Newly Engaged - Celebrate?

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Awww these are all super thoughtful gifts love it!

We aren't getting married until July 2023 so we are going to wait until our family and friends and ourselves are fully vaccinated to do an engagement party.

As for gifts, my mom got us like a cute little wedding box with all sorts of stuff, like a wedding mug and soaps and stuff. My future mother in law got me a wedding planner book.

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Well my mom was gifted a necklace from from her in-laws for her engagement. Gift giving was a common practice back then in their culture once someone was engaged. He's definitely a watch guy but my mom now understands that maybe this particular occasion isn't the most ideal for it!

Thank you all for the responses!! My parents ended up doing a simple champagne toast and had a few pastries to celebrate! My mom is slowly learning that times are different now! LOL She's a sweet little peach

My fiance and I got engaged Christmas morning and we had a nice dinner with my family since it was chrostmas day. We told our close family and friends first and then posted on Facebook. Both of our families are old school and didn't get us any engagement gifts. There's really no need for it in my opinion

As for an engagement gift from parents, not something I found to be common but if they insist, I say offer a particular wedding service or outfit that they can contribute to.

The giving the husband a watch thing is only a thing because of a perceived notion that the bride should "return the favor" for receiving an engagement ring but if he's not a watch guy, it's kind of a wasted gift. If you feel you need to gift your groom something, I suggest paying for the wedding bands.

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Agreed! Thank you

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This is exactly how I envisioned this as well....Thank you for the thoughtful response

I don’t know how common engagement presents are but I think the most useful gift would be a contribution toward the wedding/wedding planning!

We got engaged in February and he had my sister there taking photos of it (distanced). We went to my parents house and told them/showed them from the doorway. We called his parents and then did video chats with a few of our closest friends. He had told a couple of his friend that he was doing it that day and so they were just waiting on it to happen and get the call haha. We were gifted a bottle of champagne, flowers, and cards from a few of our friends. His parents delivered us balloons and a cake. We got our favourite takeout dinner to eat at home just the 2 of us.
I've never heard of going to the length you're talking about (watch) for an engagement gift from parents. But maybe you can ask them to instead contribute and "gift" you a service for your wedding instead? Like maybe gifting you (depending on amount), an item of clothing like the veil or shoes, your bridal hair and makeup, maybe cuff links or a tie clip for your husband that doesn't take away from what you want to give him yourself, or the cake/dessert for the reception, a musician or DJ, etc.

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No problem. I only got engaged at the end of March so this is all new to me as well. But Wedding Wire has so many articles to look at to see what can be done during the engagement period.

With Covid it would be difficult to currently plan an engagement party, but you can always plan it for the future. I am not having mine until August because of conflicting schedules and Covid.

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Aww thanks!!

Your proposal sounds SO stinking cute!!! I've never heard of this type of gift giving too LOL I'm sure it is an old Italian custom but definitely not a modern custom.

Given it's covid, I don't foresee myself planning an engagement party; however, I could see close family and friends giving monetary gifts.

Thanks for your response

Congrats on being newly engaged!!!

I told my parents through text and then posted the photos of the engagement on Facebook for everyone else to see. I also got proposed too on a rooftop patio so we celebrated by popping champagne (free from the restaurant).

I have never heard of parents buying gifts for their future SIL/DIL, and also to celebrate with people afterwards is usually what we call the engagement party where you have a party with those you plan on inviting to the wedding to celebrate the engagement and for friends and family to get to know each other.

Also, engagement parties I am not sure if gifts are given but I know my grandparents want to give me a present - but I asked just for cash, so I will be getting cash from them but other than that no other gifts from friends and other family.

Usually the gifts happen during the bridal/couple shower and of course wedding.

Hopefully this helps!