The Ultimate Guide To Announcing Your Engagement

A huge congratulations if you've recently got engaged! You're probably bursting with joy right now and desperate to spread the exciting news! But who should you tell first, and how should you tell them? Before you shout it from the rooftops, there are a few things to consider. Firstly, we would highly recommend that you go ahead and bask in that lovely honeymoon bliss with you and your newly engaged partner for (at least!) 24 hours and make a bit of a plan; we're not talking pages and pages of a carefully mapped-out plan of action, just a rough idea to show how you're going to tackle spreading your joyous news.

If you decide to tell the world your news straight away, don't be surprised if you're bombarded with wedding planning questions that you may not have even thought about yet. By all means, call your Mum and your bestie and tell them your great news, but before you announce the engagement to the masses, just try to reserve some time to celebrate your engagement together and try to figure out what you want out of your wedding.

Keep reading as we also shared a few engagement announcement ideas if you're looking for a more unique way to share your love story. So, let's not waste any more time; let's get into this!

How to share the news with family members

OK, so there are a few steps to take before you share the news with family members, and we're talking about something way more special than a text. Start with a phone call, and the rest will fall into place.

Parents first: If your parents are in your life and important to you, tell them first. The last thing you want to happen is that they find out by seeing something online or hearing the news through the grapevine.

If you have kids: If you or your partner have children, they should be the first to know. After your most immediate people know, you'll also want to loop in any siblings in your life.

Get everyone together: It's not essential by any means, but it is a lovely excuse to get everyone together. Why not have dinner and a toast to celebrate? We're talking parents, kids, and siblings from both sides to give everyone the opportunity to get to know each other (if they don't already, of course!).

How to share the news with everybody else

So you've shared your exciting engagement news with immediate family members, and you're probably bursting at the seams to tell your close friends. You'll more than likely both have a gang of friends that you're keen to get together, so here are a few ideas to share the lovely news:

An old-school phone call: Yep, a retro phone call is a really nice way to share your news. Your closest friends will be thrilled to share your news with you over the phone rather than receive a blanket social media post or text message.

Announce your engagement online: When you feel satisfied that the important people in your life know your joyous news, why not take it to the web? Whether you're on every platform out there or just one or two, why not get as creative as you want when sharing the news? But before you press the all-important share button, do a quick check that you've both told your nearest and dearest before they find out online.

Have an engagement party: Even though they are completely optional, engagement parties can be a LOT of fun, especially if you're having a long engagement. They can be as relaxed or as lively as you like, but they normally involve a BBQ, drinks, and back-garden vibes, making them the perfect excuse to show off your engagement ring and pop a cork or two!

Fancying a bit more of an original way to share your news?

There's no right or wrong way to make engagement announcements, but if you want to do things a bit differently and make your announcement memorable, here are some of the best engagement announcement ideas:

Arrange a photoshoot: Planning a photoshoot is a popular way for engaged couples to announce their news. Even though it might not be the most original idea ever, you can still have fun with what you do on the shoot. Your engagement photos are a fantastic chance to show off your individuality and share some ideas about what's in store for the wedding's theme.

Send engagement announcement cards: Why not use one of your favourite photos from your engagement shoot to then send engagement announcement cards? A card with a beautiful photo of you and your future spouse is a great keepsake for your family members to remember this special occasion.

Have your pet announce your engagement: Since many of us consider our pets to be an integral part of our family, announcing your engagement with them keeps them included in the festivities. Make a 'she said yes' sign and pop it in the photo of you both with your pet for a cute selfie to post online.

Share a video of the proposal itself: Most likely, if you proposed in a public setting, someone recorded it on camera. Or maybe it's possible that you requested someone to record it beforehand? Either way, why not share the video on social media as a very cute way to announce your engagement?

Get the family involved: If you want your family to be part of the news, you should definitely include them in your engagement announcement. Take your kids on an engagement photo with adorable onesies printed to share the happy news, or make your own family portrait and have the kids hold signs to announce the engagement.

Throw a surprise party: It's completely understandable that not everyone wants to share their news on social media. So why not throw a party and invite all of your friends and family and break the news there instead of posting it online? They're actually being asked to a surprise engagement celebration, which everyone else should be completely unaware of!

Just do what's right for you both

However you choose to share your news, make sure you're both aligned with how you do it. It's your news to put out there; but just remember to take a moment to enjoy it to yourselves, just you two, before you announce your engagement to the world.

It is really important, and we see many couples skip this step, so make the most of this precious time before your wedding planning journey kicks off and before your world is consumed with conversations about wedding details such as considering a wedding date, chatting about wedding invitations, and the dreaded seating plan!

As tempting as it may be to shout it out as soon as the engagement has happened, take some time to make a plan that you're both comfortable with. Then, it's time to celebrate your happy news with friends and family. Congrats from us!