Engagement party
Encyclopedia
An engagement party is a party thrown to celebrate a couple's recent engagement
and to help future wedding guests to get to know one another. Traditionally, the bride
's parents host the engagement party, but many modern couples host their own celebration.
to his guests. The engagement party was to share the engagement
news with family members and friends. Therefore, it was not a traditional gift-giving occasion, as none of the guests were supposed to be aware of the engagement until after their arrival.
In ancient Greece
, an engagement party was a commercial transaction. It was essentially an oral contract
, made between the man who gave the woman in marriage, usually her father, and the groom. The bride
was not present.
While it varies, an engagement party sometimes is thrown at the beginning of the wedding planning process. It is often thrown at the couple's home or the home of a close friend or relative of the couple. This kind of engagement party usually includes engagement party gifts for the couple which are similar to wedding gifts in that they are household goods which will help the couple start their life together, but are usually less expensive and less formal than the gifts a couple will receive at their wedding.
Engagement
An engagement or betrothal is a promise to marry, and also the period of time between proposal and marriage which may be lengthy or trivial. During this period, a couple is said to be betrothed, affianced, engaged to be married, or simply engaged...
and to help future wedding guests to get to know one another. Traditionally, the bride
Bride
A bride is a woman about to be married or newlywed.The word may come from the Proto-Germanic verb root *brū-, meaning 'to cook, brew, or make a broth' which was the role of the daughter-in-law in primitive families...
's parents host the engagement party, but many modern couples host their own celebration.
History
Originally, engagement parties were normal parties at which a surprise announcement of the engagement was made by the father of the brideFather of the Bride
Father of the Bride may refer to the following:*Father of the Bride , starring Spencer Tracy, Joan Bennett, and Elizabeth Taylor*Father of the Bride , remake of the 1950 film, starring Steve Martin, Diane Keaton and Martin Short...
to his guests. The engagement party was to share the engagement
Engagement
An engagement or betrothal is a promise to marry, and also the period of time between proposal and marriage which may be lengthy or trivial. During this period, a couple is said to be betrothed, affianced, engaged to be married, or simply engaged...
news with family members and friends. Therefore, it was not a traditional gift-giving occasion, as none of the guests were supposed to be aware of the engagement until after their arrival.
In ancient Greece
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
, an engagement party was a commercial transaction. It was essentially an oral contract
Oral contract
An oral contract is a contract the terms of which have been agreed by spoken communication, in contrast to a written contract, where the contract is a written document...
, made between the man who gave the woman in marriage, usually her father, and the groom. The bride
Bride
A bride is a woman about to be married or newlywed.The word may come from the Proto-Germanic verb root *brū-, meaning 'to cook, brew, or make a broth' which was the role of the daughter-in-law in primitive families...
was not present.
Modern times
In modern times, engagement parties often celebrate a previously publicized engagement. Gifts are often given and toasts or speeches are often made. Some couples choose not to have an engagement party.While it varies, an engagement party sometimes is thrown at the beginning of the wedding planning process. It is often thrown at the couple's home or the home of a close friend or relative of the couple. This kind of engagement party usually includes engagement party gifts for the couple which are similar to wedding gifts in that they are household goods which will help the couple start their life together, but are usually less expensive and less formal than the gifts a couple will receive at their wedding.
See also
- Bachelor partyBachelor partyA bachelor party , also known as a stag party, stag night or stag do , a bull's party , or a buck's party or buck's night , is a party held for a man shortly before he enters marriage, to celebrate his "last night of freedom" or merely to spend...
- Bachelorette party
- Bridal showerBridal showerA bridal shower is a gift-giving party held for a bride-to-be in anticipation of her wedding. The custom originated in the 1890s and is today most common in the United States, Canada, and by North American influence, in Australia....
- Stag and doeStag and doeA stag and doe party, stag and drag party, hen and stag party, buck and doe party, or a jack and jill party is a party and fundraiser for an engaged couple.-Canada:...