Engagement photos/party?? help

Congrats!! So our wedding is Jan. 2022 and we aren't having an engagement party!

We got engaged July 31 2020, and held off on a party since COVID is still an issue. My FBIL and his wife offered to throw us one Jan. 2021, but by that time we'd be engaged for half a year, and I just didn't see a point in having an E-party that far past the engagement. Instead, we're pushing their hosted party back till fall of 2021 and making it a couples party. I've seen on many articles that say your E-party should be held a few months after your engagement (three month mark)

For engagement photos, we booked our photographer fairly early because we knew exactly who we wanted, and wanted to book her before her prices went up for ****! Our session was in November 2020. That way we had time to get our photos back and STDs ordered to be ready to send out by Jan. Feb. 2021!!

I’m not very bride-like in that I don’t like being the center of attention or asking people to spend large amounts of money on me so my mother and sister are planning my bridal shower, all I know is that it will be virtual.
As for engagement photos, I won an hour long engagement photo shoot as a door prize at a bridal show in March. We used the photos for our save the dates and change the dates (because the wedding had to be postponed). Because you have enough time before your wedding you can take the photos whenever you want and use it as a way to see how you work with different photographers and hire the one you like for your wedding.

View Quoted Comment Awww nice! Planning now is definitely a great idea...I couldn't imagine doing it with only a year lol. No problem and happy planning! 😊

I feel like engagement parties are entirely unnecessary (they feel kind of attention seeking). They are not common in my area, I've never been to one, never been invited to one, and none of our friends have had them, so that may be the reason I feel the way I do.

If you choose to do engagement photos, wait until you've booked your photographer for your wedding. They will often include an engagement session as part of your wedding package and doing a shoot with your photographer before the wedding is a great way to make sure your photographer is a good fit and you feel comfortable having them photograph you. Couples typically use engagement photos for their wedding website (which you can put up whenever you'd like) and Save the Dates, which go out 6 months before the wedding (typically). Doing your shoot 10-12 months before the wedding is pretty typical, but they can really be done at any time and it can be nice to take advantage of doing a photo shoot at a different time of the year than your wedding (so say if you are planning a spring wedding it can be nice to do your engagement shoot photos in the fall so they have a different look to them). Engagement photos are also optional. You don't have to do them (but to me they make a lot more sense than an engagement party).

View Quoted Comment Ahhh how exciting!! Love your ring as well Im thinking maybe summer of 2021 for photos, but also it’s hot here in TX and I will sweat to death 😂

YOU HAVE PLENTY OF TIME. WE DIDN'T HAVE A ENGAGMENT PARTY. JUST TAKE IN CONSIDERATION OF COVID AND CONGRADULATIONS.

Due to COVID we decided not to

My situation is definitely a bit different because of the timing... I got engaged October 30, 2020 and we're getting married April 24, 2021. We opted out of doing an engagement party for many reasons. COVID restricting gatherings, many friends we'd want there are out of town, and (my personal favorite) FH and I are just so dang busy normally that we probably wouldn't have had time anyway. However, my suggestion for both party and shoot is that they be done earlier rather than later. Reasons: For the party, it is celebrating the engagement so it makes the most sense to have it around the time you got engaged. Think housewarming party. If you've just bought a new house you don't necessarily want to wait a year or so before throwing that first shindig and having friends and family celebrate that milestone with you. As for the shoot, engagement photos are typically used for your Save the Dates and invitations. The photographer will need some time after the shoot to get the pictures to you, so you'd need to allow enough time to do the shoot, get the pictures back, and order the Save the Dates. Many people also like to order samples to make sure they're good to go, which also adds a little more time. Other than that, do what you want and what you guys feel like doing. If you feel like you'll be missing something by not having a party, have a party! If you've already got a ton of photos together and would rather use those for invitations, skip the photoshoot. The main thing is to do what makes you happy and not add more stress to the planning process.

First off congratulations!! We got engaged in November of 2020 and will be getting married in October of 2022. We haven’t had an engagement party yet but I’m thinking of having it in October 2021 to kick off the wedding year. We are also doing engagement pictures in September of this year as well.


Hope this helps!