Lessons learnt from our Engagement Party

Last Saturday (March 15th) we had our engagement party !
I am really glad we decided to have one, it was a pretty good night & i did have fun but more importantly it led me to discover a few vital lessons about planning a party. I think the best thing i can take from our party is that it was like a trial run & i'll feel much more prepared once i start planning a wedding.



This is where it gets real though, i want to tell you about the biggest regrets i have from our party, the first being:

- Not going with my gut when it comes to inviting people (in short, there were a group of people i felt obliged to invite who turned up late, didn't say hello, sat down at 1 table for the whole night, pretty much judged everyone else around them, drank all of 1 particular beer, didn't mingle with other people they knew or even speak to us for the short time they were there & then said nothing more that 'cya' as they left...to be honest, until they got there i hadn't even noticed the lack of their presence.)

- Thinking a few strings of fairy lights, bunting, balloons & flower arrangement would transform a fairly plain hall

- Not spending time talking to the people i like the most

- Trying harder than i should to help people enjoy themselves

- Feeling bad about the way i looked for the whole night

- Stressing about pointless things in the lead up

- Not helping my mum more with the food & kitchen clean up

- Worrying about what people thought of me whilst i was dancing

- Not taking more photos

- Not making a speech


Wow, i sound negative. I suppose the reason for that is the fact that i had a major fall on the night.
A good friend of mine was a bit upset & sick in the bathroom, so naturally i was there with her trying to make her feel better, i was really worried about her & wanted to make sure she was ok ! All she wanted was to be taken home & a bottle of water so i rushed out of the bathroom to find her partner & to grab her a bottle of water...on my way i (stupidly) ran towards the kitchen and low & behold someone had just spilt a beer. I slipped & fell pretty hard on the wooden floorboards hitting my chin & wrist. It hurt, it really hurt.

My dad was on his way to clean up the spill & was standing right there when i fell over. He grabbed me into a big hug straight away & asked me if i was alright. Now i don't know about you guys but if something has gone wrong, and your mum or dad appear to ask you if you're alright, it automatically triggers tears. I can be as strong as anyone else, until my parents are there.

So my dad was hugging me & my internal monologue was 'DONT CRY, do not cry!' i pulled away & got to the kitchen, got the water & hid in the bathroom for a while, realising how bad i felt. I had a 5 minute pity party with a can of Coke as my ice pack.

For the rest of the night i tried my best to smile & enjoy it but i just felt horrible. I really felt defeated &  i still do. I feel like all my hard work had produced a less than impressive outcome. I feel used as a 'free night out' by some of the guests, i felt like a bad person for not making a speech thanking the people who helped us out, i feel like we don't deserve the gifts or money people were kind enough to give us, i just feel so negative towards the whole night. Sigh.

In order to not sounds like a massive whiner, there were some positive outcomes from the night:

- Dancing with my grandma before she left & feeling amazing that she was having a good time !

- Organising an amazing wood fired pizza catering company

- Seeing alot of my family reconnecting & enjoying spending time with each other

- Taking the time to realise all the wonderfully supportive girls & guys we have around us & knowing we will have so many choices when we (finally) pick our bridal party

- Randomly going up & kissing M throughout the night, this reminded me how lucky i am to be marrying such a beautiful person

So there it is ! A raw & somewhat real insight into our engagement party.
It actually felt really good to be able to write that out & get it off my chest. I'm still dwelling on a few things from the night, but am trying to be positive & make the wedding the best day of our lives

Did you have any engagement party mishaps ? Was there anything from the night you reget ?

I would love to hear some of your stories
x

3 comments

  1. Aww hun that is so frustrating to hear that you didn't fully enjoy your night! I think my main regrets from ours (which was over 2 years ago now!) was not being organised and setting things up early, which meant that I got a little stressed right before the party started. Our DJ was also a bit crappy on the night but I wish I had've been more proactive in choosing our music. Apart from that we were happy with who we invited, it did help up realise who we wanted on our wedding guest list though so that is a plus!

    Don't stress about not doing a speech, I didn't make one at ours and it was no bother! I think you shouldn't worry about what people think of you when you're dancing either - have fun and let them think what they like - it will probably be along the lines of 'wow she looks happy, her marriage is going to be awesome!'

    xx keep in touch wedding planning ok? xx

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  2. Hugs Lauren, I feel for you when going down your list of negatives. The only thing I could say is that at least those didn't happen at the wedding. And some of it probably wouldn't anyways, but Dance like nobody is watching because it really is your day!

    I was so pleased with your positives though. Dancing with Grandma and celebrating with the friends and family who love and support you should be All this time should be about. :)

    Hope you get into the groove again planning your wedding!

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  3. Thanks ladies !! You're so supportive :) this is honestly just what i needed to hear xx

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