Engagement Notices

When it comes time to share engagement news, couples generally send out engagement notices or announcements. Careful thought in the selection of the announcement format, wording and the mailing list to avoid any social faux pas or misunderstandings.

Announce your engagement with a poem.

Announcing an engagement is one of the first wedding planning activities. The notice may follow a verbal engagement announcement to family and friends. Yet for some people on the mailing list, the notice will be the first news of an engagement. Since the engagement notice is an important wedding planning step, it should be carefully planned so that the notice reflects special sentiment behind it.

Who should a newly engaged couple inform first? In general, engagement announcement etiquette requires a couple to inform people in the following order:

• Both sets of parents
• Siblings of the couple
• Both sets of grandparents
• Close relatives
• Close friends
• Extended family
• Other friends and acquaintances

Today couples are not required to follow strict wedding planning etiquette and have more freedom to choose how to deal with engagement and wedding arrangements. However, etiquette still provides a good guideline for organizing wedding plans so that important details are not overlooked. Following wedding and engagement etiquette can also ensure that the couple does not accidentally offend a relative or friend who takes etiquette more seriously.

Engagement notices are usually sent out within the first three months of the engagement and may be sent out in conjunction with an engagement party invitation. Couples who choose an extended engagement that involves a wedding that will take place years later may prefer not have a formal engagement announcement until closer to the wedding date.

Engagement notices allow a couple to officially announcement an intention to marry and share wedding details. Couples can choose from several different notice formats - announcement cards, newspaper notices and email notices.

Engagement announcement cards are a formal way of providing engagement information. This type of notice is usually printed on a card stock paper and professionally printed. Some couples choose to select a card stock paper, design an announcement and print their own cards at home.

Couples often publish a newspaper engagement notice in addition to other types of announcements. The newspaper announcement reaches a wider audience and can inform people who are not on the engagement announcement card mailing list, such as acquaintances and business associates, about an engagement.

Many newspapers provide a form for couples to fill out and a reporter writes the actual newspaper notice. A number of newspapers also allow couples to write and submit their own engagement announcement if it fits their guidelines.

Email engagement notices are a convenient way to announce an engagement, especially if the couple regularly talks to most friends and family online. There are now more options to personalize an email notice. Many websites have ecards that have pretty designs, graphic options and templates or accompanying video streams. Couples can also record a video announcing the engagement and email it to friends and family.

Couples should pick an engagement notice format that fits their personalities and the tone of their wedding. It is also possible to send out more than one type of engagement announcement. For example, a couple might send out a formal engagement announcement card to close family and friends, publish a newspaper engagement notice and email an announcement to other friends.

When selecting notice formats, consider the following:

• The notice should fit the formalness or casual tone of the wedding
• Couples should also consider who is on notice mailing list when deciding between formal announcement cards or more casual notice formats such as email. There are probably some people on the mailing list who do not regularly use email or would be offended by an email announcement.
• The format also depends on how public the couple wants the engagement announcement to be. Newspaper engagement announcements reach the largest audience. Formal cards can be sent to a small group of people and maintain privacy.

Engagement notices are an important part of the wedding planning because it is the first public declaration of a couple's intent to marry. The notice is one of the special wedding memories that has a special place in a wedding scrapbook. Couples will treasure their engagement announcement for years to come.

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