Family & Relationships Weddings

Wedding Etiquette for Engagement Announcements

    First People

    • The first thing you should consider when you get engaged is who you tell first. Forgetting to tell someone close to you could result in that person taking offense, so tell all of your immediate family and best friends. Your first stop should be both sets of parents, the A to Z of Manners and Etiquette website suggests. Then tell siblings, aunts, uncles and others. Tell your best friends before they hear the news second-hand.

    Media Announcement

    • You can tell close friends and family your news personally, but for everyone else, you'll need to make a formal announcement or else spread the news another way, the Elegantwoman.org website suggests. Traditionally, a formal announcement will be printed in the local newspaper, with the bride's parents or the bride making the arrangements for a small advertisement to appear in the relevant section of the paper. Note that even if the groom's parents live elsewhere and two newspaper ads are needed, it's the bride's family who handles both announcements, the A to Z of Manners and Etiquette website states.

    Describing Bride's Parents

    • Any formal announcement of an engagement should be sent from the bride's parents, who're hosting the wedding and add their names on the wedding invitations, too. This, however, isn't always possible. If the bride's parents are divorced, the bride's mother is mentioned first, with the name of her new husband if she has remarried, while the bride's father is then mentioned later on, the Knot wedding website spells out. If one of the bride's parents is deceased, that parent should still be mentioned, as in "the late John Smith" on the announcement.

    Tips on Mass Messages

    • If you're not opting for a formal announcement in the newspaper or in letter form, you'll need to distribute the information about your engagement in another format. Couples can do this using social media websites or email or they can send notes to friends and extended family. Whatever the format, these messages should be quite concise and not overbearing. A long story about the circumstances of the engagement may irritate or even cause jealously in some people. You can personalize the message by including a tasteful photograph.

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