Your engagement is a special occasion that deserves to be celebrated with your loved ones. However, hosting an engagement party can quickly become expensive. But don’t worry. You don’t need the fortune to have a memorable engagement party. In this article, Viva Wedding Photography will share some creative engagement party ideas on a budget to help you celebrate your love without breaking the bank.
Amazing Engagement Party Ideas On A Budget You Should Consider
1. Create An Outdoor Engagement Party
An outdoor engagement party is a fantastic concept, and we love how inexpensive it is. Also, in light of the ongoing coronavirus epidemic, it’s a risk-free way to celebrate with friends and family so long as everyone follows safety precautions (such as staying at least six feet away, using masks, and periodically washing their hands).
You can save money on venue costs by hosting the party in your backyard. Furthermore, there is no shortage of inventive ways to celebrate an engagement in the backyard. Throw a sophisticated cocktail party with sparkling lighting or a casual BBQ with lawn games. Think about your romantic history and see if there’s any way to work that into the plot. Throw a backyard letterman’s party if you two crossed paths in higher education.
You could get fancy and provide a four-course meal, but if you want unique party food ideas, serve your favorites. Consider asking other attendees to provide refreshments as a way to help offset the cost. There are many options for party favors, including homemade treats, regional treats, and unique mementos. More individual touches are always welcome.
2. Throw An Unexpected Engagement Bash
Throw an engagement party that the happy couple won’t see coming. As a family member or friend of the couple, this is a wonderful way when plan an engagement party on a budget. It will help them celebrate their love without adding unnecessary stress or expense.
Gather your friends and family and see the finished product with you. The party can be anything the host desires.
Throw a party with a theme based on their most-loved show, movie, song, or activity. Take them somewhere they wouldn’t expect, such as a roller rink, museum, or brewery. You can make the gathering even more memorable by reserving a room at a nearby eatery, pub, or function hall.
3. Choose A Brunch For The Engagement Party
Who doesn’t enjoy a good Sunday brunch? Celebrate the soon-to-be newlyweds with a brunch-themed engagement party.
We think it’s a great concept because it conveys thinking and sophistication without breaking the bank like an expensive dinner would. Your guests will have a wonderful time whether you host the brunch in a restaurant, have it catered in, or prepare it yourself.
Start the celebration with a mimosa or bloody mary bar, then serve brunch foods like pancakes, eggs, waffles, and fruit. Asking guests to bring a dish to share is a great way to keep the cost of the brunch portion of the engagement party to a minimum. It would be one of the creative engagement party ideas on a budget you should consider.
4. Have A Winter Wonderland-themed Engagement Party
The holiday season is prime time for romantic proposals. If you propose during the cooler months, you should throw a party themed after a winter wonderland to commemorate the occasion. To create a chic, ethereal ambiance, furnish the room with white winter-themed items, sparkling accents, and frosted accents.
Hot apple cider and chocolate should be served to celebrate the cold weather. Focus on traditional holiday dishes such as roast turkey, mashed potatoes, and sugar cookies. Enjoy the season with some winter-themed music.
5. Host A Monochrome Engagement Bash
Host a party themed around your shared interest in trendy nightlife establishments like cocktail lounges and fine dining. Observe this momentous occasion in your relationship with a black-and-white engagement party. Rent a trendy venue like a loft, wine bar, or hotel lounge, and tell your guests to dress to impress.
One may choose an infinite number of themes for a black-and-white engagement party. Prepare for a lavish masquerade ball, dinner, or casual cocktail gathering. And if you’re feeling overwhelmed by the abundance of options for engagement party cakes, a monochrome scheme might help you zero in on the perfect one in no time.
>>> Recommend reading: 65 Best Engagement Songs To Set The Perfect Tone For Your Day
6. Throw A Relaxed Engagement Party With A Picnic
Perhaps the pre-wedding party you’ve been dreaming of would be perfect for your backyard, but if not, that’s fine, too. Plan a gorgeous picnic can be one of the amazing engagement party ideas on a budget and bring the festivities to a party spot in the neighborhood.
To make the public area feel more like your backyard, please bring all the cutlery, drinks, cooler, lawn games, and any other equipment you need for a backyard engagement party. All of the party photos will look beautiful against the park’s scenery. Moreover, everyone will have room to relax in the open air without feeling crowded.
7. Hold A Retro-Themed Engagement Party
If you and your future spouse have a thing for the past, throw a vintage-themed engagement party. Your engagement party will be one for the ages if you choose one of the many retro themes available. Invite people to a sock hop with a Grease theme, or arrange a party with a Great Gatsby theme. Add vintage touches like a typewriter for visitors to write you letters or a Polaroid camera to capture the event with timeless music.
8. Having A Bring-Your-Own-Drinks/Potluck Dinner
There is a method to have a full dinner served at the party without having to shoulder all of the duty (and cost) by yourself. You gave your guests a free pass on buying you expensive presents. You can request that guests bring food to share, a bottle of wine or beer, or non-alcoholic beverages.
Order only the dishes you want, whether main courses, appetizers, salads, or desserts. Having a specific cuisine in mind, like an Italian, Mexican, or American picnic, can help set the mood for your gathering. It can be one of the great engagement party ideas on a budget that will bring fun to everyone.
>>> Recommend reading: Engagement Party Outfits Guest – Guide To Dress For The Occasion
Top Tips For Planning An Engagement Party On A Budget
1. Limit the number of invitees
Smaller engagement parties naturally cost less than larger celebrations. But feel free to invite fewer people than you can afford. The practice is commonly observed at engagement parties.
Traditionally, engagement parties served as a pre-wedding get-together for the couple’s closest relatives and friends to get to know one another. Everyone can relax and get acquainted with one another better at a smaller gathering.
2. Make your invitations stand out
Postage costs alone can add up to make printed invites prohibitively expensive. They’re not appropriate for an engagement celebration either. Why not write out your invitations and envelopes by hand? Party supply stores sell invitations with blank spaces for the recipient to fill in, and craft supply stores sell blank cards that can be decorated at home.
3. Throw away the presents
It’s only right to charge less to guests if you stick to a strict financial plan, especially in the current economic climate. Make sure to write “your participation is the only present requested” on the invitations. “No presents, please.”
To give the bride a shower of gifts at an engagement party would be inappropriate. Not the wedding, where presents are exchanged to show congratulations on the newlyweds’ union. The purpose of an engagement party is only to gather loved ones together in joyous commemoration.
4. Set up a basic menu plan
You can save a lot of money by reducing your food and drink consumption. Wine and desserts, coffee and cookies, or champagne and canapés are just a few examples of pairings that might help you create a simple menu. You can save even more money if you prepare the meal in advance and cook it yourself.
5. Don’t put too much thought into the decor
You shouldn’t try to have the engagement party decor resemble the wedding in any way, shape, or form. Choose something easy to set the mood and inexpensive, such as white lights or mini candles. Balloons and streamers in various brilliant colors also create a party atmosphere for very little money. Tables can be decorated with vibrant fabrics or small touches that hint at the wedding theme, such as seashells for a beach wedding.
>>> Further reading:
- Engagement Party Etiquette: A Guide For A Joyful Celebration
- 10 Top Tips For Buying An Engagement Ring You Should Know
- Engagement Party Checklist: Ultimate Guide For You In 2024
Your engagement party doesn’t have to be expensive to be memorable. With our creative engagement party ideas on a budget, you can celebrate your love with your closest family and friends without breaking the bank. Enjoying this special moment with the people you love is the most important thing.
