How to Throw an Engagement Party
An engagement party may be the happy couple's last chance to indulge in the joy of being engaged before the chaos of wedding planning begins.
Steps:
1. Create unique party invitations with a fun or silly picture of the couple on the front.
2. Go overboard on decorations. Things that might be tacky or over-the-top at a wedding might be perfect for the engagement party. Think heart-shaped Mylar balloons and plastic silver champagne glasses.
3. Find a good picture of the couple. Either frame it or have it blown up to poster size at Kinko's and hang it in a prominent place.
4. Serve food that is fun, romantic and easy to eat and serve. Ask your caterer for tasty finger foods and appetizers and several decadent deserts. Also make sure you have plenty of champagne as well as some fun "themed" drinks, like a Love Cocktail for instance.
5. Set up a microphone in a prominent location so that, as the evening progresses, people can make toasts to the happy couple.
6. Buy two large white sheets of poster board. Write "Wedding Advice From the Women" across the top of one and "Wedding Advice From the Men" on the other in heavy, dark marker. Attach a pen to each and encourage guests to leave notes about things they learned while planning their own weddings.
7. Give these two sheets to the couple when the party ends.
Tips:
Throw the party in the evening when people are much more inclined to dance and be romantic.
Warnings:
An engagement party is probably not a good candidate for a surprise party. You don't want to risk having the couple stumble into the party in the middle of a "where to have the wedding" fight, or a hot passionate kiss, whichever is more embarrassing.
Town of Cortlandt, New York

The Town of Cortlandt is located in the northwestern corner of Westchester County, New York. The Town is bounded on the west by the Hudson River, on the north by Putnam County, on the east by the Town of Yorktown and on the south by the Towns of New Castle and Ossining. Cortlandt includes two incorporated villages, Croton-on-Hudson and Buchanan, and several hamlets, including Montrose, Crugers, and Verplanck. The Hudson River, the New York City Watershed Lands, numerous wooded hills and steep slopes, wetland areas and streams define the rural character of the Town.
Commuter service to New York City is available via the Cortlandt train station and the Croton-Harmon Train Station, served by Metro-North Railroad. US Route 9 passes through the town along the Hudson River side.
The town has a total area of 50.2 mi², nearly 20.93% of which is water.