engagement party

I am having my engagement party this Saturday night at Crest Hollow and I had a lot of the same questions....

We decided not to do centerpieces to keep it informal and not waste the money.. but then my FMIL wanted to contribute so she made centerpieces.. If it weren't for her I wouldn't have got any, because the Crest Hollow offered tall dinner candles which were nice enough

We are not doing any formal photography because I felt it would feel TOO wedding-y, although I am going to be designating people I knwo to snap shots all night with their digital cameras lol

We are not doing any traditional wedding stuff... It's a buffet.. no dias, we're sitting at a table like everyone else... No dancing alone or anything that draws too much attention to it being like a wedding

My engagement party ended up being 150 people.. We invited over 200, because the list kept growing! I get the same questions ALL the time, like what are you going to do for the wedding if your engagement party is so big.. BUT, we ended up booking a gorgous hall for the wedding that does one wedding at a time, and we are having a band there instead of a DJ, and 300+ people at the wedding, so most questions I can answer when people act like the e party is too fancy and the wedding couldnt possibly top it... cause I think it will!!

Hope this helps.. I know it's frustrating cause there are no set in stone guidelines and exact etiquette for engagement parties... The etiquette kind of just says it can be however big or small you'd like...