Decorating House for Engagement Party

Celebrate her new ring with an engagement party.

Add thematic elements to your home engagement party decorations to reflect the celebratory mood. Though wedding-themed decorations are always appropriate for an engagement party, The Knot suggests choosing an engagement party style and theme different from the wedding day for a fresh idea. Avoid generic, store-bought decorations, and, instead, incorporate items that reflect the couple, their personalities and their interests. A well-decorated engagement party gets guests in the mood for celebration.

Instructions

1. Drape tables in linens that reflect your engagement party color scheme. If you're serving food, buffet tables or dining tables covered in bright linens can add a pop of color to your engagement party décor. Pick a color that matches the couple's wedding day color scheme, if they've chosen it, or select a seasonal hue, like rich reds and oranges for autumn.

2. Build centerpieces that suit the party's theme. Floral centerpieces are a safe choice, but make them relevant to the engagement party. Create bouquets featuring the bride's favorite flowers or the ones she plans to use in her wedding bouquet. Print the couple's names and engagement date or wedding date on an attractive piece of card stock, attach these signs to dowel rods and place them in the bouquet for an engagement-party twist on the traditional floral centerpiece.

3. Scatter photos of the couple throughout the house. If the couple has had engagement photos taken, print some of those photos and display them in sterling silver frames scattered on tables. Create a collage of the couple through the years, and hang it on the wall so that guests---and the guests of honor---can reminisce about how far the happy couple's relationship has come.

4. Use food as a decorative element. Work with your local bakery to create a cake that reflects the engagement party color scheme or create a photo cake that features pictures of the bride and groom. If you serve food buffet style, use attractive silver platters to display the food. Stack the food in varying heights to turn your engagement-party buffet into an attractive visual display.

5. Set the mood with natural lighting. An engagement party celebrates love, so include candlelight to set a romantic tone for the event. Scatter votive candles across tables or intersperse pillar candles around your floral centerpieces. If you are using your backyard for the party, drape trees in twinkle lights for additional festive lighting. You can even choose colored lights that match your engagement party's color scheme.

References

• The Knot: Engagement Parties: How to Plan an Engagement Party
• The Knot: Engagement Parties: 5 Glam Engagement Party Ideas