RMB Real Weddings: A Bravo Themed Engagement Party

Hello, Carly here!

I am so excited to chat about our engagement party this month. My friends and bridesmaids came together to host an engagement party for Tucker and I. It was a really fun way to celebrate our engagement with our Colorado friends. My loving parents, brother and sister-in-law also flew in from New Jersey. We decided to do a Bravo TV theme because my group of friends is Bravo-obsessed and our significant others are good sports about it.

My fiancé, Tucker, likes the reality show called Below Deck so we chose to dress up like the show’s main stars Kate Chastain and Captain Lee. With a little help from Beauty with Nicole Ramirez, I was feeling just like Kate for the evening. All of our friends came dressed to impress in amazing costumes. Even the guests that don’t regularly watch the network still found creative ways to be involved. A handful of people dressed as charter guests to go along with our Below Deck selection. In addition to the Below Deck cast, we also had a Bravo TV camera crew, a few Erika Jaynes and Lisa Vanderpumps, many Real Housewife couples, some “Million Dollar Listing” agents, and even a few famous Andy Cohens.

Themed parties are an easy and fun way to establish the ambiance, create the atmosphere, and inspire the décor; costumes make things light-hearted and fun right off the bat and are great conversation starters for guests! This is helpful if you have friends and family from different stages of your life coming together to celebrate an occasion.

At our engagement party, Bravo TV was infused in every aspect of the night from the drinks being served to the party signage adorned on the tables. Keep reading to see how we successfully incorporated this theme into the evening.

How we Incorporated the Theme throughout the Evening

Cocktails: 

Creating signature drinks is an easy way to highlight the theme at your engagement party. Try thinking up cute names for everyday cocktails or get creative in the concoctions. Just remember to have fun with it!

My friends did an amazing job running with the theme for our cocktails. We drank like true Bravo Housewives, from Lisa Vanderpump’s Rosé to Ramona Singer’s Pinot Grigio and Bethenny Frankel’s Skinny Girl Margaritas. And, since Carly and Tucker throw a Moscow Mule and Mini Golf Festival “The Mule Majors“, the girls did a special Moscow Mule bar with their custom copper mugs. This was a creative way to incorporate something special to us and we absolutely loved the personal touch. The festival is this April 13th in downtown Denver, get your tickets here.

In addition to the cocktails, in honor of Andy Cohen’s Watch What Happens Live segment, we brought his clubhouse to the house party with a shotski and played the same games he plays on his show with a Bravo TV cocktail in hand.

Games are great icebreakers at any wedding festivity from your engagement party, bridal shower and even your bachelorette party. Depending on the theme you choose for your party, you may be able to find pre-crafted games or adapt household favorites like charades.

Signage:

One of my favorite details from the night included the genius signage from Kelly at Before Noon Paperie. This is a great opportunity to do a trial run with a local calligrapher or artist for your actual wedding. Before Noon Paperie took our names and made them look like the Bravo TV logo. My friends selected their favorite Bravo TV quotes like “It’s not about the pasta”, “I made it nice”, and “I need a Xanax” and had them turned into fun decor as well. These creative signs were scattered all over the party with our personal Bravo TV logo. The signs were designed in gorgeous calligraphy.

Cake:

Whether you choose to bake a cake, or have desserts made for the party, select colors that coordinate with the theme. We chose to have a two-tiered cake made by the wonderful Darb Cake Designs. Candace, of Darb Cake Designs, did an amazing job at making the cake elegant and not super gimmicky. The bottom layer was adorned with individual sequins and the top layer made reference to the fruits of the different cities the housewives are from – peach, apple, and orange for example. It was perfect and she nailed the vision to tie the cake together with the entire theme. Not to mention, the cake was absolutely delicious!

Flowers:

Speaking of fruit, Fiori Flowers always keeps us on our toes by incorporating fun fruits and vegetables into their floral arrangements. In this case, Lara added peaches and oranges as a nod to the Real Housewives. The arrangements were bold, colorful, and fun just like the shows on Bravo. This is another great opportunity to do a trial run with a florist. If they are able to create your vision as you dreamed, then they may be the perfect florist for your big day.

Photographer: 

While a photographer is by no means necessary, we knew we wanted this special event captured on camera. We were lucky enough to have one of our previous bride’s, Rachel Erin Photography in Denver, CO, come shoot the party! It was so fun working with her. I am not used to being on this side of the camera but she made everyone feel super comfortable. If hiring a photographer isn’t an option, create a photo booth area at the party by setting up a Polaroid camera with homemade props and signs for guests to hold in their photos. Guests can stick their photo in a guestbook as a keepsake for you and your fiance.

Be sure to add a personal touch into the evening by showcasing photos of you and your fiance! This is a great way for guests to get to know the memories that make up your relationship.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to all of our friends, families and vendors for helping make our engagement party an evening to remember.

Ps. We even received a fun surprise after the party! Kate Chastain from Below Deck (the person I dressed up as) actually shared a photo of us on her Instagram story!

Stay tuned for the next post in our series where I show you a sneak peek into how I asked my bridesmaids to be apart of Tucker and I’s big day.

Love,

Carly, Milk Glass Productions

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