Help with engagement party

I don't want to spend a lot of money on an engagement party and I want to do something fun, I went to see how much it would be for a party package at Dave and Buster's and it would be over $2,000.00 with food, drinks and game tokens, to me that's crazy!!!! Any ideas??

We're having ours at the local firehouse....I got the room for free, a DJ for $300 and my friends and family are making food and getting some catered. We'll get a keg and some wine, I've made all my decorations. I started out thinking I was going to do a restaurant e-party, but having it at the firehouse slashed our budget to practically nothing and we can invite wayyyy more people.

You might wanna try Milleridge Inn (they have packages starting at around $30pp), Bulldog Grille in Amityville (my fave place in my hometown, they have a great upstairs room and prices are fairly low)...Or a VFW, they rent for $500 usually. If you know someone in the fire dept., see if they can get you the room!

I am having mine as well at a local firehouse that my FH father is in. The room was $25 to rent. It has a huge space and a connecting seperate full bar area w/ flat screen TV. We are having it catered and getting a keg, big bottles of wine, etc. We bought decorations, tableclothes, some balloons w/ flowers for a centerpiece, baskets for the bathroom. It is a calla lilly theme. We invited 110, which is immediate family & friends. We also did not want to have a mini wedding and wanted something very low key and fun with that many people. For music we are going to hook our Ipod up to our Bose Stereo. So far it is coming along very well, but the party isn't until Nov. 24th.

I really can't think of anywhere on long island that is reasonable to have it on a budget, hence going with the firehouse idea (which of course I think is great). We would have had it at my mother's house but my parents are divorced and it is a bit awkward.

we had it in fh's grandmother's development clubhouse (which most developments have) and it was just a $100 refundable security deposit. family pitched in to make trays of food, so with alcohol, favors, and decorations, it prob cost less than $1,000. cash gifts alone MORE than made up for that. good luck!