5 Ways to Announce Your Engagement

The first thing to do when you get engaged is to let family and close friends know about your upcoming nuptials. You may even want to announce the news to the rest of the world. There are many ways you can do so, besides telling the most important people in person (if possible). Here are five of the most common ways couples announce their engagement.

Phone Calls

Since we live hours away from our families, my fiance and I chose to make phone calls to our families the following morning after our engagement. Traditionally, the bride's parents are the first to be informed, followed by the groom's parents. We each decided to call our parents, and then inform the rest of our family members. If you have a large family, like we do, you may choose to send a group text message to the majority of them after talking to your parents and closest friends.

Newspaper Announcement

The bride's parents typically make the newspaper announcements, although everyone has a unique situation, such as divorced parents, that may factor into determining who makes the newspaper announcement--if anyone does at all. Today's modern couples may choose different ways to announce their engagement to the world.

Wedding Website

Personalized wedding websites are becoming increasingly popular. They are a great way to keep friends and family updated on your wedding details, from the ceremony location to your chosen wedding style. They can get directions to the site, registry details and so on, all in one place. There are various websites that offer a free page to engaged couples, such as theknot.com and weddingpaperdivas.com .

Formal Announcements

Although it is not nearly as common today, some couples still choose to mail out formal wedding announcements to family and friends. However, since news travels more quickly than the mail, and because digital media is much more common in today's world, it is not a necessary step. If you would still like to send out formal announcements while saving money (and saving the environment), consider sending out digital announcements via email.

Engagement Party

An engagement party, or even a holiday get-together, is another way to announce your engagement to a large group of people at once. Since guests will likely know about the engagement before the party, use the invitations as a formal announcement, and use the party as an excuse to visit with the people you love who can share in your excitement.

There are dozens of ways you can announce your engagement, from the traditional phone calls to more creative ways, such as an engagement photo album. The above tips are simply there to serve as a guide and possibly help spark ideas for more creative announcements.