Engagement party: do I have to bring a gift?

I think if you print out the photo you posted on the desktop thread on good-quality paper and frame it, you've got a tasteful and thoughtful gift.

I'd probably bring a bottle of wine or flowers or some hostess-gift type thing, but I haven't gone to many engagement parties (weddings, yes, engagement parties, no) so I'm not sure how that works, either.

That's a good idea. Maybe I'll get a classier photo of a dog taking a dump.

buy a gift you cheap f*ck.....

I once went to a bridal shower for a very good friend, so I bought her a very special gift......a male stripper. Not only did she enjoy it, so did all the other ladies there.

It was gift that just kept on giving....(picturing the good looking male stripper and smiling)

I always hated 'showers'.. what a waste of a Saturday or Sunday. Hated may be too strong a word, let's say I regretted my need to attend most but not all of them.

Seems like 'engagement party' is either a forerunner to 'shower' and so on, or replacing all that.

I think the photo thing is a great idea, presumably the one on the desktop thread, which I haven't caught yet, plus, I dunno, some really good champagne - assuming they drink, otherwise some equivalent - for them to have by themselves.

Seriously, Slappy, I think your idea of a nice bottle of vino is fine.

After all, as the wedding approaches, you'll be expected to cough up a wedding gift. You can buy them somthing nicer for that....

That's what I was thinking. Showing up empty-handed sucks, but I don't think it's a gift-worthy gathering.

Plus, I'm a cheap f*ck.

If you're seriously big on etiquette, you'd say it was a no-no that they've told you you're invited to an engagement party. It's supposed to be a surprise to the guests that that's what the party's about. The engagement is supposed to be announced by a parent at the party.

So - no gifts for engagement parties is still the standard, though in some communities it is all right - though the gifts are not to be opened or shown during the engagement party.

The wedding channel chimes in with ... click

I Googled:

http://www.bwedd.com/CEBride/CEBNewsletter_63.asp



Technically Engagement Parties are given by the parents of the bride to announce her engagement. A present would be anticipating the announcement.

In practice some couples give themselves "engagement" parties as a way of collecting more loot.

Well they announced their engagement months ago, so it wasn't to inform people. It's for their close family and whoever's in the wedding. I got shafted from being the best man....dammit, I want to give someone an embarrassing, drunken speech.

Well, ok, get a video of it..

I'm having an engagement party, mainly because I'm having a tiny budget wedding, and I have been able to invite a few people that I can't get to the wedding. If anyone asks me, I'm telling them no gifts. I've suggested to my family members that they all get together and just give us one gift from the lot of them for our wedding present. But I'm 40 years old and already have an established home. We're not 20 year olds setting up a home for the first time, so there's very little that we need.

Fine Wilso...I'm cancelling that fat check I sent you.

And it has the Care Bears on it too.

My own rule is: One Gift Per Couple.

Whether they get it at the engagement party, the shower, or the wedding reception, they still only get one gift. Even if I attend all three.

Jesus Christ Slappy....go buy a greeting card and a gift card to put in it.

Lifes too short to be cheap.

cancelling on Bears? Holy **** you are a cheap f*ck.....

get 'em a tube of that ky that heats up...... but then inject it with novacaine.....

I don't believe in engagement parties so I don't attend when I am invited to the rare one or two, but that's me. My opinion is that a gift is not required at almost any sort of event - wedding, engagement party. These are supposed to be celebrations of the event - wedding is celebrating your marriage - not to get loot. Although it is tradition to give a wedding gift and always do, however, I did not receive a gift from everyone at my wedding and didn't expect that they give one to me. I invited them to share my marriage, not for loot.

Engagement party is supposed to announce the engagement and/or celebrate the engagement - not for loot (although as some one else said here - many couples do this to get more stuff - that is why I ban them).

Showers to me are different - the purpose of the shower is get to loot. Still at any occassion - if some one can't afford a gift, a card with heartfelt congrats and well wishes is always appropriate.

I strongly suspect the bride had something to do with that decision.



him: I want slappy doo hoo to be the best man.

her: no

him: But I think...

her: no

him: Well he said....

her: no

him: Can't we talk abo.....

her: no