Samples of Engagement Announcements

Announcement Uses

Engagement announcements serve more purposes than simply letting a community know about a couple’s betrothal. An announcement may be an impromptu save-the-date card, and it hints at the formality and theme of the upcoming wedding. Properly phrased, an engagement announcement can also let family and friends know who will be hosting the wedding. To perform these tasks adequately, however, a couple should examine samples of engagement announcements to see what format, wording, and presentation they like most.

Samples of Newspaper Engagement Announcements

Couples have very little control over the format of newspaper engagement announcements. Many newspapers provide a simple form for couples to complete, which may include the following information:

• Couple’s full names
• High school or college affiliations or careers
• Parent, bridal party or officiant names
• Wedding date or location

Longer, personalized newspaper announcements can be requested, but they typically cost more than standard formats. Announcements including engagement pictures also cost more.

While a couple may not be able to change much in a newspaper announcement, studying newspaper celebration listings can help them determine what types of engagement announcements they may be interested in.

Independent Samples of Engagement Announcements

If a couple plans to mail printed engagement announcements, they can choose from different formats. In general, the announcement wording can be altered to meet the couple’s preferences, but it should still reflect basic ideas about the wedding’s formality, giving guests a hint of the celebration to come.

Formal

Basic formal announcement wording is as follows:

The degree of detail can vary – a couple may, for example, publish the exact wedding date or location, or they may not have made those decisions yet. An alternative sample of an engagement announcement, offering the news from both the bride- and groom-to-be’s parents, could read:

Informal

A less formal engagement announcement may come from the couple themselves and could read:

Generally, informal announcements include less information, and may even be worded in a more friendly fashion:

The most informal announcements may even be simple, handwritten notes; there are very few guidelines for informal announcements. A few words of warning, however:

• Announcements should be carefully worded so they are not mistaken for invitations, especially if everyone receiving an engagement announcement may not make the guest list.
• No mention of engagement gifts or registries should be made in an announcement.
• Announcements should not brag about diamond carats or the engagement ring cost.

Special Circumstances

Today’s families are very diverse, and many couples face special circumstances when wording engagement announcements. Dealing with some of these circumstances may take considerable tact, and these samples of engagement announcements offer advice about how to tackle the most common issues.

• If the parents are divorced, the announcement should mention both of their full names, even their names are the same.
  • Mr. James Thornman and Ms. Rebecca Thornman are pleased to announce…

• A deceased parent can be mentioned if doing so is important to the couple.
  • Mrs. Jacob Redding and the late Mr. Paul Redding are pleased to announce…

• If divorced parents have remarried, stepparents can be mentioned if the couple so desires.
  • Mr. and Mrs. Robert Canell and Mr. and Mrs. Carl Snyder are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter, Lisa Jillain Canell…

Most important of all, an engagement announcement should not be used to begin a power struggle over who will control the wedding. If there are harsh tensions among involved individuals, it may be best for the couple to issue the engagement announcement themselves or to consider an alternative to a formal printed announcement.

Announcement Alternatives

Email your announcements.

If a couple isn’t interested in printing and distributing engagement announcements, they do have several other options. Email engagement annoucements and wedding websites are popular choices, where the announcement can actually include a story of the marriage proposal, short biographies of the couple, and other relevant wedding information. A couple could also host a surprise engagement party to announce their new relationship (this is the only circumstance where it is acceptable etiquette for the couple to throw their own engagement party). A couple could even spontaneously elope and combine a wedding announcement and engagement announcement together, but this alternative should be carefully considered first.

Samples of engagement announcements can help a couple think about their wedding’s formality, hosts, and theme, without the binding nature of wedding invitations. By seeing announcement samples and carefully considering which announcement to use, the couple can begin to establish the type of celebration they are interested in and spread the word to family and friends at the same time.