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Need a few pointers to get the party started? If so, don’t worry…Many people do not know the proper engagement party etiquette to follow when planning the celebration.

While throwing an engagement party to share your joy with family and friends can unfortunately be a source of great stress for many couples, learning a little bit about engagement party etiquette and customs can help you plan the perfect party.

Who?

Etiquette states that the parents of the bride should host the party to celebrate their daughter’s engagement. Even so, it is also popular for friends and family to host the party. Or perhaps, the future newlyweds can throw their own celebration. Anything goes these days.

The next decision to make when planning your engagement party is who to invite. Engagement party etiquette typically dictates that only family members and close friends be included in the party.

Etiquette also says that your wedding party members should be included in your engagement celebration. It goes without saying that the bridesmaids, attendants, best men, and groomsmen should be invited to your engagement party.

When?

You should hold your engagement party after your engagement has been officially announced. You will of course want to have your engagement party before your wedding day! So, as a general rule of thumb, the closer to the actual proposal, the better.

Where?

There is no standard etiquette dictating where your engagement party should be held. There are as many different styles of engagement parties as there are couples celebrating their engagements.

Your engagement party can range from simple and casual to elegant and formal. The type of engagement party you choose should be tailored more to your personal tastes than to any standard engagement party etiquette.

Invitations?

It is also up to you whether or not to send out formal invitations to your engagement party. Engagement party etiquette is neutral on this subject. Many couples like to send out invitations to their engagement party. Other couples prefer the intimacy of a telephone call to their closest friends and family members. This point of etiquette is entirely up to you.

Gifts Required?

It is typical for the couple throwing the engagement party to give a small gift to each person attending the engagement party. You may want to make a homemade gift such as a gift basket.

A nice bouquet of flowers or a lovely plant can also be wonderful. Just make sure you give a gift to everyone at your party. Failing to do so would be a breach of engagement party etiquette.

It is not typical for guests to bring the couple gifts at their engagement party. Many people will bring gifts anyway, but it is not a requirement for an engagement party.

It would be a serious breach of engagement party etiquette for the couple to register for gifts for their engagement party. If your guests do wish to bring gifts, fine, but they should never be expected to do so.

Finding the right engagement photographers to capture a magic moment in life is very important. If you choose the right engagement photographers to create beautiful memories of your new life together, you can look back in half a century and remember when you were young and in love. These keepsake photographs can also be passed on to your children and grandchildren as a loving memento of their family.

There are a number of excellent engagement and wedding photographers in most towns and cities. You should shop around carefully as you sort through the large number of photographers you are likely to find. Pay careful attention to review their previous work and speak to their previous customers.

If possible, speak to customers who have had similar types of photographs taken. Get their feedback and ask whether or not they would return to the photographer again. Your engagement will only happen once, so you will want to make sure you have wonderful photos to capture this special moment in your life.

Ask around with your family and friends. Get their recommendations on photographers they recommend. Personal recommendations are very important when choosing among different photographers.

You will want to be sure that the engagement photographers you choose for your pictures can produce photographs in different formats. Of course you will want to get some beautiful 8 x 10 or 11 x 14 portraits made and professionally framed.

Your photographer may be able to recommend a good local frame shop that will make your photographs look their best. Be sure to use a good quality acid free mat when you frame your photograph. Doing so will ensure that your photographs last for years.

In addition to your printed photographs, you will probably want to have your photographs available in some sort of digital format. It is standard these days to have your pictures archived on a CD or DVD so that they will last for many years.

You may also want to consider storing your photographs in an online photo album. This serves two purposes. First, it allows you to easily share your engagement photographs with your family and friends without them having to download the pictures. Second, it ensures that your photographs will be available in case your computer crashes or your CD or DVD becomes unreadable. Most engagement and wedding photographers will have some sort of digital capability.

Special occasions demand professional photography, and your engagement is certainly one of those special occasions. Finding the right engagement photographers for your engagement photos can be a challenge, but the reward is well worth the effort you put forth.