Before the wedding

"Why We’re Glad we had an Engagement Party"

‘We seize any opportunity that arises to throw a party’ – Sharon, 25

“Our engagement party was on April 12, 2014. My fiancé Luke and I are planning to get married in May 2017. I come from a family where we seize any opportunity that arises to throw a party and obviously this was a special occasion, so as soon as I called my mother to tell her he had proposed, she told me she would throw the engagement party herself.

“The party was at my parents’ house. We first had the blessing of the rings, followed by a small reception. My family, Luke’s family and some of my friends joined us for this special occasion. We were about 70 people in all. We ordered food from a caterer; I also had souvenirs done and invitations by a professional company. I was lucky because a family member is a photographer so I have photos and even a photo album.

“Since I knew the wedding wasn't going to be until another couple of years and we had already been together for four years, the engagement party was like another step forward. If you’re planning an engagement party, it's important to always stick to your budget and do whatever you feel comfortable with. All in all, I would definitely do it all over again.”

‘My grandparents got to celebrate with me before they passed away’ – Annabelle, 27

“I’m getting married in June this year. We had a very small engagement party at the Valletta Water Polo Pitch on October 27, 2013, with our parents and my three grandparents. At first, I was worried it would be expensive, but the restaurant owner – a friend of the family – told me that I might regret it if I skipped out on it. My cousin made me a beautiful cake for the occasion. It didn’t really turn out to be too costly – around €300 in all. My fiancé also surprised me by inviting three friends whom I was close to for a drink in the evening after the engagement.

“One of my grandmothers had already passed away and two years after the engagement party, one of my grandfathers did too. I’m thankful that I had the party because at least he got to celebrate with us before he passed away, and I have the photos of all of us together to cherish.”

‘Every special occasion calls for a celebration with the most important persons in our lives’ – Sarah, 33

“Steve and I were engaged for three years before we got married. Our engagement party was held at my parents' and we had around 50 guests. We always knew we wanted an intimate do, so it was easy to decide on the guest list – family, close friends and a few colleagues. We weren't keen on having musicians/singers, a photographer and a videographer as we wanted to keep the event as intimate as possible, so I compiled a playlist of suitable background music, asked my brother to take some photos and my uncle to shoot a short video. Catering was by Busy Bee, our favourite caterers. For flowers I chose avalanche roses, white anthuriums and lilium which were beautifully put together into a number of arrangements by my talented aunt.

“The fulcrum was obviously the religious ceremony including the blessing of the ring. My favourite part was the cutting of the cake, the first thing we did together as an engaged couple. As souvenirs we chose small gold treasure chests filled with two heart-shaped pralines from Valentino Chocolatier.

“In my humble opinion, every special occasion calls for a celebration with the most important persons in our lives, and our engagement was no exception. I have absolutely no regrets and wouldn't do anything differently. To couples currently planning their engagement party – congratulations, enjoy the preparations and have a lovely time on your special day!”