A million ways exist to create the perfect engagement party for soon-to-be newlyweds. Some people go all out and plan an elaborate, multi-course meal at a restaurant or hotel.
Others keep it simple with cake and champagne shared with close friends and family.
We’ve gathered some ideas to help you create the best backyard engagement party!
If you see the value in these products and choose to purchase via my referral links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Check the table below for a side-by-side comparison of our favorites products for organizing the perfect engagement party!
1. Engagement Parties are Easy to Have in Your Backyard
Engagement parties are a great way to celebrate the engagement, especially if you have lots of space for your guests.
You can have an engagement party on your patio, in your backyard or even in a park or other public area if you’re adventurous.
Engagement parties are also enjoyable because they allow you to invite people who maybe wouldn’t come to a wedding later on down the line — your friends from high school, your cousins and their kids, anyone!
The most important thing is that it gets everyone together in one place to celebrate this significant moment in your life!
2. Keeping It Simple and Allowing Your Loved Ones to Help Out
One way to eliminate undue stress surrounding your engagement party is to allow your loved ones to help. Your parents, bridal party and other close friends are great candidates.
To ensure everything goes smoothly, we recommend the following:
- Have a list of jobs to do and divide up the work.
- Make sure you have enough people to help.
- Make sure you have enough food and drinks for everyone.
3. Sending Out Invitations to Your Engagement Party
You can invite your guests in several ways, but we recommend keeping it simple. Here are some tips:
- Use a cute font and fun color that matches the theme of your party.
- Include a photo of the couple on the invitation.
- Include a photo of where you’re having the engagement party so people know where to go and what to expect when they get there.
- Remember to include all pertinent details like date, time and an RSVP contact.
- Wide Usages：for Weddings；Birthdays；Anniversaries and Special Occasions，Cake topper Will Keep The Occasion Eternal and Makes a Great Keepsakes.
- No Assembled Required：The Product is Pre-Assembled, No Need for DIY,You Just Simply Need to Place This Awesome Cake Topper on Your Cake to Get the Party Started
- Remember This Moment: A fun and Stunning Way to Make Your Dessert, Floral Arrangement, or Centerpiece Stand Out! Shimmering Glitters and Create a Classy and Elegant Feel For Your Wedding, Bridal Shower, Bachelorette Party, Anniversary
- BEAUTIFUL & FUNCTIONAL – The Adventure Begins 72 Piece Party Tableware Set (24 Guests) includes 24 9in and 24 7in Premium white paper plates both with gold foil borders and gold foil “The Adventure Begins” in the center. 24 premium 3-ply luncheon napkins with goil foil “The Adventure Begins” in the center. Each part of this kit is shrink wrapped then placed in a cellophane bag.
- The Adventure Begins 72 Piece Party Tableware Set (24 Guests) is the perfect tableware set for weddings, showers, graduations and more! The simple and elegant luncheon napkin and scalloped gold foil plates will add a touch of sophistication to the party. The varied scallop plates make it fun and whimsical. No matter how you use them your guests will be wowed by their high end quality and the beautiful design. You will love the fact that you don’t have to wash 24 place settings.
- Kate Aspen does a great job of designing high-quality paper plates to be more like a fine china place setting than just a means to be a disposable plate. Kate aspen designed the Tea Party collection to be colorful and fun, perfect for bridal showers, baby showers, birthdays, garden parties and tea parties!
- 【Ideal Design for Wedding】My Humans are Getting Married Wedding dog bandana, This is a cool engagement gift for pets at the wedding. Stylish font design and unique style make your pet look more cute and attractive.
- 【Material】Made of 100% high-quality polyester, skin-friendly material.Durable, easy to clean and maintain. Comfortable and safe for your pet. When you get it, you will find it worth having.
- 【Dimensions】38 in x 13 in x 9 in（Please measure your pet’s neck circumference before placing an order to leave room for knotting.）
- Dimension – 1″
- Materials – Glitter Cardstock
- Engagement Balloons: engagement party decorations package include10 pcs HE ASKED balloons, 10pcs SHE SAID YES! balloons, 10pcs WE’RE ENGAGED balloons,10pcs LOVE balloons, and 10pcs gold confetti latex balloon
- Tips for Balloons: The powder on the latex balloon is talcum powder, the purpose is to prevent the latex balloons from sticking together and not hurt the skin; it can be wiped clean before use
- High Quality Latex balloon: Our engagement balloons are made of natural latex, thick, strong, and biodegradable, durable, long lasting. The balloon can be filled with air or helium. Do Not over inflate or they will burst, suggestion inflate to 80% full and on exact day of your party
- Super cute bags and great quality, can’t wait to use your engagement party! It will be a huge hit in your engagement party
- He Asked and She Said Yes，LOVE show your turned out! It’s the perfect way to serve and enjoy one of your favorite snacks at your wedding. Use them during late night candy portion of the celebration
- Fun Addition to a Engagement party Decorations!,placed these near the cocktail bar at an engagement party and everyone loved it! A great detail, especially if the bride & groom are popcorn lovers
- 📏【Large Size】The size of this banner is 20*118 inch, 50*300 cm. It is big enough to be noticed. You can hang it high and conspicuously, so guests coming to your party can easily see this sign from a distance. Guests will also marvel at the beauty of this banner.
- 💎【Impressive Design】Our banner is designed by professionals with the most popular design elements of the moment that can add uniqueness and brilliance to your party. When your friends attend the party, they will surely feel brightened by the unique decoration.
- 👑【High Quality Material and Durability】This banner is made of high quality polyester fiber. It is washable, light weight, easy to carry, and not easy to tear. It can be used both indoors and outdoors, even when it is windy and raining.
- 3 pieces included in every order. Comes with 1 “MR” sign, 1 “&” sign, and 1 “MRS” sign in a white wooden color, in all capital letters. Great for all romantic occasions. Bridal shower, anniversary, wedding, engagement or just to tell your sweetheart you love them
- Place the letters as a focal point at the entrance to your reception, by the sweatheart table, in the garden for the photos, by the wedding cake or as center pieces. Anchor them to balloon weights and they can easily be moved around. Place the Mr and Mrs Wedding sign with diamond decor gems and silver wedding rings table scatter that reflect light beautifully and adds the perfect finishing touch as a vase filler or table decor, a wall hanging or as a wedding or engagement photo prop.
- Make sure everyone knows who the happy newly weds are by providing this white wooden “Mr” “&” “Mrs” signs for the newly wed sweetheart table.
- LARGE SIZE – 10 FEET | GOLD REAL GLITTER HAPPY ENGAGEMENT BANNER: Planning a fabulous And elegant happy engagement decorations before you tie the knots? Decorate your event with these authentic gold Glitter Happy Engagement sign banner. This vibrant 10 feet glitter gold banner is the perfect for fun sweet bride to be party decorations before your most awaited day of engagement. These bachelorette party bride banner will complete your happy engagement party decorations set.
- HIGH QUALITY MATERIAL | MADE TO LAST LONGTIME : The glitter gold engagement party decorations banner that spell the word “ HAPPY ENGAGEMENT ” + ” CUTE GOLD DIAMOND RING ” is 10 feet. The bachelorette banner gold are made from high grade thick quality cardstock material. You can also mix and match bride to be banner with other team bride banners decorations to customized your dream engagement party and make your party a hit!
- PRE-STRUNG | DID WE MENTION NO DIY ? : Our gold happy engagement banner comes pre-strung on a 10 Feet strand, saving you from any DIY work. Our pre-strung banners or engaged banner eliminate the need for constant adjustments. Unlike others, our banners are designed with smaller punch holes, ensuring that the letters stay securely in place along the 10 ft strand. Simply position the bride banner as desired, and the letters will stay in position, even when angled with our engagement party banners.
- This Future Mr & Mrs banner will set the scene for a truly awesome party.
- Pre-Strung, No assembly required.
- Material: Made of cardstock paper with glitter gold.
4. Make it Personal and Handwrite Each Invite
- Grab a calligraphy pen and some thick cardstock and start writing.
- Write your message or use a template.
- Add a sticker or stamp to the envelope for added personality (and to make it look more like real mail).
- Seal it with wax!
5. Use the Outdoor Space Available to You
When it comes to backyard engagement parties, you must remember that less is more. If you’re looking for a way to make your party feel special without spending a lot of money, here are some tips:
- Use what’s already there. Don’t be afraid to get creative with the space in your backyard — you may even have an unused shed or tool storage area that can serve as a perfect photo booth!
- Make do with what’s available. If you don’t have enough chairs for everyone coming, try using blankets and pillows instead. This gives attendees an option for seating and adds additional color and texture to the space where they’ll spend most of their time at the party!
6. Decorations to Enhance the Natural Beauty of the Space
As you start to plan your backyard engagement party, think of decorations as an opportunity to use what you have or can find for free. If you’re planning a casual get-together with friends and family, consider using items already in your home. For example:
- Use candles on the tables or around the house.
- Hang streamers from trees and bushes.
- Use string lights around the patio area for an elegant touch that won’t cost much money but will add ambience to your event. You can also hang paper lanterns or string together battery-operated fairy lights!
7. Create a Balloon Backdrop
Balloons are the perfect way to add fun and color to your engagement party. They’re also easy to create a backdrop for photos or even just an extra bit of decor.
Here are some ideas:
- Use balloons in the colors of your wedding. If you want a more natural look, get paper lanterns in these colors (but ensure they are treated before putting them up).
- Buy string netting from a party store and hang it behind your venue. You can then place small groups of colored balloons on top of it to create the effect shown above!
- Using fishing line would give you more flexibility when taking down everything after the event.
8. Create a Wooden Pallet Wall – Cheap and Easy
Wooden pallets are cheap and easy to find. You can put a bunch of pallets together if you are handy or know someone who is and make the cutest backdrop for photos! Hang lights, fake greenery, flowers and pictures on the pallet to set the scene!
9. Have a Vintage Tea Party Themed Engagement Party
If you and your fiancé are lovers of all things vintage or want to try something a little different, why not have a tea party-themed engagement party — perfect for spring!
Consider adding something different to each guest’s plate to make your tea party unique. You can take advantage of the season by using fresh berries or apples and cinnamon sticks as garnishes. Or, if you want to go all out in the cuteness department, purchase some small floral picks at a craft store and stick them in your salads!
It’s essential to have plenty of tea on hand so that guests can refill their teacups throughout the afternoon.
10. A Backyard Garden Party
Happy friends saying cheers and showing their champagne glasses full of sparkling wine to each other whilst enjoying an outdoor wedding party on a backyard restaurant at sunset
If you want to celebrate your engagement with your friends and family, consider having a backyard garden party. Not only does this theme allow for plenty of photo opportunities and incredible decorations, but it also allows you to have fun while helping the environment by planting flowers and herbs.
To have an authentic garden party, here are some tips:
- Use flowers, plants and herbs to decorate. You can use fresh flowers as centerpieces or place them around tables. If you want something more permanent (like actual wedding flowers), plant them in pots so guests can take them home at the night’s end! Make sure they look nice; don’t just stick dead or fake plants in a pot because it’s easy!
- Have fun with homemade props like gardening gloves or watering cans – anything that will help set the scene better than just using regular household items would do alone! This will make it easier for everyone to take photos during their visit.
11. Adding a Chalkboard to Your Party
Who doesn’t love writing on a chalkboard? A chalkboard for your backyard engagement party adds personality and activity for guests. Other reasons why we love adding chalkboards to backyard engagement parties and tips can be found below:
- This is a great way to set the tone for your backyard engagement party. It’s so much fun and easy to do!
- You can use a chalkboard or paint one onto an existing wooden pallet. You can also use whiteboard markers or chalk/crayons on a plain piece of wood.
- When writing out the event details, include when and where the party will be held and any other necessary info such as dress code.
- You can keep the chalkboard as a memento of the party, filled with good wishes from loved ones.
12. Food and Drinks for a Backyard Engagement Party
Food and drinks are essential to any event. Your backyard engagement party is no exception. There are plenty of ways to make food and drinks more festive for your guests.
If you want to include food in your backyard engagement party but avoid the hassle of cooking every dish yourself, consider hiring a food truck to come out and provide catering services for the event. This is also a good idea if you have friends who have dietary restrictions; a variety of vegan and gluten-free options can be found on many food trucks today! Hiring a food truck is a great way to get people to your party. Food trucks are fun and casual, but they can also be elegant. They’re a good budget option, too!
You could have a ‘backyard garden’ party theme where everyone brings their favorite fruit or vegetable dish from their garden plot (or their kitchen). You could also make this part of the decorations by hanging flowers everywhere — they’re beautiful!
13. Have a ‘Make Your Own Pizza’ Station
You can have a ‘make your own pizza’ station. Let people choose their sauce first, and have a variety of toppings available, like cheese, meat and vegetables. This way, your guests get exactly what they want for food and you only have to worry about preparing ingredients, not an entire meal.
- Wide Usages：for Weddings；Birthdays；Anniversaries and Special Occasions，Cake topper Will Keep The Occasion Eternal and Makes a Great Keepsakes.
- No Assembled Required：The Product is Pre-Assembled, No Need for DIY,You Just Simply Need to Place This Awesome Cake Topper on Your Cake to Get the Party Started
- Remember This Moment: A fun and Stunning Way to Make Your Dessert, Floral Arrangement, or Centerpiece Stand Out! Shimmering Glitters and Create a Classy and Elegant Feel For Your Wedding, Bridal Shower, Bachelorette Party, Anniversary
- BEAUTIFUL & FUNCTIONAL – The Adventure Begins 72 Piece Party Tableware Set (24 Guests) includes 24 9in and 24 7in Premium white paper plates both with gold foil borders and gold foil “The Adventure Begins” in the center. 24 premium 3-ply luncheon napkins with goil foil “The Adventure Begins” in the center. Each part of this kit is shrink wrapped then placed in a cellophane bag.
- The Adventure Begins 72 Piece Party Tableware Set (24 Guests) is the perfect tableware set for weddings, showers, graduations and more! The simple and elegant luncheon napkin and scalloped gold foil plates will add a touch of sophistication to the party. The varied scallop plates make it fun and whimsical. No matter how you use them your guests will be wowed by their high end quality and the beautiful design. You will love the fact that you don’t have to wash 24 place settings.
- Kate Aspen does a great job of designing high-quality paper plates to be more like a fine china place setting than just a means to be a disposable plate. Kate aspen designed the Tea Party collection to be colorful and fun, perfect for bridal showers, baby showers, birthdays, garden parties and tea parties!
- 【Ideal Design for Wedding】My Humans are Getting Married Wedding dog bandana, This is a cool engagement gift for pets at the wedding. Stylish font design and unique style make your pet look more cute and attractive.
- 【Material】Made of 100% high-quality polyester, skin-friendly material.Durable, easy to clean and maintain. Comfortable and safe for your pet. When you get it, you will find it worth having.
- 【Dimensions】38 in x 13 in x 9 in（Please measure your pet’s neck circumference before placing an order to leave room for knotting.）
- Dimension – 1″
- Materials – Glitter Cardstock
- Engagement Balloons: engagement party decorations package include10 pcs HE ASKED balloons, 10pcs SHE SAID YES! balloons, 10pcs WE’RE ENGAGED balloons,10pcs LOVE balloons, and 10pcs gold confetti latex balloon
- Tips for Balloons: The powder on the latex balloon is talcum powder, the purpose is to prevent the latex balloons from sticking together and not hurt the skin; it can be wiped clean before use
- High Quality Latex balloon: Our engagement balloons are made of natural latex, thick, strong, and biodegradable, durable, long lasting. The balloon can be filled with air or helium. Do Not over inflate or they will burst, suggestion inflate to 80% full and on exact day of your party
- Super cute bags and great quality, can’t wait to use your engagement party! It will be a huge hit in your engagement party
- He Asked and She Said Yes，LOVE show your turned out! It’s the perfect way to serve and enjoy one of your favorite snacks at your wedding. Use them during late night candy portion of the celebration
- Fun Addition to a Engagement party Decorations!,placed these near the cocktail bar at an engagement party and everyone loved it! A great detail, especially if the bride & groom are popcorn lovers
- 📏【Large Size】The size of this banner is 20*118 inch, 50*300 cm. It is big enough to be noticed. You can hang it high and conspicuously, so guests coming to your party can easily see this sign from a distance. Guests will also marvel at the beauty of this banner.
- 💎【Impressive Design】Our banner is designed by professionals with the most popular design elements of the moment that can add uniqueness and brilliance to your party. When your friends attend the party, they will surely feel brightened by the unique decoration.
- 👑【High Quality Material and Durability】This banner is made of high quality polyester fiber. It is washable, light weight, easy to carry, and not easy to tear. It can be used both indoors and outdoors, even when it is windy and raining.
- 3 pieces included in every order. Comes with 1 “MR” sign, 1 “&” sign, and 1 “MRS” sign in a white wooden color, in all capital letters. Great for all romantic occasions. Bridal shower, anniversary, wedding, engagement or just to tell your sweetheart you love them
- Place the letters as a focal point at the entrance to your reception, by the sweatheart table, in the garden for the photos, by the wedding cake or as center pieces. Anchor them to balloon weights and they can easily be moved around. Place the Mr and Mrs Wedding sign with diamond decor gems and silver wedding rings table scatter that reflect light beautifully and adds the perfect finishing touch as a vase filler or table decor, a wall hanging or as a wedding or engagement photo prop.
- Make sure everyone knows who the happy newly weds are by providing this white wooden “Mr” “&” “Mrs” signs for the newly wed sweetheart table.
- LARGE SIZE – 10 FEET | GOLD REAL GLITTER HAPPY ENGAGEMENT BANNER: Planning a fabulous And elegant happy engagement decorations before you tie the knots? Decorate your event with these authentic gold Glitter Happy Engagement sign banner. This vibrant 10 feet glitter gold banner is the perfect for fun sweet bride to be party decorations before your most awaited day of engagement. These bachelorette party bride banner will complete your happy engagement party decorations set.
- HIGH QUALITY MATERIAL | MADE TO LAST LONGTIME : The glitter gold engagement party decorations banner that spell the word “ HAPPY ENGAGEMENT ” + ” CUTE GOLD DIAMOND RING ” is 10 feet. The bachelorette banner gold are made from high grade thick quality cardstock material. You can also mix and match bride to be banner with other team bride banners decorations to customized your dream engagement party and make your party a hit!
- PRE-STRUNG | DID WE MENTION NO DIY ? : Our gold happy engagement banner comes pre-strung on a 10 Feet strand, saving you from any DIY work. Our pre-strung banners or engaged banner eliminate the need for constant adjustments. Unlike others, our banners are designed with smaller punch holes, ensuring that the letters stay securely in place along the 10 ft strand. Simply position the bride banner as desired, and the letters will stay in position, even when angled with our engagement party banners.
- This Future Mr & Mrs banner will set the scene for a truly awesome party.
- Pre-Strung, No assembly required.
- Material: Made of cardstock paper with glitter gold.
14. A Toast with Your Beverage of Choice
Here are some toast options that would work well at your engagement party:
- Champagne. This is a classic choice, but it’s also the most popular option, so you might consider an alternative.
- Iced tea. If you want something special but not too fussy, try serving iced tea to give your guests royal treatment without breaking the bank. You can even get creative and use flavored teas to add individuality!
- Signature drinks. As an alternative to champagne or iced tea, why not let everyone toast with their signature drink? The idea here is to make them feel like they’re celebrating with friends instead of strangers — and what better way than having each guest bring their favorite beverage?
A backyard engagement party is easier and more cost-effective than you think. As long as you have a few basic supplies (like balloons, streamers and paper plates), you’re ready to go! Plus, it’s great fun for everyone involved — including yourself!
With all the planning involved in an upcoming wedding, it’s nice to know that your engagement party will be easy to put together. Now go forth with this knowledge and make some memories with those closest friends and family members who want to celebrate with you both!
15. Plan for a variety of entertainment
Unlike with the wedding, there’s no pre-planned schedule to follow at an engagement party. People are bound to get bored at some point. You can stay on top of things by planning various entertainment stations with games and activities that are bound to keep people reeled in and break the ice between your two groups of friends. The last thing you want on your hands after putting in so much effort is a dead party.
16. Cocktails, cocktails, cocktails
Help your friends let loose by welcoming them with colorful seasonal cocktails. You can take this up
a notch by creating a DIY cocktail bar and allowing your guests to play around with different combinations. If you have more bottles than you need, you can even have a little competition to identify the mixologist in the group. Who knows their services may come in handy when you’re out and about celebrating your bachelor’s or bachelorette parties.
17. Keep the food easy to serve and eat
It’s natural to want to go all out in the kitchen when hosting however, easy-to-serve foods are better for your backyard engagement party. You want people to move around and get to know each other and hauling around a plateful of foods that require a dinner setting to eat will not help the case. On the plus side, it will take you less time to whip these menu options up.
18. Fire up the grill
If the weather is right, fire up the grill and bring out some great cuts of meat. It’s a great way to get the boys bonding and will let you focus on serving other things. If you think about it you’ll get the most of the help from your guests as they man the grill bickering on who the real master is. It’s you! You’re the real master for using this energy to your advantage.
19. Open up the pool
If you have a pool in your backyard, now’s the time to really get your money’s worth on that extra amount you spent for it. Open up your pool and allow your guests to enjoy their time at your home. Doing this could also help you save money since you’ll not have to go out of your way to find a way to seat everyone in the same place as people will be distributed all across your backyard.
20. Consider glamping
If you have busy schedules around your engagement, you can pitch up tents over the weekend and invite your friends for a night in the ‘wild.’ This would be great for couples who love adventure and outdoor activities as you can indulge in all your favorite round-the-campfire activities within the comfort of your backyard.
21. You can always go inside
Just because it’s a backyard party does not mean the rest of your house is closed off to guests. If it gets chilly outside, you can move into the house and continue your celebration until everyone is ready to leave.
Check out these other top picks for a memorable and fun party:
- A List of the Best Bachelor Party Games
- Bachelorette Party Themes for Your 2023 Wedding
- Complete Guide to Organizing a Tea Party Bridal Shower
As a multi-passionate creative and a self-proclaimed frequent flyer of weddings, Kiara combines her love for the wedding industry and experience as a professional wedding photographer with her writing abilities to share tips, tricks, and helpful information with couples. She is the owner of Switech Studios a popular wedding photography business. With tons of insider information from behind her camera lens on how to have the best wedding possible, Kiara’s in-depth knowledge is sure to put you on the road to wedding planning success.
Last update on 2025-02-10 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
