we are trying to decide whether to have an engagement party or not? family think it's a waste of money but we both have large families and would like for everyone to come together and get to know each other a little bit before we get married also there is a possibility we will be getting married abroad so not everyone will be able to come/ afford to come to our wedding!
have a party at your local. everyone buys their own drinks and can celebrate with you and meet the other families. No real cost involved although you could get the pub to do a buffet or something.
i didn't have one (although did think about it). my brother had one which was a huge success. he hired out a sports hall and had a disco, it was a night to remember. he's had kids since and the wedding is this year, so at least he got the chance to have a big bender without his kids seeing lol.
A lot of pubs/venues will you let you have a room for free if you guarantee a certain amount of people will turn up. Don't bother with food (most of it gets thrown away anyway) hire a DJ or get a friend to do it and you can have a good night for less than �200.00