Engagement parties may be as simple as an at-home dinner with your families followed by a round of toasts.
Or they may be a major to-do, complete with themed entertainment and foods.
The most common scenario is a party at someone's home.
Traditionally, the bride's parents held the first engagement party.
If that wasn't feasible, the duty fell to the groom's parents.
Nowadays, friends of the couple often honor the couple with a shindig, particularly if the couple lives far away from their parents or if complicated family relationships make it awkward for the parents to throw a party.
Although you (or your parents) may announce your engagement in a newspaper, mailing printed engagement announcements may be seen as a "send gifts" alert, and neither engagements nor engagement parties are occasions for gifts.
Writing personal notes to or calling friends and relatives you want to inform personally, however, qualifies as a sign of affection.
Of course, under no circumstances should you place a newspaper announcement of your engagement if either of you is still legally married.
Everyone who is invited to the engagement party should be invited to the wedding, if the same people are hosting both.
Otherwise, guests may wonder what they did at the first party to keep them from being invited to the wedding.
You can make exceptions in two circumstances: when the engagement party is significantly larger than the wedding; and when friends or relatives who have no control over the wedding guest list host the engagement party.