Around this time each year, Spring begins to deliver us some wonderful things. Blooming flowers. Sunshine. Warm, fresh air. And making it even more wonderful is something else that Spring delivers: engagements!
While December is the undisputed king of engagements (nearly twice as many couples get engaged this month than any other), February through May also sees an incredibly high percentage of couples getting down on one knee, bringing out the bling, and popping the question.
And with all the springtime engagements, it can only mean one thing: engagement parties! That’s right, what better way to celebrate all the love in the spring air than by showering newly-engaged couples with a fun, festive party with their family and friends?
Recently, Plum Polka Dot was asked to lend a hand in planning a taco-themed engagement fiesta for a fun-loving couple. The idea turned out to be so fun and so cute, we just had to share it with you here. And considering May 5th is right around the corner, we thought it was the perfect time to put together our ultimate guide for planning a Cinco de Mayo Engagement Party!
The Décor
Once our fun-loving couple Jessica and Michael agreed on a fiesta-themed engagement party, they quickly settled in on a hashtag-ready party title: Taco Bout Love. With this in mind, we began collecting the various pieces of décor that would give the party it’s fiesta-vibe, while still retaining a touch of class and elegance (I mean, this is an engagement party after all!)
Thankfully, our friends at Paper & Parties carries a whole selection of cute fiesta-themed décor. For Jessica and Michael’s party, we went with several pieces to tie the theme together, including a cactus balloon, cactus plates, fiesta-fringe party blowers and more. We also threw in some general accent décor to ensure the look wasn’t too cowboy. Color-coordinated striped straws, utensils, standard balloons and cupcake toppers all rounded out the look, ensuring it was the right mix of on-theme décor and traditional party elements.
In addition to the paper goods and balloons, we also sprinkled in some flower bouquets for additional pops of color, as well as a few miniature cacti from @homeworksetc.shop to finish out the look.
The Food
With the décor set, it was time to focus on the food. Thankfully, having “Taco Bout Love” as your party theme makes it pretty easy to settle on a menu. We focused on traditional Mexican classics, starting with homemade guacamole and multi-colored tortilla chips.
While many people tend to shy away from homemade guacamole because of the prep work involved – and the fact that you can’t make it ahead of time (because it browns so easily) - we promise that it’s worth the time to make it from scratch. And it’s actually super easy! See for yourself by checking out our favorite guac recipe here.
Pro tip: if you want to save yourself time on the day of the party, prepare all the guac ingredients (except the avocados) the night before. Then the day of the party, you can mix all the pre-chopped veggies and herbs, open up a few ripe avocados, squeeze in some lime, and your guac will be ready to go!
For the main course of Jessica and Michael’s Taco About Love engagement party, we created a “make your own taco bar”. Not only is this super simple to execute, but it allows all your party guests to make their meal exactly to their liking. On the stovetop, we sautéed a pan of chicken, a pan of seasoned beef, and a pan of seasoned bell peppers and onions. Off to the side, we set out warm tortillas and all the traditional taco toppings, including cheese, sour cream, cilantro and more.
When guests were ready to eat, they just filed through the line and made up their tacos exactly as they liked. More enjoyable for them, and less work for the host – a win-win!
The Drinks
Of course, no Cinco de Mayo engagement party would be complete without a signature drink. In this case, we went with a classic margarita, with a spicy twist. Following this recipe, we pre-made a couple of pitchers before guests arrived. We also cut up several whole jalapeños and lime wedges to serve as garnish (and add a little bit of extra flavor).
In addition to the tasty margaritas, we also made sure to have all the classics on standby as well, including the authentic (and delicious) Mexican soda Jarritos!
The Favors
To finish off the Taco Bout Love theme for Jessica and Michael’s engagement party, we here at Plum Polka Dot created not one but two different personalized party favors for guests to take home. The first was one of our beautiful Swarovski crystal wine charms, featuring a fiesta-themed background, the “Taco Bout Love” party tagline, and a simple “Jessica & Michael | Summer 2020” on the bottom. The second custom party favor was a similar Swarovski crystal wine charm, with a themed card that read “Taco Bout a Party – Thanks for Coming”.
Both charms served as a fun take home gift, reminding guests of the great day they all shared together!
As you can see, a Cinco de Mayo Engagement Party is not only fun and festive, it’s pretty easy to execute as well! So, if someone you know just got engaged, raise your hand high when they ask if someone would be willing to plan the engagement party. Because with this guide, you can rest assured that all your guests will leave with one thought on their mind: Taco Bout a Party!
If you’re planning a Cinco De Mayo Celebration, Llama Party, or any other fiesta themed event, these favors can be reworked to elevate those events just as fabulously!