Engagement Parties in New York

Even though engagement parties are optional- it's still a fun thing to do. If your relatives have not yet met your fiancé, an engagement party is a better place for them to meet than at the wedding itself. An engagement party is also a great way for either side of parents to show their support of your upcoming wedding, or it is a great way for you to pitch in to the wedding costs as a couple.

Usually an engagement party in New York will take place within two months after the actual engagement. Of course, if you're having a particularly long engagement period (a year or more) you may want to wait a couple months before getting your friends and family into the wedding spirit.

Generally for an engagement party you will want to invite only a couple dozen of your closest friends and family. The idea of closest should be taken both ways- you don't want your aunt to fly in for one little party, so make sure you just invite those people who live close to you or close to the location of the party. Anyone who is left out of this party can receive an engagement announcement if you so wish.

Don't expect any gifts at this particular party, those will come later. However, it is a good idea to get started on your registry before the party, just in case someone happens to want to get you a gift. Make sure that you do stash away any received gifts until after the party- you don't want the guests who didn't bring gifts to feel bad.

Whether you decide to have a party or not, just enjoy your engagement and let everyone know how happy and excited you are.

Engagement pictures, though not a vital part of the wedding, are an important part of a memorable wedding. Many people in New York choose to get engagement pictures for several reasons- here are a few:

Engagement Announcements- This can be either an ad in a newspaper, an announcement sent to friends and family, or an invitation to an engagement party. It is nice to have a picture for these things so that friends and family can see what your fiance looks like (if they haven't met him) and visa versa for his family. Plus, you can show off how extremely happy you two are together.

Wedding Scrapbook- Some brides decide to document the wedding from the engagement to the honeymoon in a scrapbook. It is a very fun idea, and can be used as an activity at the bridal shower (decorating pages). Of course, pictures are a necessity for scrapbooks, so an engagement picture is a must.

Personal Use- If you had a short relationship, or just didn't ever get around to taking pictures together, an engagement photo is a great time to do it. It's nice to be able to have a picture in your wallet to show people when you talk about your fiance and subsequent marriage.

Wedding Invitations- Some couples actually choose to incorporate an engagement picture into their invitations. This is done either by putting a picture in with the invitation (with a layer of tissue paper to protect it), or actually printing the picture on the invitation/ printing the invitation on a picture. Even though it is uncommon, it is easy enough and adds a fun element to your invitations that guests love.

If you are not sure about getting engagement photos, see if your photographer has a wedding package deal that comes with them, or see if the package you chose has engagement pictures available at a cheaper rate. It may just tip the scale enough to finalize your decision to get them or not.