It can be tempting to jump on the telephone and tell everyone you know about your engagement just as soon as the ring hits your finger, but there may be better ways to announce it. You want to make sure all of your friends and family are aware of your engagement, and there are many ways to accomplish this.
With technology, it is easy to call everyone from your cell phone or send out a mass e-mail, but this is quite impersonal. You want to share your love with your friends and family, and the best way to do this is either in person or through a special card.
If you have an upcoming family gathering you can wait for, that is a good time to announce your engagement. Major holidays are also a good time, but because large family gatherings can be few and far between, you should at least notify your parents and grandparents before your announcement.
If you live far away from your loved ones, it may be necessary to tell them over the phone. You also have the option of announcing your engagement by sending out cards. Make sure that you include a personal note so that everyone receiving a card knows how much you care about them and that you wanted to share this important milestone with them.
Many couples choose to have professional engagement pictures taken. These pictures can be used for newspaper announcements, as well as your engagement announcement cards. These pictures should portray you as a couple and display your love for one another. They can be formal or informal, depending on your relationship.
You will want to send your engagement pictures to several newspapers. These newspapers should include the town you live in, the towns where both of your parents live, and perhaps even the towns where your grandparents live. If you still have friends where you grew up and you have since moved, then you may want to submit your announcement to those newspapers as well.
Your engagement pictures are going to capture this important moment in your lives. Chances are that you have not had a professional picture taken since you graduated high school, so consider that your family might enjoy a framed engagement picture to display. These pictures can also be used later for your wedding.
Not every couple has an engagement party, so if the thought turns you off, then do not do it; everyone will have the chance to celebrate with you at some point. Engagement parties, however, can be good for many reasons aside from a celebration. Often, one set of parents will host the event. In other cases, it might be hosted by a close friend or relative. Some couples even throw their own engagement party.
When setting the guest list for your engagement party, make sure you think about who you will be inviting to your wedding. If someone is invited to the engagement party, they will believe that they are invited to the wedding as well. This can be embarrassing if you discover that the reception site has limited capacity, and even though your parents’ neighbors attended the engagement party, there is simply not enough room for them at the wedding reception.