option for a gluten-free bride!
Gifts
This definitely isn’t necessary, but I love having a couple of little gifts for the brand new bride to celebrate her new season as a fiancée! Some items I have gotten for new brides include:
- A cute mug
- A photo frame to put a cute photo from the engagement in
- Personalized champagne glasses
- Bridal magazines
- Ring cleaner – I love the Lavish ring cleaner I got from my jeweler. You can order it online here or go to their store locator here.
- Personalized wine glasses
- Candles
- Ring dish – check Hobby Lobby for some great cheap options (and make sure to use their 40% off coupon!)
- Christmas ornament
- Wedding planner
- Mr. and Mrs. luggage tags
- Silicone rings
- Anything with her new monogram on it – glass, mug, cup, bag, ect.
I personalize a LOT of these items with my Cricut, but again they can easily be ordered off Etsy or Amazon if you don’t have access to a Cricut. If you do have a Cricut or a friend with a Cricut, I highly suggest getting your glasses and mugs from the dollar tree! They are great quality and only a dollar!!
Engagement parties can be tricky because you can’t ask the people the party is for! I hope this list of ideas helps you when you are planning your friend’s engagement party! If you ever want any tips, or to see if I’m available to make some items with my Cricut, reach out to me on Instagram @ashley.b.morgan or email me at questions@ashleybmorgan.com
If you are recently engaged, check out my other posts on Wedding Registry Must-Haves, How to Change Your Last Name, What You Need to Know When Creating a Wedding Registry.