Engagement Party July 13, 2019
- Kaylin M
- Aug 19, 2019
- 8 min read
A couple of weeks ago, on July 13, my parents threw us an engagement party. Neither Blake nor myself had ever attended an engagement party so we had no idea what to expect. My mom had been planning it for quite some time because it is hard to organize around Blake’s work schedule. My mother took the week prior to the party off so that she could ensure everything was prepped and perfect for our special day. She enlisted the help of my Aunty Jennifer (her eldest sister and my godmother), as well as her friend Colleen, to help her in the weeks prior to the party. My mom went above and beyond what Blake and I could have ever expected and truly made this day about bringing our families and friends together. It was incredibly special.
We spent the previous night at the Aylward’s because Mady was coming down early and we were hoping to spend time with her. Unfortunately, we just missed each other both times we were there, so that was disappointing, but we knew we would see her at the party. Initially, Lily was supposed to stay with us, but her and Mady’s cat Percy didn’t mix very well (Percy wanted to get “friendly” with Lily), therefore we had to remove Lily from the situation and take her to stay with my parents.
On Saturday morning, we woke up early and headed over to my parents’ house for breakfast. When we arrived, my mom came rushing out from the backyard to exclaim that the house had just lost power. Needless to say, we were stressing out. We were expecting approximately 50 people for this party and getting everything clean and ready was going to be a problem without power. I have to give props to Ontario Hydro because they were on the scene within 20 minutes of the power going out. We decided to go out for breakfast at a local cafe while we waited for the power to be restored. Shortly after we arrived, the power was restored and we could resume getting everything ready for the party. My mom kicked us out of the house so that she could clean inside. My dad, Blake, and myself were in charge of decluttering and setting up the backyard as that was the main location for the party.
My brother arrived later than expected, which I later found out was because he was picking up our engagement gift. A note should be made that we were not expecting gifts, but we ended up getting quite a few gifts. Him and his girlfriend, Rebecca, helped with the finishing touches. I wanted there to be numerous seating areas so that people knew they were not limited to one location in the backyard. We also set up a table with baby pictures of Blake and I; as well as a fun guest book that asked the guests to fill out their answers to relationship questions instead of just signing their names. I also wanted people to get up, have fun, and mingle, so I set up a bean bag toss as a quick yet fun game that people could enjoy. My dad thought I had set up the game too close together, so I challenged him to a game … he lost and the game remained the way I had set it up. It was a surprisingly fun game and, during the game, Stormy caught the chalk-filled bean bag in her mouth which caused my Dad and I burst out laughing.
As I was getting ready, my best friend/maid of honor Paula showed up with the food tent. Blake and Paula set up the food tent while I finished getting ready. Shortly after she arrived, I went outside to greet Paula and help with the final touches. Paula played a major role is the engagement party by inviting my friends and helping with set up. I’m grateful that she could be included in the first of many of our special days.
At 5 p.m. everyone started to show up. Blake and I were still running around like "chickens with our heads cut off" for the first little bit while we made sure there was enough seating, beverages were at the ready, and everyone was comfortable. Everything that happened that day is kind of a blur, but I remember, after mostly everyone had arrived, my mom told me to get out of the house and mingle with my guests.
In all of the chaos, Blake and I did get a chance to have a moment of peace just between us two. We happened to cross paths at the front door of my parents’ house, so we took advantage of the opportunity to just hug and have a moment with each other. After we made sure we were both managing … being the centre of attention is hard work … we went our separate ways and didn’t really spend too much time together the rest of the night.
At approximately 5:45 p.m., everyone was starting to get really hungry, but my mom refused to let anyone eat until Blake’s family arrived. I was less than enthused that they were almost an hour late, but after learning they had some hiccups during their food prep, I completely understood. Finally, the appetizers were available to eat. I was so hungry and everything looked so delicious. Unfortunately, I was so busy making sure everyone else was happy, that I ended up only getting the final scraps of everything. At least I was able to snag some shrimp before it was all gone.
After the appetizers had been devoured, it was time to mingle. I attempted to flutter from one group to another, but the whole time I felt like I was barely getting to talk to anyone. I was so focused on ensuring I was attempting to talk to everyone that I’m not sure I was able to have a complete conversation with anyone. I’m not great at being the centre of attention, so it was challenging for me. I was happy with the mixture of people that came to the party and I was even able to mix up teams to play the bean bag toss. Logan (my brother) and Dad faced off against Sam and Mike (Blake’s brother and father for those that don’t know) in a family bean bag battle. I’m not sure who won, but it was great seeing our two families interact. I was also able to get Paula and her boyfriend Ryan to face off against my cousins Thomas and Luke.
As I went around, I also encouraged people to sign a page in our guestbook. I know guest books are usually for weddings, but I bought this super cute book that asks guests to answer questions instead of just writing congratulatory messages. The questions include everything from “What should we do on our first anniversary?” and “What makes a good husband/wife” to “What movies should we watch together” and “What are your favourite memories that we have together”. I just thought it was an awesome idea that Blake and I can look back on in the future.
Meanwhile, while everyone was mingling and (hopefully) having a good time, Blake and I were surprised that the alcoholic beverages were quickly depleting. I was in charge of making the “sangria” … it was really just a combination of alcohol and juices that masked the alcohol … and Blake was in charge of ensuring the beer kegs, that his dad graciously provided, never emptied. Honestly, prior to the day, I had told Mike that I wasn’t confident that many people in my family would drink the beer, but boy was I wrong! People loved it! Blake and his family had to make an emergency trip back to the Aylward’s to get another keg!
During that trip, Blake finally asked Sam to be his best man. I had been, for lack of a better word, nagging Blake to finally ask our brothers to be in our wedding. He promised me that he would do it prior to the engagement party, but didn’t quite make that timeline. He ended up asking both of our brothers to be in our wedding party during the engagement party by gifting them with their own bow ties. Everyone knows Blake loves a good bow tie, so it only seemed fitting to give bow ties as a “will you be in my wedding party” gift.
Right before dinner, Blake and I made a speech to thank everyone for coming. I had initially written a speech, but that went out the window once I started talking. I got the chance to thank my mom and everyone that helped make the party possible.
Now that everyone was thanked, dinner was finally served! At my mother’s family gatherings, we always have “Canadian food” and Sri Lankan food. So there’s always a good mixture. If you don’t like curry, you can have rice and lasagna. If you don’t like those, then you can have meatballs and buns. There is usually something for everyone, even picky eaters. I was surprised by how many of my friends had curry. My mom thought that we would have a ton of leftovers, but, by the time Blake and I got a chance to eat, we were (again) left with the scraps of what hadn’t already been devoured. It was still delicious though.
After dinner, it was starting to get late, so Mollie and Amy - who came from Peterborough after spending the day at a baseball tournament - headed home. It had been a long day for them, but I was thankful that they made time to celebrate with us. We all let the food settle while the well-oiled machine that is my mother and her sisters, cleaned up the kitchen. I was in charge of ensuring the bugs were held at bay, so I put out some bug-repellent lanterns and offered people bug spray. I’m not sure what Blake was doing … we kind of lost each other in all of the commotion of the night.
We ended the night with dessert. Colleen had made a beautiful cake that could have been a wedding cake and everyone gathered while Blake and I cut it. It was as if we were at our own wedding. I guess practice makes perfect! We had cake, trifle, frozen lemon dessert, and butter tarts. Everything was sweet and delicious.
Once everyone’s bellies were filled, everyone headed home with a cute “thank you” gift that my mom had assembled for everyone. The gifts were lanterns that hold tea light candles and Colleen had made mini-cards that had Blake and I’s picture on them, thanking everyone for coming. Once mostly everyone had left, we were all exhausted and could barely move. Before everyone headed to bed, my mom requested (forced) Blake and I to open a couple of presents that we received. However, I was only able to open 3 before I said, “That’s it, I’m done” then proceeded to pass out from exhaustion on the couch. It was a great night, but I was grateful that it was finally over.
The next morning, we were able to get everything cleaned and back to normal quite smoothly. I was thankful that we weren’t going to leave a mess for my mom after everything she had done.
I honestly can’t thank my mom enough for everything that she did to make this event so special for Blake and I. She did so much to ensure everything was perfect and we will be eternally grateful for that. It is truly something that we will never forget!
Thank you Mom! And thank you to everyone that came to celebrate with us!
(Gallery Guide: 1. Blake and I with our cat Lily, 2. Us with Blake's parents Mike & Cheryl, 3. Us with my parents Keith & Deanne + our family dog Storm, 4. my brother Logan and his girlfriend Rebecca, 5. Storm, 6. Our fathers, 7. Matthew family, 8. my maid of honor Paula with her boyfriend Ryan, 9. Us with my maternal grandmother, 10. Blake with our friend Taylor, 11. Me with my friend/bridesmaid Kristen with her fiance Jordan, 12. our newly engaged friends Josh & Michelle, 13. Us cutting our cake, 14. Blake and his mom, 15. Us with Blake's dad, 16. Us, 17. Blake and his dad, 18. Our Cake, 19. Us. )
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