Engagement parties

[puzzled54]

Wht do people that are living together have engagement parties?

[missrandom]

i did, its great, as long as its not an excuse for pressies. Just a time to celebrate with friends and famil

[xhxmxsx]

ive been living with my fiance for nearly 3 years but only got engaged in march, we're having an engagament party to celebrate the fact we are going to get married

[kitty1950]

My partner of 16 years and I have just got married on 1st June 2007. We just asked a couple of friends to be witnesses and booked the Register Office and that was that. We had a lovely day and went to a nice restaurant for an early evening meal. We informed close friends and family the next day, everyone was so pleased for us and weren't a bit miffed. We are having a reception party in the afternoon on the 22nd of July to celebrate our wedding, we have said that we don't want any presents just their prescence will be enough. I can hardly wait. Kath.

[joannie10]

xhxmxsx when are you having your engagement party - is it a big do as seems to be taking you a while to organise? alot of people do these things for pressies I am sure but of course not all. Just attended a wedding with a couple who truely did not want pressents but for those who really did want to mark the occasion they directed them to Cancer Research site - Give in Celebration. They have raised a huge amount of money and still receiving.

[missrandom]

joanne that was nice of the married couple, nothing i hate more at weddings is to be asked for money instead of a pressie, i think its so rude and puts pressure on me to give more, grrr! lol

[xhxmxsx]

joannie it has taken me so long for numerous amounts of reasons, family living abroad but coming back in the summer, most of our friends being in their last year at uni so wanted to wait for them to finish, but the biggest reason was my uncle being in and out of intensive care for most of this year so far. also it will be a big do as my fiance has 32 aunts and uncles and his family are very close.

i will ask for no wedding presents as we've lived together for a while we dont really need anything so we will ask people to give a donation to a charity although we havent chosen one yet

[spanner7853]

i had an engagement party as I didn't have one with my first husband. I requezsted no presents as we lived together but some people still bought gifts.

[mrspask]

I thought that couples who live together had ''engagement parties'' all the time!!!!!!!!!!

[hundreddolla]

Presents?

[Bohne]

What does the engagement party have to do with the fact if the couple is living together or not???

You celebrate your decision to get married.
That should be a good enough reason in either case.

I never celebrated my engagement, by the way, and had a wedding with only 13 people.
But each to their own!

I rather celebrate without reasons, so people don't think they have to bring presents!

[fraggle08]

I agree that whether you live together or not shoudln't make a difference about a party, its to celebrate your good news.
However i am getting fed up with those 'friends' who have formal, organised parties for everything where you are expected to buy presents. e.g. a friend is having a 'baby shower' soon and has sent out a John Lewis gift list!! how cheeky! and then once the baby is born, she'll have a christening (more presents). we've already spent a fortune on her engagement party & wedding presents. i am not married and have no kids - can i still have a party with a gift list?

[Bohne]

@fraggle: You can have a birthday party every year and send a gift list just to that friend!

:o)

Or do you know the Sex-and-the-City episode, where Carrie sends out such a list to a friend who 'ows' her a pair of shoes. I think her reason was celebrating to be single!