Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Facebook! and Vent About "Engagement Party"
Hey ladies 
I'm late to the game but I finally added all of you on facebook. I'm looking forward to seeing all of the wedding pics! I haven't been on TN much this week, I've been so busy at work.
About the engagement party... My SIL and her FI have been enagaged since 2006 and they finally decided on a date, June 15th, 2013. I'm super excited for them, and when my SIL asked me to be MOH I was so happy! I don't have any siblings so she's my first sister.
My MIL is planning an engagement party for them in October and asked me to help plan. It's cute, but it's like, really? Six years later? I brought it up to MIL that we should have more of a pre-wedding party, that maybe we should call it something else. She told me that in retrospect, she feels bad for not having one when SIL was first engaged (my parents hosted one for DH and I) and she thinks that's why they didn't plan their wedding right away 
No, they didn't plan their wedding right away because they were 8 months pregnant with their first baby but anywayyy...
I SO wanted to say "oh well, my parents didn't have a Sweet 16 birthday party for me, guess I'll just have them throw me one for my 26th!" I just smiled and nodded instead of saying anything. My problem is that in our social circle, an EP is a gift-giving event. It seems ridiculous to ask people to give a gift for something that happened six years ago. They missed their window (by like 5.5 years!) but I guess I'll just have to grin and bear it. I love my SIL, and she wants a party, so she'll get a party!
Re: Facebook! and Vent About "Engagement Party"
"oh well, my parents didn't have a Sweet 16 birthday party for me, guess I'll just have them throw me one for my 26th!"
This made me laugh! It's a good example though. I do think it's silly and wayyy too late for an e-party. I agree with you that e-parties can be gift giving events so it does seem super gift grabby to have this party after 5.5 yrs of being engaged.
Could it be a smaller party with just immediate family members and have it be more of a "we have a wedding date (finally)" bbq type of thing??
Missing Our July Sparkler
BFP#1-11/12/12, MMC 1/16/13-baby stopped growing @ 9wks, found out at 13wks, D&E 1/25/13
BFP#2-4/23/13 EDD-01/02/14 baby BOY born 12/31/13 Michael Cameron
That was exactly my suggestion, to have something more low key... But she insists on a full blown catered party, I think the guest list is somewhere around 35!
I agree! I think that ship has sailed!
H's cousin got engaged last August, just a week or so after us. Well, they had an "engagement" and shower party about two weeks ago (a YEAR after their engagement!). When I got the invite in the mail for an "engagement" party, they had also sent those little cards you get when you register. I was like "whoa!" Apparently, they decided to have a shower at the same time, since they wanted gifts for their new place they just heppend to just move into. People were not happy about this and someone else had called cousin's mother and asked what was going on "because this is a wedding thing, not engagement! You don't ask for gifts!" Lol. Anyway. They got loads of gifts and haven't even set a date yet.
If your SIL wants a party, by all means she should have a party! It just seems pointless to call it an "engagement" party. People are weird.
My Blog:Through My Eyes
I'm totally on the same page as you about the "appropriateness" of this engagement party. I'd probably just make a comment like "Aren't you worried that all the guests are going to think an engagement party after 6 years is a thinly veiled request for gifts?" I'd probably try to twist my "this is so stupid and tacky" thoughts so that MIL hears them as "I am concerned that the invited guests will think having an engagement party this late in the game is inappropriate and weird...I just don't want you guys to be embarrassed later by it!" or something like that.
To be honest, if I was invited to an engagement party 6 years after the fact, I'd probably go only if I had nothing better to do, and sure as hell wouldn't bring a gift (and if I "had" to, I just wouldn't go).
I wasn't thrown an engagement party, it's NBD. Although now maybe I should request one