When to have engagement party?

You shouldn't plan one. If someone offers to throw one for you that is great, you let them plan it. If nobody offers then don't even worry about it.

They aren't really necessary. If someone has not offered to throw you both one by now, don't sweat it. They typically are thrown by family or friends of the couple as a favor to the engagement, but nothing more.

The wedding will be much more worthwhile of a party anyway.

Engagement parties are a very regional thing. Where I live they are very big and usually occur 1-5 months after the engagement. Mine and FH's parents cohosted ours in the beginning of August, we got engaged the end of March. My cousin got engaged in April and hers was in September.

I don't think they're necessary and won't be having one

Well for my fiance & I an engagement party is necessary because both of us have HUGH families so those invited to the engagement party wont be attending the wedding

We had one about 2 months after being engaged, but our close family friends threw it for us, we wouldn't have had one otherwise, I didn't even know it was a thing

Don't have one. @tannisha no.

With all the social media we use these days, I can guarantee all your VIPS know your engaged. Skip it unless someone offers, its not required.

My future in laws hosted our engagement party in May.

We got engaged in May, and my parents just threw us an engagement party this past weekend. When I read up on some of the etiquette behind it, I was informed that an engagement party should be within about 3 months of the engagement itself. If nobody has offered to throw you one yet, you probably aren't having one. You don't throw your own party. If it's so important for your family to meet or to be included in a non-wedding activity, then they should know that and offer.

Don't host your own pre wedding party. If someone offers to throw you one then fanfuckingtastic. Also make sure everyone invited to your optional pre wedding party is also invited to your wedding. Nobody is going to waste time going to a party to celebrate the event they aren't actually invited to. At least people who actually value their free time.

Our engagement party was thrown for us 4 months after our engagement, but only because we got engaged in February and our friends threw it in June at their beach house. We invited close family and friends about 60 people, it was so much fun!

You don't need an engagement party. I have never been to one and I am not having one. Typically, the parent's throw any engagement party. In that case, you would not get to determine the date.

@tannisha --- It is terrible terrible etiquette to invite ANYONE to ANY pre-wedding party who isn't invited to the wedding. Think what you are saying:

"We want you to come celebrate US, and bring US a present, but YOU are not important enough for us to pay for you to come to our wedding."

DO NOT DO THIS

If someone wants to throw you an engagement party, that's fine. As others have said, you don't throw a party in your honor. And really, engagement parties aren't necessary. If you do have one, anyone invited must be invited to your actual wedding. It's very rude to include people in pre-wedding activities and then not invite them to the wedding.

It's not necessary. Just save that money and put it toward the wedding.

We didn't have one. We honestly didn't see the point in one. We saved our money for the more important stuff.