How to Plan an Engagement Party on a Budget

Planning an engagement party while also saving for a wedding can be stressful. Justin McIntosh and Nathan Smith, a recently engaged couple from Nashville, Tennessee, pulled off an amazing party without breaking the bank. Here are some budget tips they learned along the way.

If you have to rent a venue, save money by picking a spot not in the heart of a city. Popular, in-demand venues tend to have higher rates. Nathan surprised Justin with an engagement party in downtown Franklin, Tennessee – about 20 minutes south of Nashville – at Lillie Belle’s, a Queen Anne style Victorian home across the street from where they originally met.

Decorations don’t have to be expensive to be beautiful. Clear glass vases and candles can be purchased very affordably at your local craft or dollar store. You can also save money on buying flowers from a local wholesale florist and putting the arrangements together yourself.

Use free templates online to download and print a banner instead of buying. Stores like Paper Source have great paper selections and DIY banner kits that allow you to customize a banner like the “Congrats" one shown here hanging in the entryway for the party.

Save money on dessert options like cupcakes instead of a large, custom cake. Nathan picked up a selection of cupcakes from their local neighborhood bakery, Sprinkles Cupcakes, to give guests more flavor options.

Stick to one cocktail or keep it classic with Champagne to stay on budget. You can often buy Champagne wholesale or in bulk to save. If that’s not an option, visit your local Costco or Sam’s Club. Most people don’t know you don't have to be a member to purchase alcohol (at deep discounts) at these locations.

Food doesn’t have to be fancy to be tasty. Guests at the party dined on simple meatball sliders and easy snacks, like veggie trays. This helped keep the budget reasonable instead of spending a huge amount on a full-blown, sit-down dinner.

Don’t waste money on party favors that people will throw away! Nathan found these cute chocolate covered groom cookies online, but they could easily be DIYed by dipping sandwich cookies in melted chocolate.

Entertainment can be simple but unforgettable. Everyone was ear-to-ear smiles while watching a congratulations video montage Nathan compiled from family, friends and a few special celebrity guests – Reba McEntire, Melissa Peterman and Blake Shelton. Ask friends to send video messages from their phones, and then compile them using a free video software, like iMovie.