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Our very first wedding-related party was just a couple of weeks ago! It was definitely a trial run for my planning and execution skills (and those of my family and friends who helped!), but at the end of the day, it was an amazing night we all enjoyed!
My favorite question everyone asked us was “why have an engagement party”, most people don’t and that is definitely more the norm! However, not only are we not getting married for another year and some change but we also just got back to somewhat normalcy after not being able to see our friends who don’t live within a 10-mile radius from us or have been at school, etc. So we wanted to have a nice get-together to celebrate with our friends!
We did a cute little backyard BBQ ‘I do BBQ’ themed. I wanted to make sure it wasn’t too over the top but still very cute and on track with the overall feel I want for our wedding. As with any party I took to Pinterest and went through and started pinning all sorts of ideas to consider. I then ended up really loving a very natural pallet with sage greens, black, white, and hints of rose gold, and gold. I incorporated rustic elements like galvanized tins, wood bowls, and wicker baskets on the food and dessert tables.
It was super important to us to keep this party within a small budget and not go overboard. So, a huge bonus to this theme was that this is generally the color palette I use for life in general. So I had a ton of things all over my house, and my mom’s that were perfect to use. That definitely helped us stay on budget! We also were able to buy our meat in bulk and had our good friend smoke it for us, which was a huge help, as well as our family bringing a few side dishes and desserts to add! I then shopped for the fruit and veggies and only used what was on sale the week of the party. I also became best friends with the dollar store and the wedding section at Walmart for all the utensils, chalk accessories, and any little extras we needed like regular tablecloths. Then everyone’s best friend, Amazon Prime, was absolutely perfect for the special things we wanted, like the buffalo check tablecloths, cupcake toppers, and cutesy banners! We were also able to use pallet boards to help the rustic feel and create a DIY photo backdrop with a balloon arch, which was my absolute favorite. It came out perfect! As far as location, we were offered by my best friend’s parents for them to host in their backyard, which was so incredibly sweet and we could not have pulled this off without them! We also used a rental company that allowed us to be able to come to get the tables and chairs and drop them off ourselves which ended up saving us over 150 dollars! Doing a little extra work (as long as you have the time) is a HUGE money saver!
This party was also a wonderful learning opportunity for me. I learned so much about where to shop and how to properly prepare for events, with good timelines and time management.
But overall, we had a wonderful little party and can not thank everyone who helped bring it all together enough! It was the perfect way to celebrate and kick off the next months of planning our dream wedding!
