13 Unique Ways to Announce Your Engagement

When you get to a certain stage in life and you decide to have a casual browse through Facebook, one particular thing will keep happening, again and again. You’ll see a photo of a hand, with a sparkling ring on it, and a paragraph about how happy and in love your friend is and how they can’t wait to marry their one true love.  Getting engaged is an important milestone in your life, so why not make the announcement special? You’ve probably scrolled past plenty of the above engagement posts without giving it much thought, because it’s just like every other one you’ve seen. If you’re looking for a more creative way to announce what’s probably the most exciting thing to ever happen to you, check out these ideas for a start..

1. Old Love Notes

If one of you is the romantic type and has written the other some heart-felt love letters over the course of your relationship, using them makes for a super sweet engagement announcement – especially if the letters date from when you were teenagers or younger! It shows that your love for one another has grown and been built on over time, and that your story has come full circle (or is finally beginning, depending on which way you look at it).

2. Champagne Shot

When you get engaged, you should expect to drink a lot of champagne. People offering you a glass of bubbly will be almost as common as people asking to see the ring! Instead of the run-of-the-mill engagement photo of the two holding hands (with the ring front and centre, of course) get someone to take a snap as you pop open one of those many bottles together. It’s the perfect snapshot in time of your happiness that you’ll treasure for years.

3. Incorporate Pets or Kids

Some may think this a little corny, but if done well it can be adorable. If you have children or pets together, use them kids/pets as a prominent feature. If you want to go 100% cheesy, incorporate a sign that says ‘they’re finally getting married’ or something similar. If that’s not your kind of thing, a simple family photo is classy. Capture the moment you tell your kids you’re getting married, or use a photo of the pet looking happy and explain why they feel that way.

4. First Date Throwback

Do you have a photo or memento of your first date or the first time you met? Now is the time to share it with the world… the more embarrassing it is, the better! Tell the story of how you met and how you came to be where you are today. Try not to get too lovey dovey if you can – although if you want to nobody will stop you… it’s your engagement after all! Also try to keep it short – on social media in particular, people scroll past long blocks of text.

5. Photo Collage

If you really want to show off your ring with a traditional engagement-style photo, consider a collage or a short album of photos with the ring as the final one in the story. You can include your favourite photos of the two of you together or any photos taken at landmark occasions in your relationship, then finish it off with a surprise engagement photo and a close up of the ring. Keep the description a little cryptic so people are enticed to get to the end of the album.

6. Spell it out

Use the ring to spell out the message that you’re engaged – literally! It forms the perfect ‘o’ shape, doesn’t it? Use letters can be Scrabbles tiles, write words on the sand or on the pavement in chalk etc., and replace the ‘o’ with your ring. Try ‘forever yes’, ‘about time’, or ‘I do’ as examples, or use it in the question ‘will you marry me?’ It’s a great way to get creative and let’s face it, it’s fun.

7. Make A Video

If you have some audio-visual or technical know-how, why not put your skills to good use and make an announcement video? You could capture the actual proposal on video, or you could send a recorded message to everyone after the fact. There are plenty of fun versions of this on YouTube, from ‘engagement acceptance speeches’ (a la celebrity award ceremonies) to couples telling the story of their relationships while drunk!

8. Quiz

This is a really fun idea that keeps the element of surprise for friends and family. There are plenty of easy to use quiz-making tools online that you can direct people to. Those who know you both well will probably catch on pretty quick, but others will get a real kick out of it. Start off with some random general knowledge questions, then ask some questions about the bride and groom separately, then ask something like ‘why is ‘x date’ important?’

9. Website

A lot of couples set up wedding websites for their big day to create a single digital space for invitation RSVPs, photos of the day, directions to the venue and so on. Why not get a head start and make an engagement website which can later transform into a wedding website? You can also incorporate the video announcement and quiz above to make it fun for your friends and family (just be prepared for lots of surprised phone calls)

If you’re more traditional or don’t like to publish every aspect of your life on social media, there are plenty of ‘old school’ options you can choose that are classy, sophisticated and get the job done.

10. Newspaper Notice

Most weekly editions of newspapers still have sections for births, marriages and death announcements, and it makes for a great surprise announcement since, sadly, most people don’t read those sections anymore! If you choose this route, you may have to warn people to buy the paper and look out for your name somewhere. It’s a favourite announcement method for celebrities such as Benedict Cumberbatch and Olympian Tom Daley.

11. Send a card

If you’re sending out save the dates or wedding invitations, why not send your engagement announcement in the post too? You can begin a wedding theme that will run through the entire event, and it provides your loved ones (and you too!) with a beautiful keepsake of your happy moment. You could incorporate any or all of the photo ideas above into this one, and there are plenty of templates and printing services to be found online.  

12. Surprise Announcement

If you have a special event coming up where a lot of your family or friends will be gathered in one place, use the occasion to make your announcement then. It could be a family reunion, a Christmas gathering, or a garden party. Just make sure you don’t take over someone else’s event such as a big birthday, or another wedding! Put yourself in the other person’s shoes to gauge if it would be appropriate or not.

13. In Person

Sometimes a one-to-one approach is the most personal and heartfelt way to announce your engagement! The only problem is good news travels fast, and this is especially true if you have a close knit family or group of friends. If you can trust a small number of your closest friends and your immediate family members to keep it a secret, go ahead and tell them and enjoy the moment! You can always have an ‘official’ announcement for everyone else later.

Whatever way you choose to announce your engagement, remember there’s no right and wrong way. Whatever feels right to you is what you should do. Oh, and CONGRATULATIONS!