Engagement party/photos

[Dawn]

Is this required? Call me wedding retarded, but is this neccesary? Whats something like this cost, and how does it work? We have been engaged for 2 weeks to the day, today. What are engagements parties about? Sorry i have so many questions, I have never been married before, and never in a wedding, so I am clueless about everything.

[WhiskeyGirl]

You don't HAVE TO HAVE an engagement party, but some people like to because it gets the word out there that you are getting married! We didn't have an engagement party so i'm not sure of the cost!!

As far as engagement photos, I think they are mostly used for announcements that you might put in your local paper announcing your engagement! We did them because we didn't have any NICE pictures of the two of us together!

So just a little info on things!! I'm sure others will be able to tell you a little more then I could!! :wink:

[brewsells]

We are not having a engagement party or photos. I don't think it's required. Just if you choose to do so. Another added expense. I think an engagement party is just mostly a celebration, but isn't that what the reception is for? And you can always have the rehersal dinner.

[CindySue]

I think the engagment party is just something you have to celebrate your engagement, and while I wouldnt have really wanted one....mine was a surprise. Brian had proposed to me without a ring in August, but re-proposed to me with a ring on my birthday in front of his family. I thought these people were there to meet me (the ones I didnt already know) and be at my birthday party, I did not know they were there to watch Brian get down on one knee!
As for the engagement photos, I guess these are done to have a professional pic to put in the paper with your engagement announcement.
This is just my take on this....I could be entirely off base!

[LaceyinPgh]

I did an engagement party. It was just a nice excuse to get family and friends together to celebrate and "officially" announce our engagement. We had a picnic/bbq type event in the summer. I don't really know about the cost because my parents paid for 99% of it.

Engagement pictures are just a formal picture of you and you FH that use for things like the new paper engagement announcement. SOme people use them on their invitaitons or as shower favors too. They aren't required. You can use a really nice picture or snap shot that you have. Or you can have a friend who has a good camera snap a few for you. I actually used the photographer that I first hired to do my wedding for our engagement pictures. I am glad I did because it showed met hat he work was beyond foul. So I had a fried who is a professional portrait photographer redo them for me. It cost about $60 but she only charged me the fee to have them developed and printed. Some photographers will even include it as part of their package with the wedding.

[Jenn060306]

We did not have an engagement party. Didn't really feel the need to have one.
We are going to have engagement photos done because we have never had a formal photo of ourselfs taken before and we got them free from our wedding photographer for booking them by a certain date.
I don't think either of them are required. Just depends on wether or not you want to do it.

[Kacie_bride]

The only reason we took engagement photos was because we won them at a bridal fair. The photographer that did them was way expensive. I(The cheapest engagement package was over $100 and then you have a sitting fee!) I had been planning on taking engagement photos before we won, but I was going to get a friend with a good camera to do them instead. I just wanted a nice pic to go in the paper.

As far as parties, we did not have one. I think it would be a good idea to throw something together if your familes have not met. It can be really small and informal or really lavish. It's all up to what you desire and can afford.