October 20th, 2020

Chris and I got engaged in New Jersey on September 5th and the next few weeks were filled with congratulations from friends and family! As we settled back in, we were so excited to be in our new house AND to be newly engaged, what better way to have a house warming then to have the engagement party in our beautiful, new backyard!

We didn’t have to think long about it, as our new the backyard was built to entertain and we couldn’t wait to invite our friends over. But at that time during COVID, the world was in quarantine and my family and extended friends weren’t going outside their bubble to follow the government closures and mandates. It was such a bummer to think maybe the engagement party wouldn’t happen because of the pandemic…

BUT my best girlfriends were so excited that they volunteered to throw it for us!

It absolutely warms my heart even now that this group of women were so supportive and excited to celebrate. It just made me feel SO special!  They organized catering, decorated, and even got a big cake for us! Everyone brought wine and drinks to help us stock the bar so we had tequila, champagne, and rose flowing all night! It was the perfect intimate party to celebrate our new chapter of life with our closest people.

Dinner table

Since gorgeous weather is standard for October in Southern California, I wanted to have a long seated table set up outside so we could enjoy the warm, late afternoon. Chris and I got two long foldable tables from Costco and filled in a few extra chairs spots with folding ones so we had enough space. I decorated the table very simply with all-white outdoor dining ware, gold plated cutlery, long off-white tablecloths, and a bouquet of eucalyptus and flowers. And of course I added a “Mr.” and “Mrs.” sign to mark the special seats for Chris and me!

Catering

My bridesmaid, Allie, organized the catering and chose a local Italian restaurant called Viva La Pasta, which we figured out is just down the street from the country club in our new little community! The food was AWESOME! Allie killed it with her choices and while we had leftovers for literally a week or more lol, no one went hungry. There was a great spread that ranged from mini pizzas and calzones to seafood pasta and Alfredo.

Decor

One of the girls, Samira, made a super cute, DIY picture collage out of a pallet that she painted white and decorated! It was so sweet and had pictures of Chris and I all over it. Samira’s mom also gave us a modern country style “Mr. and Mrs.” serving platter that we used for the brownies. My sister, Alyssa, gifted us a custom cutting board with “Ashley and Chris Romaine” engraved on it which I set out for the lemon and lime drink garnishes.

My other best friend, Meena, decorated all over the inside of the house with clear, gold confetti-filled balloons and got a specialized cake that said “We’re Engaged!” on it in pink icing along with coconut and white chocolate topped, lemon frosted cupcakes! Megan, Caitlin, and Isabel helped with drinks and brought super cute decor including a burlap “Engaged” banner and fun photobooth props that were nuptial-themed and made the photos special!

What I would do without these girls, I don’t know but I get look back at my engagement party and see all the love that made it come together. With this group, of course there was an after-party haha which meant a big late-night swim, drunken best-friend hugs, and a slight headache in the morning lol.  It was truly the cutest little backyard engagement bash I could have hoped for!

Are you hosting a backyard event? Have questions?! Comment below!

With love,

Ashley Jo