An engagement party is a great way to kick-off the wedding festivities and get your loved ones excited about you and your future partner’s new journey. These tips can help ensure your party is a success.

Decide who is hosting.

It is common tradition for the bride’s parents to host the engagement party. More recently, the couples friends or other family members may want to contribute or have their own party, which could make things more difficult. Ultimately, you should make the final decision, but keep in mind what people would like to see as well.  

Pick a venue.

Where you throw your party is important because it represents the type of party you want. For example, if you want it to be more casual, your backyard or a restaurant is a great option. If you are looking for a more formal event, your party may be at a hotel or country club. However, you want to make sure your engagement party does not upstage your wedding!

Create the guest list.

According to The Knot, Anyone who is invited to your engagement party, should be invited to your wedding so starting a guest list for your wedding may be the first step. You would not want to have a 100 person engagement party and have a small intimate wedding. If it is too soon to tell, just invite close family and friends to your engagement party.

Choose the decor.

You might have not chosen your wedding color palette or theme, but engagement parties do not have to be similar to the wedding. It may be nice to make the theme relate to something about you as a couple and your relationship. A theme is not necessary, but it helps with the cohesion of the party.

Send out invitations.

Although online invitations cost less, there is so much value in a hard copy. Your celebration should be shared with your friends and family and nothing is better than a printed-card for them to keep. Check out some of ours!

Here at Tickled Pink, there are plenty of ways we can assist you with all your wedding festivities! From wedding invitations and save-the-dates, to gift tags and stamps, we have everything to satisfy your stationary needs.

Summer is coming to an end, so what better way to say goodbye to hot days and long nights than a traditional summer BBQ?

A BBQ is the perfect opportunity to get all your friends and family together for one last summer soiree. So if you’re going to do it, you better do it right!

Here’s some ways to make it the best one ever:

Pick a simple theme:

Before your BBQ, pick a theme or even just a color scheme for your decor. This a simple, inexpensive way to make it look like you spent more time and money on your party than you actually did. One of our favorite blogs, Hello, Beautiful, has five theme ideas to get you started. Your local Dollar Tree, discount retailer or party store will have cups, plates and table covers. Then, to tie the whole theme together, we can customize a banner for you. 

Cook the main course and have your guests bring the sides:

PSA: It is more than OK to ask for help from your guests. Just because your hosting doesn’t mean that you have to do all the cooking and miss out on the fun of the party. Ask your guests to bring their favorite side dish, and you prepare the main course. Who knows, you may try something new that you can add to your own cookbook.

You’ll probably be grilling for the main course (a BBQ obviously wouldn’t be complete without one), so here are some grilling tips for any dish you decide to fire up on the grill!

Prepare menu in advance:

Once you decide a theme and a menu, a grocery list is a must. No need to stress out last minute because you forgot the hot dog buns! Keep it all in one place with this handy and adorable notepad.

Drinks for the kids:

Chances are the adults will be bringing their own “special” beverages, so why not give the kids something fun to drink too! Nothing makes a kid happier than making them feel like they are one of the adults! We found this great copycat recipe of Sonic's Ocean Water that will keep the kids happy and away from mom and dad’s drink.

Dessert:

And of course we have saved the best for last – dessert. Don’t forget to send your guests home with something sweet at the end of the night. A party pleaser for all are cupcakes – I mean who doesn’t love a good cupcake? They’re simple, easy to grab and just enough to satisfy a sweet tooth. Check out this recipe to top off the night. And to make it even better, our cupcake toppers are a delight. 

 Enjoy the rest of your summer!