My fiance has a very large family. I have still yet to meet about 40 people. There are tons of social gatherings/parties and I always feel awkward/shy/quiet when going there. I usually just hang around my fiancé, but what I really want to do is go around and meet people/connect and build relationships. I just am not great with large crowds and feel overwhelmed.

Any advice on what to do to start conversations/stay in them longer than a minute?