Announcing Your Engagement

by Kim Lehman

You have an engagement ring on your finger and you want to announce the news. There are so many ideas out there - from using a faux magazine cover with pictures of you and your intended sporting a headline that reads, “Famous Engaged Couples,” to inviting your friends to “like” your engagment page on Facebook.

But before you give it a S/O on twitter or post it on the World Wide Web, take the time to follow a few standard rules that haven’t changed. Tell your family and closest friends, first, and make sure to do it in person or at least over the phone. Don’t rely on impersonal technology to do your announcing for you - no texts or tweets. Marriage is one of the most important and exciting decisions you’ll ever make. If you don’t treat it as being special and worthy of taking the time to do it right, it devalues the event for everyone else around you as well. If you choose not to take the simple path of going by or calling Mom and Dad to tell them the news, consider some creative ways to announce your engagment.

Creative Ways to Announce Your Engagment

It’s a surprise! Plan a surprise party for your family and friends. It can be casual or extravagant, depending on your budget. Since December is the most popular month to get engaged, why not throw an afternoon New Year’s Day get together? Use a giant bowl of the traditional good luck food, black-eyed peas, as a table centerpiece with a sign saying, “Wish Us Luck On Our Marriage.” Have your engagement photo out for viewing and a sign in book for guests to leave a good luck message. If you want a black-tie affair, host a New Year’s Eve party and think of a clever toast to make your announcement as soon as your most important guests are present. If you want to wait until midnight, or until someone else finally asks, place small clues around the house like wedding books on the coffee table or blank wedding photo frames in obvious places. If no one picks up on your subtleties, announce it at your midnight toast. If you just can’t wait until midnight, tell your guests you have a special DVD for them to watch and play an engagement DVD – either movie or snapshot style will work. Start with some snapshots of family members’ weddings and end with the two of you holding a sign that says, “Surprise! We’re Engaged!”

Hand delivered. Pop the question on Christmas Eve and visit your family and friends on Christmas day wearing the ring. If they don’t notice right away, don’t be shy, wave your hand around until they notice.

Picture perfect. Plan a day to announce your engagement by taking a small gift of a photo frame to your loved ones and in place of a picture, place a beautifully incribed note that says, “Place OUR WEDDING PHOTO Here!"

You can’t have too much good luck. Yes, more about black-eyed peas. You might as well take advantage of the time of year. Place the tiny good luck morsels in pretty canning jars labeled “From the future, Mr. and Mrs. your name here, or give the canned peas with a note saying, “We wish you all the luck this New Year, please wish us luck on our new life together!”

An old fashioned way that never goes out of style. The rules still apply. Tell your parents, family and close friends in person or over the phone, and no, texting does not count! After that, send out engagment announcements in the mail. It’s a great way to also double up on a save-the-date card mail-out, if you’ve already managed to set a date.

To post or not to post. It can’t be advised nearly enough. Before you change your Facebook status from “in a relationship” to “engaged,” consider some suggestions. Social media means instant, viral notification. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and other venues may tempt you to rush your engaement announcement, but don’t. Despite technology, some things haven’t changed when it comes to wedding etiquette – tell parents and family, first. Tell them in person or over the phone, no impersonal emails, texts or IM’s. After informing family comes letting your closest friends know. Do you really want them to find out about it on Facebook? Let the ones you love and only the friends you would actually invite to your wedding know before you post it to the world.

BOL2U & HNY2014*

*If you do NOT have to look this up for a “text lingo translation,” please read this blog twice. :)