How to announce your engagement
- Rachel Jones
- Jun 6
- 3 min read
First, congratulations!! š
So you're probably at the same point I am - you've admired your ring over a hundred times, and are thrilled with how sparkly it is. But now, you're suddenly being asked:
When is the wedding?
Have you booked a venue?
Who are your bridesmaids going to be? (Looking at you, Jono! š)
Getting engaged is one of the most exciting times of your life, but it can also be overwhelming surprisingly quickly!
I've discovered that the moment you say "yes", the wedding questions begin almost immediately.
So before we disappear into spreadsheets, venue brochures and guest lists, here are a few things I've learnt about announcing my engagement - and actually enjoying this season of my life!
Announce your engagement by telling the people closest to you first
Before the social media post, before the Instagram stories and before the carefully curated engagement photos... Take a moment to tell the people who matter most personally.
Parents
Grandparents
Siblings
Best Friends
I was lucky enough that Jono planned for most of my family (and friends) to already know he was going to propose, and they were impatiently waiting for the good news. But those reactions are often some of the most emotional and memorable of the entire engagement.
And trust me - it's much nicer hearing the news directly from the happy couple than discovering it via Facebook three hours later.
You don't have to announce it immediately
Social media can make it feel like engagements need to be posted within minutes. They don't.
Some couples post instantly, some wait days, some wait weeks, some keep it private entirely. There is no right way to do it.
Enjoy having your little secret for a while if you want to. Being engaged doesn't become "official" only once it's online.
Don't let wedding planning take over straight away
This is the biggest one I'm learning myself. The second people hear we're engaged, the practical questions begin. But honestly? You don't need to decide your wedding date tomorrow, you don't need a venue within 48 hours, and you definitely don't need a completed guest list before you've even finished celebrating.
Allow yourself the time to simply enjoy being fiancƩs. Go on celebratory date nights. Take photos together. Talk about your future. Celebrate with family and friends.
The planning can wait a little while.
Expect everyone to have opinions
One thing that nobody warns you about is how quickly other people's opinions are shared. Suddenly, everyone has venue suggestions, guest list advice, wedding horror stories, strong feelings about chair covers or recommendations for a cousin's friend's sister who makes cakes.
Most of it comes from excitement and love, but remember, this is your wedding. You don't have to make decisions based on pleasing everyone else.
You don't need to know everything yet
One of the strangest parts about getting engaged is that people immediately expect you to have answers to questions you've never even considered before.
"What season are you thinking?" "What's your colour scheme?" "Will it be abroad?" "How many guests?" "How many bridesmaids are you having?"
Hold on, Karen, I'm not used to calling him my fiancƩ instead of boyfriend yet!
It's completely normal not to know yet.
Enjoy being engaged.
This chapter is so much more than a countdown to the big day. It's the beginning of a new stage of your relationship. So celebrate it. Slow down enough to enjoy it.
If you're feeling overwhelmed already, please know you're not alone - even those of us who work in the wedding industry are figuring it out as we go!
To truly help us enjoy being engaged, we've planned an Engagement Party. We feel this will help us celebrate with our nearest and dearest, whilst taking lots of pictures, enjoying the memories, looking back on where we started to where we are now, and most importantly for me, slowing down those "when's the big day?" questions.
Until next time,
Rachel
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