How to Announce Your Engagement

And just like that: You’re engaged! This is a big moment and one that awards you and your new fiancé ample time to bask in the glow of your next chapter. After that, though, it’s time to tell the world. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to engagement announcements. Whether you shout it from the rooftops or just keep the news to your inner circler—you’re not wrong. If you’re not sure how you want to proceed, though, read on. Here’s how to announce your engagement.

Get on the same page.

Before you do anything, talk to your partner. This is, after all, your first decision as an engaged unit. Discuss how you want to announce your engagement and who you want to tell. The right decision for you and your partner is going to depend on who you are, your relationships, and what attention you want around your engagement.

There are plenty of reasons to make an engagement announcement—and plenty of reasons to keep your upcoming nuptials to yourself (at first at least). If you’re on the fence about making an engagement announcement, here are a few things to consider.

Reasons to Make an Engagement Announcement

• You can share in the excitement with family and friends. One of the best parts of getting engaged is the outpouring of love you receive from the people closest to you. Announcing your engagement loops your friends and family into your good news—and allows them to share in your excitement.

• Engagement announcements allow you to tell everyone all at once. Telling everyone in your life individually that you’re engaged can be time-consuming. You also run the risk of forgetting to tell someone important. An engagement announcement lets everyone in on the news at once—and probably saves you some time and stress, too.

• It’s fun! Your engagement announcement is you and your partner’s first big moment on a lost list of big moments to come. Enjoy it—and the attention that comes with it. There are so many creative ways to announce an engagement. Finding the right way to share the news can be a fun experience for you to do together.

Reasons to Keep It To Yourself

• You can enjoy your engagement within your relationship. For many couples, sharing their engagement with family and closest friends is the first step. But if you and your partner are used to a more low-key approach to relationship matters, you may simply enjoy keeping it between you two for now.

• You’re not sure who you want to tell. Every couple is different and every person comes with different relationships with friends and family. It might not be immediately obvious who you should or want to tell. In this case, take some time to map out your plan or start telling people discreetly and individually.

Bottom line: Before you announce anything, sit with your partner and talk through how, when, and if you want to share your engagement.

Who should we tell first?

Regardless of when you decide to make your engagement announcement, we recommend telling the people closest to you first. Even if you choose to make a grand statement to the rest of the world, your inner circle will appreciate the early intel. That close group will vary depending on your relationships, but consider telling these people first:

• Your kids. If you or your partner have children (either as a couple or from a previous relationship), tell them early on. Any children will be most directly impacted by your marriage, so make them a priority and involve them in the process from the beginning.
• Your parents. If your parents are in your life, they should be one of the first calls you make post-engagement. Not only will they be thrilled to know, but they may even get a jump on planning—especially if they’ll be contributing in any way.
• Your inner circle. Again, this group will vary but typically includes any siblings, other close family members, and your best friends. These people may be the ones you include in your wedding party so don’t let them find out with the rest of the world at large.

How To Make An Engagement Announcement

Once you’ve looped in your inner circle, you can start thinking about how to announce your engagement in a bigger way. Again, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to engagement announcements. Here are a few methods to consider:

Hop on the phone.

If you prefer a one-on-one conversation (or you simply aren’t on social media), pick up the phone—or hop on FaceTime or Skype. If you have any family or close friends that live far away, this is another way to let them know with a personal touch.

Before you call anyone, however, brainstorm a list of everyone you want to tell. Phone calls are a great, intimate way to announce your engagement, but you don’t want to forget anyone important and end up hurting feelings. So, sit with your partner and jot down names. Think about people from every phase of your life: school, various jobs, etc. Then, ask everyone to keep the news to themselves for a day or two to make sure they don’t tell someone on your list before you do.

Send a group text.

If you have a group of people you want to share your big news with all at once (like your college roommates, your childhood best friends, or more distant extended family), a group text is a great way to make your engagement announcement feel more personal. Send a few different texts to groups of individuals who already know each other. This will make replies easy to manage and you won’t get caught up in too much back and forth between people interacting for the first time via text. And be sure to send pics!

Announce your engagement on social media.

If you’re ready to really make a statement, you already know that social media is the place to go. Whether you share an Instagram photo or story or you update your relationship status on Facebook, once you announce your engagement online, the news is out.

A social media engagement announcement ticks a lot of positive boxes. It’s easy, you can be creative with how you share your news (a picture, a sentimental paragraph of text, whatever!), and it covers just about everyone. If you plan to use a wedding hashtag, this could also be your first opportunity to start documenting your wedding journey digitally with it.

A big social media announcement certainly isn’t for everyone. But if it’s for you, hit publish, sit back, and let the likes and love roll in.

Launch a website.

If you want a more permanent and easily accessible engagement announcement, consider launching a wedding website. A wedding website acts as the hub for all things engagement- and wedding-related. Eventually, your website should include all of the pertinent information about your wedding for your guests, including your registry and details about your big day. To start, though, it’s a great place to kick things off and share your big news.

Send formal engagement announcements.

If you want to kick it old school, you can also send more traditional paper engagement announcements. You may also choose to send official hardcopies after your initial digital declaration. Formal announcements also make sense if you have plans for a formal wedding. A physical announcement sets the tone and indicates to guests that your wedding journey will have an air of tradition to it. As a bonus, this is a great way to start collecting addresses for your wedding invites!

Again, announce your engagement however you and your partner want. Any of these methods (or a combination of them) will be equally effective. The point is to celebrate your love.

Sit back and enjoy it.

Once you announce your engagement, expect a flood of responses via social media, texts, and phone calls. It’s heartwarming but can also quickly become overwhelming. Feel free to take a step back—you don’t need to rush to respond. Your loved ones will understand that this is your time with your fiance.

Once you come up for air, consider sending a message that expresses your gratitude. Try saying, “Thank you! It means so much to us that you’re excited. I’ll definitely loop you in once we’re ready to start wedding planning and have more details!”

Ultimately, how and when you announce your engagement is totally up to you. The moment is yours—enjoy it.