Throwing a surprise engagement party for your partner can be a great way to ask the question. You’re surrounded by friends and family, and it becomes a memorable and romantic moment for everyone involved.
Of course, planning a party and an engagement can be challenging, so we’ve broken down some top tips to help you throw a DIY garden engagement party that you’ll never forget.
Create a relaxed, romantic theme with DIY decor
Your first goal should be to create a relaxed and romantic theme. This can easily be achieved with DIY decor, like string lights, candles in jars, and homemade bunting. We recommend these decorations because they help to build a warm, intimate feel. Life isn’t perfect, so using shabby chic and DIY decor is the perfect way to reflect that while still relating to a romantic engagement.
To take it one step further, you could even try to match the decor to the surprise engagement ring (or vice versa). This can tie the theme together more and highlight the effort you’ve put into creating a lovely, intimate engagement party.
Serve crowd-pleasing, prep-ahead foods
When hosting a party, the last thing you want to do is run around trying to keep an eye on all the food. By choosing various foods that can be easily prepared ahead of time, you can limit the stress and headaches. It also means that your guests are in charge of feeding themselves, rather than leaving you to plate up for every single guest.
We recommend creating grazing boards, consisting of mini quiches, sliders, and pasta salads. Each of these are quite simple to set up, but still tastes delicious. For dessert, you might consider cupcakes decorated to match the theme. Again, this is easy to prepare ahead of time and reduces any cleanup or stress during your garden party.
Create a self-serve drinks station
Setting up a stylish drinks table is something else you can prepare ahead of time. Having pitchers of Spanish Sangria, lemonade, or a signature cocktail can really lean into the garden party theme. You should also have several non-alcoholic options available, like mocktails, juices, and sparkling water. This ensures everyone has something to drink, whether they want alcohol or not.
Of course, having handwritten labels for your drinks will help people understand their options while adding a charming and rustic touch.
Use what you have
You don’t need to buy or rent massive sets of matching furniture that you’ll never use again. Instead, use what you have available. Combining picnic chairs with indoor chairs, using picnic blankets on the grass, and having mismatched plates and glasses all contribute to a cosy, homey vibe.
Taking all these elements into account, you should have a wonderful DIY garden party that’s perfect for your surprise engagement. Good luck!