I've never been to an engagement party, I've never even heard of them until I got engaged when my family was pestering me about one so naturally, I do not know the faux pas of such a thing. I am having an engagement party, just a simple pot luck cook out with our families and close friends. I hadn't even thought or asked for gifts, but I have been recently receiving quite a few e-mails and phone calls asking if the guest to this party need to bring gifts. I hadn't even asked for anyone to bring anything to the cook out but instead ask that they tell me if they are bringing something and if they are, what. Now I have all these people asking if they should bring gifts and I want to give them a better answer than "I don't know. Do what you want I guess." I don't expect anything from the guests, but I want to know whether or not it is customary for people to bring or get asked to bring gifts?