How to Announce Your Engagement

Tips for sharing the big news with your loved ones.

Here is what you should keep in mind before announcing your engagement!

By Emily Lasnier

victoria-bc-engagement-session
Photo: Blaine Alan Photography

Whether it’s a complete surprise or a step you knew was coming in a matter of time, getting engaged is an exciting occasion. But before you get started planning the wedding of your dreams, you should share the good news with friends and family! Your first instinct may be to snap a picture and share it on social media, but it’s best to hold off. Consider your VIPs, those special people in your life who deserve to hear the news from you, not your newsfeed. It’s possible that some knew about the engagement before you did, if they helped plan, but they’ll still want to hear how the actual proposal went!

how to announce your engagement

Photo by Maya Myers Photography

 

Here is what you should keep in mind before announcing your engagement:

- Start with your parents. Unless you’re estranged, they should be the first to hear the news. Sharing your engagement in person is ideal, but should distance make that unfeasible a phone call or video chat will suffice.  If your parents are not together, be sure to tell the second one right after, before the news spreads and they learn about the proposal from someone else.

- Once your parents know, it’s best to tell your siblings or other family members you have a close relationship with, as well as your best friends. Depending on how you usually communicate, a text message (with a picture!) may be fine, but a phone call is certainly a nice touch. Think about how you would like to hear equivalent news from them and reciprocate the gesture. 

- Now that the most important people in your lives have been informed, you can announce the engagement on social media if you so choose. But first consider the fact that it can be nice to live in your love bubble for a couple days before sharing. Think of how often celebrities don’t confirm their own engagements until days later. 

- For a more elaborate way to announce your big news, you could throw an engagement party. The invitations can reveal that the proposal was accepted, or you can host a fête under the guise of another occasion and then reveal the engagement as a surprise. 

For more engagement news, discover 10 tips for a successful engagement shoot, find out why summer might be the new engagement season, and view a charming kitchen-themed e-session. 

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