Engagement parties...is this becoming more prevalent?

marmot

I don't know if this is a witness thing or if it's just becoming more common everywhere, but what's the deal with engagement parties?

It seemed like all the young couples getting engaged were throwing these elaborate bashes that seemed just like a real wedding, and my former roommate even had a freaking GIFT REGISTRY for his. Totally crass, in my opinion, and they never even ended up getting married.

The only other engagement party that I went to the couple got divorced three years later.

darth frosty

Its not nothing new. I met my wife at an engagement party. Of course I feel all such events should be outlawed.

neverendingjourney

It's just an excuse for the witnesses to have a social event to go to since night clubs are prohibited. Engagement parties, graduation parties and anniversary parties were big in my area. I'm not talking small get-togethers either. These were all-out, huge events with over a hundred people in attendance, a band or at least a D.J. They were lame attempts at recreating a night club scene without running afoul of the JW rules even though a lot of uppity JWs looked down upon these parties and those who attended them.

R6Laser

I guess the memo of night clubs being prohibited skipped the congregations around my area. A lot of young people could be seen at many clubs Friday and Saturday nights.

Es

Ok I have to disagree with you on the gift registry thing, I had already been married once when I got engaged the second time and my hubby had also moved out and so we had everything we needed, and so we put together a gift reg with things that we liked and wernt too expensive, people now days find this an easy solution as to what to buy the couple.

Our engagement was as formal as you can get, but everyone had a great time!

es

wha happened?

I had one with the EX wife. It was a show of who's in and who's not

neverendingjourney

I guess the memo of night clubs being prohibited skipped the congregations around my area. A lot of young people could be seen at many clubs Friday and Saturday nights.

I think the feelings on this kind of thing vary from area to area, but it was definitely a big no-no where I'm from. No one that I knew of got disfellowshipped over this sort of thing, but people could certainly lose their status in the congregation over it. Nightclub goers were also informally marked as bad associations.

I also knew a bunch of folks that went to night clubs. When I was well on my way out of the org., I would go to night clubs as well. The "theocratic" witnesses tended to throw these big parties in order get their dance on and replicate the night club scene as much as possible while avoiding the stigma that came with actually going there.

blondie

I think this is the same as what we call wedding showers...and yes, I was amazed that they now advertise a gift registry, from a group that used to discourage even putting your name on the gift card.

*** w69 5/1 p. 286 Social Events Need Christian Moderation ***In some places when such "showers" are held, the gifts are grouped together without the names of the givers being attached. Why? Those Christians are conscious of Jesus’ counsel that gifts should not be given to glorify the giver. (Matt. 6:1-4) They feel that if one did not bring a gift, another brought a small token of affection, and yet another an expensive gift, unloving comparisons of who gave what might be made.—Matt. 7:12.
Does this mean that it is wrong to identify oneself as the giver of a certain present? No, that is not the point. In other places Christians at weddings and "showers" deliver gifts personally or sign cards attached to the presents. But if the presents are opened or displayed, the givers are not publicly announced. Thus there is no embarrassment.

Engagement parties...is this becoming more prevalent?

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