Engagement party too late?

Typically the engagement party is within 6 months of the proposal, but it can technically be thrown anytime before the wedding. You wouldn't throw this party yourselves though. Someone (a close friend or family member) should offer to host it for you. If not, you don't have one. It's definitely not a necessity. Most couples that I know haven't had engagement parties and often times the families don't know each other. My mom and FMIL will likely meet when I go dress shopping, but the rest of our families will meet at the RD.

View Quoted Comment Thanks Caytlyn. Yea I have read 6 month and I have read 3 months. So I wasn’t sure if when my actual wedding was going to be impacted that “standard”. My parents would throw it for us actually so definitely wouldn’t be us. Sorry if I didn’t say that. Our RD won’t have much of his family. So they’d prob end up meeting at the wedding and we were trying to avoid them feeling like they were strangers...hope that makes sense.

So don't have an engagement party. Have a getting to know you party for the two families, maybe a few close family friends of bride's family as well, hosted by your parents, in whatever month works for you. Engagement parties are to announce the engagement before any wedding party is announced, at earliest planning stages. But you can have any non-present giving gathering, just because we want to see these people, whenever you like. There are no traditional expected times or party styles covered by special wedding etiquette rules covering extended families and friends meeting whenever they want.

I am in the same boat and we will plan pura hopefully for Dec as well. The coupke can absolutely plan it themselves. It traditionally was thrown for them, but I want to celebrate with family and friends. Plus no one in our family has planned anything or knows traditional etiquette. Since its just a party and not a shower it doesn't matter. I fibd it no different than celebrating a birthday. I mean I have planned my own bday parties before

View Quoted Comment Yes I think we decided to have one. I think my mom would end up planning it for us but I’m not sure now. We might not call it an engagement party. If we do we might just put on the invitation - no gifts. I mean we would like gifts but we don’t want people to think we are having it to get gifts ya know?

Hey Charlene!

Did you two officially end up having an engagement party!? I'd love to hear about what you two decided on and how your planning is coming along!