Engagement party invitations
The engagement party is the first celebration of the wedding, and often the first time both families are in one room. Send an invitation that opens like an envelope with each guest’s name on it, texted from your phone or emailed, and watch the yeses add up by name.
When to send it
Most engagement parties happen within a few months of the proposal, before wedding planning gets busy. Send invitations four to six weeks ahead, and set the RSVP-by date one to two weeks before the party.
Who to invite
Invite only people you plan to invite to the wedding, since an engagement party invitation suggests a wedding invitation will follow. The list can be smaller than the wedding’s, but never bigger.
Wording to borrow
Sam & Alex are engaged! Come celebrate with drinks, dinner and a toast or two.
Please join the Park family in celebrating the engagement of Elena & Ray
They said yes! Join us to toast Maya & Jordan Drinks, snacks and a slideshow they haven’t seen yet
More ideas, with your names filled in: wording ideas.
Tips
- Gifts aren’t expected at an engagement party, so leave the registry off the invitation and share it only if someone asks.
- Ask guests for a wish or some advice for the couple with their RSVP; letsparty keeps the notes and prints them as a keepsake.
- Family far away? Add a video link and they can join the toast; it shows as “Join by video” on each guest’s own invitation.
Designs for it
All engagement designs →
How letsparty helps
RSVPs by name, with meal choices
Each guest says who’s coming and picks a meal; kids are counted on their own, and plus-ones can be limited, turned off, or given to one guest at a time. How →
No app for your guests
Every household gets its own link, texted from your phone or emailed. It opens in any browser, greets them by name and takes their answer in a few taps. How →
A head count the venue can use
Set the room’s limit and late yeses join a waitlist; give the caterer a live link with the head count and meals, no names. How →
Every guest’s photos, together
A QR sign on each table puts everyone’s photos on one wall, with a slideshow for the reception screen. How →
For couples
One price for your whole wedding
The Wedding plan is $199. It lasts from the day you start until three months after the wedding, however long the engagement, and moves if the date does. It covers the wedding, any party you make around it, and every other party you host until then, with no limit on invites. After that it renews as a regular Host Pass at $99 a year; cancel any time before it renews.
- The wedding$199
- Engagement party, if you have oneIncluded
- Shower, if you have oneIncluded
- Bachelorette or bachelor party, if you have oneIncluded
- Rehearsal dinner, if you have oneIncluded
- Farewell brunch, if you have oneIncluded
- The wedding websiteIncluded
- Thank-you cards afterIncluded
Launch prices are being finalized.
See the Wedding planQuestions
Who hosts the engagement party?
Traditionally the bride’s parents, but today anyone close to the couple can host: either family, friends or the couple themselves. Some couples have two, one in each hometown.
Do you bring a gift to an engagement party?
A gift isn’t expected, though close family sometimes bring something small. A card with a note of congratulations is always welcome.
How soon after getting engaged should you have an engagement party?
Usually within a few months of the proposal, while the news is fresh and before wedding planning takes over. There’s no fixed rule; just leave room before the shower and the other events.