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Engagement Gifts
"Love is just a word until someone comes along and gives it meaning"
An engagement is an agreement or promise to marry, and also refers to the time between proposal and marriage. During this period, a couple is said to be affianced, engaged to be married, or simply engaged.
Engagement is most often initiated by a proposal of marriage, or simply a proposal. The proposal often has a ritual quality, involving the presentation of the engagement ring and a formalized asking of a question such as "Will you marry me?" It is traditionally the man's task to propose to the woman, often down on one knee, but this is no longer universal.
 The concept of an engagement period may have begun in 1215 at the Fourth Lateran Council, headed by Pope Innocent III, which decreed that "marriages are to be . . . announced publicly in the churches by the priests during a suitable and fixed time, so that if legitimate impediments exist, they may be made known." The modern Western form of the practice of giving or exchanging engagement rings is traditionally thought to have begun in 1477 when Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor gave Mary of Burgundy a diamond ring as an engagement present.
Engagements have no predetermined length, and may range from days to years. Customs surrounding engagement vary greatly, and may include a formal or informal announcement to friends, family, and community, or a celebratory party or gathering.
In contemporary Western culture, many couples have an engagement period of 6 months to a year, which is spent planning for their wedding. It is not uncommon for couples to have a lengthy engagement, often cohabitating, possibly without setting a date for their marriage. However, long-distance engagements also exist, often signifying primarily a general desire for eventual marriage, rather than a period of preparation for marriage.
Occasionally the engaged couple will have an engagement party. Traditionally the party is hosted by the fiancée's parents. Usually it is a relatively informal affair and only hors d'ouvres and drinks will be served. Traditionally, a speech is made by the couple, one or more of their parents, or both.
Guests are not expected to bring gifts, but some choose to do so. The traditional gift is a teapot, but more contemporary gifts include money, champagne or high-quality wine, gift vouchers, household utensils, or flowers.
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