Engagement party etiquette

FNRLDRECTR@AOL Our parents are having an engagement party for us in October (we were engaged Dec. 1999) and the wedding isn't until July 2002. We are making a SMALL apartment (bedroom, living room & kitchenette, no bathroom as we will share the upstairs one) in his parents basement & will be living there starting in 3 months or so & at least for the next 4 years. The question is, should we register for the party? We will need so few things, I feel it may be a waste. I don't want to register now for a full set of kitchen stuff & china because of lack of storage & not knowing what type of house we will have in few years. Is it bad etiquette not to register in this case? Thanks for the input!! Val

How far in advance to reserve depends on the time of year and where you are. A few brides a while back were a bit panicky when they needed more rooms and the area was all booked. If it's a popular vacation time, or there are conventions or other events around, you may have trouble getting the rooms you want, but some places won't reserve more than 10 - 12 months in advance.