For example, a groom from San Francisco marrying a bride from Boston might end up being feted by her parents on one coast and by his parents on the other, since many of their friends may not travel east for the wedding. And if the wedding will be in a town neither is from, or if the guest list will be a small one, an engagement party lets those who can't attend help celebrate the marriage. Plenty of people still choose a classic cocktail mode for an engagement party like Manhattan-based real estate broker Katie Tozer Roddy's evening at New York's Knickerbocker Club, which was attended by 180 guests. Whatever form they take and wherever they are held, today's engagement parties are an important first step in bringing the bride and groom's nearest and dearest closer together. The father of the bride may raise a glass in honor of the engagement, but toasts shouldn't be the focal point.
Tradition dictates that presents be sent directly to the bride's home.
Indeed, if the engagement party is going to be a large one, gifts should be delivered by mail rather than taken to the reception after all, the bride might be ill-equipped to transport more than a few boxes home. But if the engagement party is an intimate cocktail or dinner affair, guests can certainly take their gifts along. The party givers need no longer be the couple's parents other family members or longtime friends of the family make perfectly proper hosts. All rights reserved.