The key to a personalized engagement event is to get to know the couple as a couple, as well as who they are as individuals. Once you understand what makes them who they are you start having all kinds of engagement party ideas. You can include elements of each of them in the decorations, activities and food for their engagement party or event.

Reconnecting With an Old Love

In November of 2018, I had a gentleman in his 70s reach out to me to plan an intimate engagement for his high school sweetheart whom, until 2017, he hadn’t seen since they graduated from high school in 1969. The gentleman told me that they had both lost their partners back in 2014 and 2015 due to illnesses. When they ran into each other at a coffee shop in the middle of downtown Vancouver they just knew it was a sign for them to reconnect.

That first encounter, after 52 years, was very significant to both of them together and individually. At the beginning they just reconnected as old friends and as the months went by they realized that spark from 52 years ago was still there, and they didn’t want to waste another moment without being together.

An Engagement Plan 50 Years in the Making

After hearing this beautiful love story, the gentleman and I brainstormed on what kind of engagement plan would represent them as a couple and individually. It came down to the theme of going back in time.

For this specific engagement, we worked with both of their families on decoration as he wanted something simple but special. We started by getting pictures from their albums, so that we could create a timeline with their most treasured memories, starting with individual portraits of them and down the line showing pictures of them together and ending with current pictures. The gentleman wanted to do this surprise proposal in his backyard to make it as intimate as possible. We hired a company to build a rectangular frame so that we could hang the fairy lights and attach the string of pictures to give the effect of walking along memory lane. On the grass we had red rose petals that were brought in from Ecuador specifically for this intimate engagement party.

A Wonderful Success

As I was setting up his backyard, the couple went for dinner at her favourite sushi restaurant. I did a quick sound and light check and had everything ready for their arrival. We had the family hidden, we had champagne in an ice bucket and music was ready to be played from the minute she walked in. When the couple walked into the house and went to the backyard, she started crying happy tears as the gentleman took her hand and guided her through the aisle so that they could go back in time together. When they reached the end of the photos, he pulled out an engagement ring and proposed. The happy couple and their families celebrated such a special occasion that became a forever memory.

Making that couple’s day perfect, those happy tears and helping them celebrate their love after a lifetime apart is why we do what we do. If you are looking for engagement party ideas – an intimate proposal dinner, help choosing an engagement ring, or have already popped the question and want to crack open the champagne with your closest people at an engagement party – we want to help. Get in touch today and we’ll do our best to make your story as special as this one.

For more engagement party ideas, we’ve written a full article on the fundamentals here.