If you’ve recently said the ‘Big Yes’ it’s time to celebrate with your friends and family by throwing an engagement party. It’s not every day you get engaged so you’ll want to make this party something extra special. Here are some original ideas that will make your engagement party the event of the year (until your wedding of course).
So now that you’ve got the ring on your finger and updated your Facebook relationship status accordingly, the only thing left to do to set your engagement off is to throw a great party at an even greater engagement party venue. But if you don’t want to settle for just any old celebration, our team have come up with some great engagement party ideas that’ll have you smiling all the way down the aisle.
Engagement Party Idea: Champagne Brunch
What could be more glamours then a champagne brunch? A champagne brunch is the perfect elegant event for celebrating your big news with friends and family while channelling your inner Holly Golightly. Host your engagement brunch at a stylish venue with elegant decor and an excellent variety of breakfast and brunch menu options. Plenty of flowers and white lace will add a bridal feel to the event. Depending on the size of your engagement party you can either opt for a sit-down breakfast or you may instead choose to have a breakfast buffet.
Engagement Party Idea: Mad Men Cocktail Party
While Betty and Don Draper aren’t exactly #relationshipgoals nobody can deny Mad Men is brimming with charm and style. There is no reason you can’t take out the more fun aspects of the show for a truly stylish 50’s cocktail party to celebrate your engagement with friends and family. Find a function room that has some serious Mad Men vibes to host your chic 50’s style engagement party. Organise some hot and cold canapés, and a variety of classic cocktails to be passed around throughout the night.
Engagement Party Idea: White Party
White parties are the go-to event for the rich and the famous and for good reason. A white party is an easy dress code for your guests to abide. The theme creates an excellent aesthetic and even better pictures that will get you more double taps then you’ve ever had before. You can choose to host your all white party in your backyard if you’re a little strapped for cash or alternatively host it at a venue where the staff are happy to help you bring your all white vision to life. Having just the one colour theme makes finding decorations, food and something to wear surprisingly easy.
Engagement Party Idea: Garden Party
An engagement party in your garden is the perfect way for an outdoorsy couple to celebrate their big news. The best part is that a garden party is really versatile when it comes to themes. The backyard can be set up in a glamping inspired theme, Alice In Wonderland or even a hoedown throwdown complete with hay bales, fire pits and country tunes. If the party is at home then you can either cook up a bbq feast or organise a caterer to take care of the food.
Engagement Party Idea: Private dining
For a more intimate engagement party celebration, gather your closest loved ones and book a private dining room at a restaurant of your choice. If you want something extra special, work with the staff to organise a set menu or share style feast in advance. You could even opt to have wine pairings over different courses. If you prefer a more laid back affair then just organise a tab and let everyone order as they please.
Engagement Party Idea: Sunset Cruise
Set sail on the high seas with a romantic sunset cruise. Organise a private chartered cruise around the bay and celebrate your special news with a handful of your closest friends and family members as the sun sets over glistening waters. Organise nibbles and cocktails for all those on board and sit back and enjoy the ride.
Engagement Party Idea: Make it a masquerade
Theming & Styling
Give your party a dark and mysterious feeling with some mood lighting, candlelit tables and stylish mirrors. For some added style points book a brisbane function venue with your very own romantic balcony overlooking the city – talk about romantic.
Dress Ups/Attire
When it comes to masquerade balls, style is everything. Grab a great disguise and get ready to hit the dance floor – but warning, even a mask won’t cover up Aunty Rita’s signature dance moves.
Food menu ideas
You can’t have a fancy dress ball engagement party calls for some seriously fancy food to match! How about freshly shucked oysters, seared scallops on the half shell and miniature beef mignon – ooh la, la!
Beverage menu ideas
Speaking of fancy, no engagement celebration is complete without a little bubbly. Get in the celebratory mood and toast to the beginning of your new adventure with an endless supply of premium Australian sparkling wine.
Entertainment
Let’s face it, tor an upmarket affair like this, an iPod is just not going to cut it! Go hard or go home with a killer live band – Bonus points if you can convince your Uncle Kevin to whip out an impromptu guitar solo.
Engagement Party Idea: The winter wonderland party
Who cares if it’s 35 degrees outside, nothing makes a statement quite like a winter wonderland!
Theming & Styling
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow or at least make it look like it has. Turn up the air con, hire an ice sculpture and transform your function space into a romantic snowy escape – just remember, licking an ice sculpture may seem like a great idea at the time, but some pranks aren’t worth the awkward trip to the emergency room, we’re looking at you Michael.
Dress Ups
You might be the one wearing white on the big day, but an all white engagement party has got some serious style appeal, just avoid the red wine.
Food Menu Ideas
Match your menu to the theme with a warming, seasonal buffet with spiced ham off the bone and roast turkey with cranberry dressing.
Beverage Ideas
Keeping with the all-white theme, why not gab a great selection of local and international white wines and sparkling – your dry cleaner will thank you later.
Entertainment
Just dying to show off all those romantic happy snaps? Pop together a photo gallery set to music and entertain your guests with your cutest moments – and hey, a few embarrassing ones too just for fun.
Engagement Party Idea: The Greatest Show on Earth!
Escape the wedding planning circus and become the ringleader of your very own circus themed party instead! Stun your guests and arrive by helicopter to a glamorous location. Roll up, roll up – but don’t roll down the stairs later.
Styling and Theme
While hiring an elephant might be a little out of your budget that doesn’t mean you can’t make your party come alive with the circus feeling. Recreate the big top feeling with lots of reds accents and some fun lighting with lots of glitter to match!
Costumes
Give your party a whacky edge with circus inspired dress ups and costumes, like acrobats, jugglers and lion tamers. But be warned – clowns may be funny but drunk clowns are just kind of scary.
Food Menu Ideas
No trip to the circus is complete without your favourite finger food. Give your engagement party a fun edge by hiring your very own cotton candy maker or hot buttered popcorn machine for the day.
Beverage Menu Ideas
Put a grown up twist on your circus favorites with some crazy cocktail combinations and lots of icy cold champagne – remember you want to channel Cirque Du Soleil not Circus Oz.
Entertainment
While your partner might be really impressed with your epic juggling skills, take the pressure off yourself and hire some real circus professionals.
Engagement Party Idea: A very beachy engagement party
Winter wonderland not your thing? Give your engagement party a tropical feel with your very own beach party (minus the sand). With just a bit of styling you could pretend to be relaxing in Port Macquarie, while partying in Brisbane!
Theme Styling
Fortunately setting a beachy theme is cinch when you live in tropical Queensland year round. Just grab some beach balls, your best beach brolly and a couple of towels and hey presto, you’re halfway to turning your engagement party into your very own piece of Byron Bay.
Costumes
How do we put this delicately? Hawaiian shirts are A-Okay. Your favourite budgie smugglers are not. We’re looking at you Uncle Les.
Food Menu Ideas
No engagement beach party is complete without a genuine Aussie BBQ! But skip the snags and take it up a notch with rib fillet steaks, marinated prawns and tender lamb skewers.
Beverage Menu Ideas
Did somebody say icy cold beers? Oh look, twist our arm why don’t you.
Entertainment
While a traditional game of beach cricket might be out. That doesn’t mean you can’t have some classic beach side fun. Why not challenge your family and friends to a hula competition or some cutthroat limbo? You’d be surprised how limber your Nanna is even after her hip replacement.
Engagement Party Idea: The “way we were” party
Go back in time to 2010 when you first met and recreate the good old days with a unique party dedicated to that golden period where everything was still so new.
Theming & Styling
Make your function space truly strand out from the rest with a nod to your first date. Did you go to the movies? Design your invitations to look like movie tickets and create your very silver screen magic with a custom movie poster, “coming to an altar near you”. Just make sure to keep it PG until the oldies leave.
Dress Ups/Attire
It was a time of bandage dresses, asymmetrical hemlines and the pinnacle of Lady Gaga’s wacky outfits – hello, meat dress – it’s time to dig deep into your wardrobe and unearth those cringe worthy clothes you wish you had left into past, because you know deep down you’re just dying to see your Uncle Darryl with a hair bow.
Food menu ideas
Can you remember what you ate on your first date? Find clever ways to incorporate your favourite food into the celebration with a menu that’s all about you. If there’s one way to get to someone’s heart, it’s through their stomach.
Beverage menu ideas
Need a bit of Dutch courage before your walk down the aisle? Why not really make your mark with a custom cocktail? Or add a little extra sparkle – you know other than the ring – with free flowing champagne all night long.
Entertainment
Still have your first ever playlist you made for each other? It’s time to dust of those iPod and get ready to rock with non stop hits from the year you met. From Katy Perry to Jay Z, take a turn down memory lane with a couple of guaranteed floor fillers – just be sure to get a video of your Aunty Linda busting a move to Eminem, you never know when you’re going to need it.
So don’t just settle for any old cocktail and canapé affair, make your Brisbane engagement party really stand out from the crowd with a custom celebration that’s all about you.
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Engagement Party Idea: Go Glamping
Theming & Styling
Whether you take it inside or out, it’s all about unfinished wood, soft draped curtains and plenty of fur at this party. If you’ve got the space, open tipis piled with comfy cushions will create the perfect space to sit and sip warm mulled wine, while table settings featuring rustic wooden logs, plenty of greenery and mason jars will continue the look.
Dress Ups
No need to be too practical for this camping trip – high heeled leather boots and cute patterned ponchos are definitely allowed! Think Country Road with just a dash of Burning Man, and tassels, tassels everywhere.
Food, Beverages & Catering
Forget canned food and mystery stew – the g in glamping doesn’t just stand for glamorous, it stands for gourmet. Turn the wood-fired BBQ menu up a notch with mini sliders, skewers, and slow cooked meats, all paired with fruity punch. After the main affair, your guests can hit the (rustically decorated, of course) dessert table, or roast marshmallows over a carefully tended fire.
Entertainment
Has all that partying got you and your guests looking like you’ve gone bush? Ensure everyone stays looking their glamorous best with a mani and pedi station, or bring in a stylist for mini makeovers!
Engagement Party Idea: Summer Party
Theming & Styling
Think bright, colourful and tropical for this summer shindig! Whether it’s the right season for your engagement party date or not, a summer party is the perfect way to spread a little sunshine, with loads of bright tropical flowers adorning your tables, colourful paper straws and cocktail jugs full of sangria and lemonade, and plenty of confetti to throw on the dance floor.
Dress Ups
No, we’re not going to suggest those hideous Hawaiian shirts Uncle Bevan wears – this summer party has a little more style. Tell the boys to hunt down some vintage Mambo to wear with tailored lined shorts and deck shoes, while the girls can float in wearing tropical sundresses and wide straw hats.
Food, Beverages & Catering
What else would be on the menu but seafood? Pile a table with ice, and stack on the fresh prawns, oysters and fresh salads. For dessert, you could go simple with bright macarons and summer fruits – or get a little extravagant and put on an ice cream sundae bar!
Entertainment
Summer weather is perfect for getting outdoors and playing games on the lawn – even if it’s winter, you’re inside and it’s astroturf. Arrange to have the likes of giant Jenga, Connect 4 and coits awaiting on a grassy area, and watch as your guests suddenly get wildly competitive!
Engagement Party Idea: Pink Party
Theming & Styling
The key for this theme is to not go overboard. Yes, you can get pink tablecloths, plates, straws, cups, bunting and more – but sometimes, less is more. Start with plenty of white and add in generous pink touches, with a splash of sparkling gold here and there to ensure your party is more glam, less Barbie dream house circa 1990.
Dress Ups
What else – everyone has to wear pink! Whether it’s a splash of pink or all pink, there’s no doubt you’re going to have some great photos – although we’re not sure that will be a good thing when you’re looking back on the flounced taffeta number your future mother-in-law wore.
Food, Beverage & Catering
Just us promise us one thing – don’t overdo it with the pink food colouring. For savoury, beetroot stained sushi donuts with pickled ginger are stunning to see and oh so trendy, while charcuterie, beetroot hummus and beetroot goats cheese tarts are both delicious and simple to make. For dessert and drinks, it’s all about the pink cupcakes, French martinis and plenty of rosé!
Entertainment
You could go with a dancefloor playlist dedicated to Pink and Pink Floyd – or you could do a throwback to the days when Debbie’s pink taffeta outfit was cool, the 90s, and get a DJ to rock those hits until the early hours!
Engagement Party Idea: ‘I DO’ BBQ
Theme & Styling
The ‘I Do BBQ’ is a popular engagement party option for the more relaxed, down to earth couple who like to keep things simple. Fire up the 6 burner and crack a couple of cold ones with your closest mates to celebrate your big news in classic Aussie style.
Dress Ups
For an ‘I do’ BBQ you want to keep things pretty casual but you also don’t want anyone wandering around in stubbies and a singlet at your engagement party. Find a nice balance by encouraging guys to wear tailored shorts and deck shoes. The ladies can rock nice comfy summer dresses and sandals.
Food Beverages & Catering
For your BBQ engagement Party, you will want to opt for the classic options, sausages, steaks, burgers, prawns and salads. As with most BBQ’s you can ask your guests to bring a plate to keep the budget down. To make sure all bases are covered, keep a list of who’s bringing what. For drinks, a couple of slabs of beer and some nice white wine should do the trick. You might want to also invest in champagne for a toast.
Entertainment
No Aussie BBQ is complete without a game of Backyard cricket. An ‘I do BBQ’ is no different. If you don’t have space for a game of cricket you can always crack out the bocci.
Engagement Party Idea: A Roaring 20’s Speak Easy
Theme & Styling
If you’ve been dreaming of a Gatsby style speakeasy since you first read the book in high school, an engagement party is a perfect opportunity to make it happen. When it comes to styling just think of yourself as Nick Caraway wondering through one of Gatsby’s Parties for the first time. This will include champagne towers, swanky jazz tunes, and plenty of glitter and gold.
Dress Ups
Speakeasy fashion for women is all about fringed flapper dresses, feathers, stockings and boas. Gentlemens costumes should be dapper. Think vintage style waistcoats, high waisted pants, and a flat cap, fedora or a poke pie hat.
Food, Beverages, Catering
The best way to feed your guests at a 1920’s style speakeasy engagement party is by rotating a variety of hors-d’oeuvre throughout the evening. In The Great Gatsby, some of the hors-d’oeurves mentioned include baked ham which can be made elegant by adding maraschino cherries. Alcohol may have been outlawed in 1920s America, but that wasn’t stopping anyone from drinking it. A proper speakeasy beverage list should include champagne as well as a variety ‘prohibition cocktails’ such as ‘Gin Rickey’ and ‘mint julep’.
Entertainment
If you’re going to host a speakeasy engagement party there is no point in doing it by halves. Add some 1920’s magic to your evening with a performance from a live Jazz band.
Engagement Party Idea: A Mexican Fiesta
Theme & Styling
In celebration of your love, invite your amigos to party like there is no manana with a Mexican style fiesta. The décor for an engagement fiesta should include colour, colour and more colour. Think bright reds, yellows, greens and blues. DIY colourful tissue paper flowers are easy and affordable to make and they can really bring the theme to life. Another fun idea is to use cacti instead of flowers for centrepieces.
Dress Up
For a Mexican fiesta, everyone should wear as much colour as possible. The women can wear flowers in their hair, the more exotic the better. The men might like to don a poncho or simply a colourful shirt. There is always the option to be silly with the theme by dressing as something iconic to Mexican culture such as a taco but be careful to avoid offensive stereotypes as this will only make people feel uncomfortable and ruin the mood.
Food, Beverage, Catering
You can’t have a fiesta without a Mexican feast. An easy option for catering is to create a taco and burrito station where guests are given the opportunity to choose their favourite fillings. Another option might be to hire a Mexican food truck to save you the stress and hassle of cooking yourself. For drinks, you might want to consider hiring a margarita machine. if you are on a budget, a couple of cartons of coronas should do the trick.
Entertainment
A great way to entertain your engagement party guests is with a piñata. Get creative by filling the piñata with fun party favours that adults will get a kick out of such as mini tequila bottles. You could also surprise your guests by hiring a mariachi band to perform. This will give your Mexican fiesta the ultimate authentic atmosphere.
Engagement Party Idea: Parisian Theme
Ah Paris, the city of wining and dining and falling in love. It’s expensive (and completely inconvenient for your guests) to host your engagement party in Paris, so bring the City of Lights to Brisbane with a Parisian-themed party. Our venue, The Boudoir, was made for this engagement party idea with its French-inspired décor and furnishings.
We’re picturing gourmet cheese and charcuterie boards, bottles of French wine and champagne and macaroons, eclairs and crème brûlée for dessert. Your guests can arrive dressed in haute couture ready to toast your upcoming nuptials with a heartfelt “santé!”
Engagement Party Idea: Hollywood Glam
In the world of A-listers and legends, the word “glam” conjures images of elegant gowns, dapper suits, lavish decorations, gourmet food and seemingly bottomless bottles of top-shelf spirits, wine and champagne. This is one of our favourite engagement party ideas, thanks to those subtle touches of authenticity you can easily provide.
We’re talking about stationing some “paparazzi” in front of The Fox to snap photographs of you and your partner as you arrive. You can also organise a red carpet or limousine service and book a room that exudes style and exclusivity. You’ve got a wide range of choices here at The Fox, including Dandy’s Rooftop, the 40-pax Atrium and intimate Collectors Room.
Engagement Party Idea: Boho
An engagement party is a celebration of life, love and culture. The bohemian (boho) theme captures all of this with meaningful decorations showcasing the people and moments involved in this loving engagement. It’s also ideal for those who prefer a more laidback atmosphere with warm, earthy colours, mixed and matched decorations and casual, yet stylish outfits.
Trying to decide on a venue for this engagement party theme? Might we suggest The Veranda Room, which complements the boho style with wicker furniture, funky wallpaper and French doors. Now all you need to do is make sure your guests wear their best tiered skirts, flowing dresses, colourful chinos, floral shirts and wooden jewellery.
Engagement Party Idea: Night Under the Stars
A starry night sky is associated with many a romantic occasion. The same is possible for your engagement party in Brisbane if you celebrate at our rooftop venue, Dandy’s Rooftop. Gather all your friends and family for a memorable evening spent overlooking the shimmering lights and stars of Brisbane.
Add some more pop to your evening by inviting your guests to dress to the occasion with glittering jewellery, debonair suits and dresses that catch the light in just the right way. With cocktails, a char-grill kitchen and atmospheric decorations, it’s the perfect setting for a starry night of love and revelry.
Engagement Party Idea:Wine & Cheese Tasting
Don’t like being the centre of attention? A wine and cheese tasting is the perfect plan for an engagement party spent chatting and laughing over delectable vino and various slices of local and international cheese. Say goodbye to long speeches, cringe-worthy slideshows and that perpetual spotlight and instead focus on how a glass of Chablis pairs with Epoisses.
You can also tailor this theme to fit how informal or formal you’d like the proceedings and also time it for the afternoon or early evening. Flexibility is certainly a positive, but we really like the idea of everyone coming together and getting a little bit tipsy (in the fanciest of ways) while celebrating your special occasion.
Engagement Party Idea: Dessert Party
Do you find yourself enduring evenings until dessert is finally served? A dessert party might be what’s missing from your engagement planning. Skip all the other courses and get straight to the sweet goodness of cookie dough cheesecake, upside-down banana bread, cupcakes and apple pie and vanilla ice cream.
Is your mouth watering yet? Dessert doesn’t only have to satisfy your sweet tooth either. Consider bringing out some gourmet cheese boards to go with a delectable dessert wine. Finish with some top-shelf digestifs or a bottle of port.
Engagement Party Idea: Famous Couples Costume Party
It’s unfortunate, but few couples ever think of a costume theme for their engagement party. Why not buck the trend and celebrate your union by dressing up as your favourite couples in history. There are myriad costume ideas, from the first-ever couple, Adam and Eve, to the dramatic love of Mark Antony and Cleopatra.
Get creative with this theme by organising couple-based games and putting up pictures of “exes” around the room. This engagement party theme suits any of our function rooms at The Fox, most of which offer sit-down and cocktail configurations. And who knows, someone might even come dressed as future versions of you and your partner.
Engagement Party Idea: Summer Barbecue
You don’t need to stay at home for this engagement party theme. Our Dandy’s Rooftop venue has a char-grill kitchen, colourful picnic tables and umbrellaed outdoor lounge chairs. You can enjoy the laidback atmosphere of a summer barbecue, complete with Brisbane views and a cooling breeze. And the best part is you don’t have to worry about any cleaning up afterwards.
The relaxed venue is the perfect spot for dressing down in shorts, breathable button-ups and boat shoes, while the women can pull out their summer dresses and flats. Stay cool with some fruity cocktails from the bar.
Engagement Party Idea: Travel the World
These days, travelling together is a rite of passage for any couple. It’s one of the most underrated engagement party ideas in Brisbane, where countless couples travel together, creating lifelong memories. It’s fitting then that your engagement party focuses on travel with souvenirs from old adventures, posters of places you want to visit together and a travel wishing well where guests can leave travel-related gifts.
The Collectors Room is perfect for this theme, thanks to its exotic decorations from overseas adventures. It’s an intimate room for a maximum of 20 guests, so if you need a larger space, we suggest booking The Canvas Room, where you can adorn the walls in all your travel memorabilia.
Engagement Party Idea: Floral Theme
You can almost map out an entire relationship with flowers, from Valentine’s Day bouquets to the “I’m sorry” bunch of roses. If flowers have been a prominent part of your relationship, why not go in on a floral theme for your engagement party. Just think of the beautiful colours and smells that will accompany your celebration.
There are numerous ways you can incorporate flowers in your setup, including giant floral letters, tiaras made from flowers and pastel floral bunting. You can also have your guests dress the part with floral shirts, corsages and boutonnières.
Engagement Party Idea: Long Lunch
An extended lunch is an easy throw-together engagement party that requires minimal planning. Whether you want to do it on the weekend or midweek, simply book a room at The Fox and we’ll take care of the catering, including drinks and food. We have a variety of venues that are ideal for a long luncheon, including the plantation home-inspired Veranda Room and the exclusive Atrium.
You can opt for a sit-down meal or stick with a cocktail setting while celebrating with friends and family. It’s a simple and easy way to celebrate while leaving the grand festivities for the wedding and honeymoon.
Engagement Party Idea: Surprise Engagement Party
Haven’t told anyone about your engagement yet? Invite everyone along to an undisclosed party then, once all your loved ones are present, surprise them all with one big announcement. In the age of social media, experiencing everyone’s immediate reactions at once and in person is the rarest of moments.
Once they’ve all caught up, then you can keep the party rolling with cocktails, champagne and gourmet share plates. Make sure the announcement happens early in the evening, so you have plenty of time to enjoy the actual celebrations.
