Opinions needed :D

Well,

Our first engagement party is already approaching, its on the 7th of June.

I just wanted to know your opinion on this.

Since none of my friends or the people im close to (not the ones i was telling you the other week) will be able to attend the wedding in Australia do you think its ok that i have a groom and bride ornament on the table along with a card box and a two tier cake with the bride and groom on top?
Also to give each one of them those little gift things with sugared almonds?? I have already bought all the stuff, but not sure if i should do it.

Some people at work are confused if its a wedding reception or an engagement party

we will be all dressed up so i can take photos ect.

I just need your advice as I know you are all so wonderful and honest.

IMHO, I wouldn't. Since your good friends won't be able to attend the wedding, have a seperate reception for them after the fact. It doesn't have to be as formal as the actual wedding reception. A picnic or bar-b-que would work just as well. Its a party to celebrate!

Originally Posted by Sweets

IMHO, I wouldn't. Since your good friends won't be able to attend the wedding, have a seperate reception for them after the fact. It doesn't have to be as formal as the actual wedding reception. A picnic or bar-b-que would work just as well. Its a party to celebrate!

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I cant have a seperate reception as i will not come back to Europe.

I don't think I'd do the bride/groom thing on a box. You could be sure those that couldn't attend the wedding get a picture of bride/groom after the wedding (small 3 x 5 or something).

I don't see anything wrong with doing that

Though I do have another idea

Why don't the 2 of you have a very informal wedding where you are and get married there. A Justice of the Peace along with your good friends. Then you can turn your engagement party into a small informal reception and have the cake etc.

Then when you go to Australia, have your big wedding.

That's what my friend did. They had a big wedding planned for here, but in their home country they had some friends and family that wouldn't have been able to make it to Canada for the wedding. So they got married in their own country, had a small informal reception, and then had their larger planned wedding up here about 6 months later.

Yeah, but what would be the "legal" date of them being married and in two different countries???

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

Yeah, but what would be the "legal" date of them being married and in two different countries???

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The first one.

Oh, go ahead and do what you had in mind! It sounds lovely, and by my lights, the more you can share with your closest friends, the better! Don't worry what people think -- do what feels right to you.

In the immortal words of Ricky Nelson:

"You can't please everyone
So ya got to please yourself."

Hmmm, I think as long as everyone understands beforehand what is going on it would work... maybe not so formal with the food and all (Personally, I would get like a sheet cake instead of tiered and have it say something along the lines of "Congratulations on your engagement *insert names*"), but I completely understand why you would want to dress up and get pictures - maybe suggest your guests dress nice, but casual and you can do the dress/tux thing for pics first and then change to join the party, but your guests would still look nice in your pics... just explain to your guests that you want to be able to celebrate this happy time in your life with them yet you understand they can't all come to Australia...

Last summer, my parents and I went to basically a "non-reception wedding reception"... this was after the wedding, mind you, but it's what I thought of when I read your post... the bride and groom had gotten married over the winter in the Florida Keys - small and private, plus it wasn't the first marriage for either of them... so what they did to celebrate with friends and family in the Northeast was, over the summer, they rented out a small aquarium down the shore for a party... it was casual and they had a band for dancing plus buffet style dinner and drinks - I don't even know if they did gifts or not (I think on the invite it said like "no gifts please, but if you want to give please make a donation to the aquarium")

Anyway, just my thoughts!

i love this, i barely gave out any info.

I am hosting this engagement party at one of the schools i work for and i am very close with our boss.

I am providing food on a table and its going to be finger food.

prosecco in champagne glasses, and a heap of beer.

one of my friends has a really good camera so we can take pictures.

I was just asking what i should do on one table with the cake, the cake i am making it my self and i know half of them are going to give cards so i was going to make a card box. So i can take it to australia. I will have to post a pic later on the day to give you an example. If i should put the bride and groom on it

Our legal wedding date is the 7th of November 2008, thus it will only be at the registry office and then dinner with his family. We will be hosting a big wedding so my family can come in October 2009. None of my friends will be there. It will most probably be just my parents. And about 100 of his side of the family, and probably the friends i will make there in Australia.