Congrats! You're engaged! Now you can tell the world — or at least the people you want to share your news with. It's time to write an engagement announcement, adding it to the list of all the other dreamy wedding details to think about. These samples of engagement announcements are meant to inspire so you can find the right wording to spread the exciting news.
Newspaper Engagement Announcement Wording
A newspaper announcement gives a hint of a vintage, old-school style of sharing your news with anyone in your orbit. This style of announcement is often formal with a dash of prestige, and it may include the following information:
- Your full names
- Education and/or career details
- Names of parents and/or those in the wedding party
- Wedding date and location
- A photo
Try some of our newspaper engagement announcement samples to help you get the words just right.
Related: 50 Engagement Photo Captions to Share Your Love on Instagram
Engagement Announcement Cards Wording
Snail mail is still a beloved way to get some good news. There are many ways you can announce your engagement with a sweet card through the post.
Formal Announcement From One Set of Parents
Sometimes, the parents of one of the engaged plan to help foot the bill for the wedding. This is when a formal announcement could work. For example:
Mr. and Mrs. Smith are thrilled to announce the engagement of their daughter, Kelsey Smith, to Micah Brown, son of Mr. and Mrs. Brown. A June wedding is planned at the Hall of Love in Our Town, Anystate.
Formal Announcement From Both Sets of Parents
Maybe the parents of the couple are helping out together. This sample omits titles, but adds both sets of parents:
Nancy and Alex Smith, with Jesse and Stevie Young Brown, are excited to announce the engagement of Kelsey Smith and Micah Brown. A June wedding is planned at the Hall of Love in Our Town, Anystate.
Semi-Formal Announcement From the Couple
We're all adults here. There's no need to have your parents make the announcement. You're old enough to get engaged, so you're definitely of an age to share the news. Try this wording example on for size.
Katherine Joy Argyle and Sarah Jane Green are happy to announce their engagement. A September wedding is planned.
Informal Announcement From the Couple
There's no need to be all formal and stuffy if you don't want to. Put your personality and voice into your announcement, like this example:
We're getting married! Get ready to celebrate our love with us this October! xoxo Noa and Chris
If you're feeling really wild, you can handwrite notes to your people and send out the announcement that way. Major points for personalization.
Engagement Announcement Tips
If you're true to who the two of you are as a couple, chances are you'll know exactly how to word your announcement. But to help you out, we've got tips and ideas.
- Decide if everyone who's getting an announcement is also getting an invite to the wedding. Choose words carefully so you can avoid hard feelings later on.
- Avoid mentioning engagement gifts or registries in the announcement stage. Prezzies come later!
- Keep the focus on your love and the excitement you are sharing because you got engaged.
Wording for Special Circumstances
The meaning of family is personal, but some couples also face special circumstances. Here are some examples of how to tackle these situations.
Divorced Parents
If either of your parents are divorced but they still want to announce the engagement, the announcement should mention both of their full names, even if their names are the same. For example:
Mr. James Thornman and Ms. Rebecca Thornman are pleased to announce ….
If your divorced parents have remarried, you can choose to add step-parents to the announcement if it feels right. The wording may then include all the parents, such as:
Rober and James Canell and Leslie and Louis Snyder are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter, Lisa Jillian Canell ….
A Deceased Parent
If you'd like to honor a parent who has died with your engagement announcement, you can try something like this:
With honor to the late Mr. Paul Redding, Mrs. Jaci Redding is pleased to announce ….
Sharing Your Engagement on Social Media
If you're into sharing your exciting new status on your socials, prepare for the "Happy Birthday!" level of comments with an added dose of questions on your post. Go with the cute pic of your hand with a ring on it or a sweet image of the two of you together. The post caption can be simple or highly detailed.
- I said YES!
- We're getting married!
- Cute snap of me and my future husband! OMG YES!
- So this happened ... we're engaged!
- We put a ring on it!
- These two are officially off the market! Wedding details coming soon!
If there are folks you aren't keen on knowing about your engagement, consider hiding the social media post from them. No need for drama.
Announcement Alternatives
We don't blame you if you're not into spending money on paper invites and the cost of mailing. Weddings cost a lot and pinching pennies is a great idea. Instead you can:
- Design a simple announcement and then email your people with an exciting subject line like: We've got news! Then, in the body of the email, tell the quick story of how you got engaged. She proposed on our favorite hike — we're getting married in May!
- Send a short note in an email like: We're engaged, and we are so excited to celebrate with you! and then in the email include your wedding website.
- Send a text. Yes. It can be that easy, and it can be by text. Include a cute pic of the two of you reveling in your happiness with words like: Sharing our exciting news with you! We're getting hitched! Wedding date TBD!
- Do it in person. Maybe a holiday gathering is coming up, and you can seize the moment to share your engagement with a lot of folks face-to-face. Gather everyone together and say: We have happy news — Bryan proposed, and I said YES! We're planning a wedding!
- Schedule a giant video chat. Daunting? Maybe, but it might be nice to see your closest people's faces when you spill your news. Say something cheeky like: Dearly Beloved: We are gathered here on this video chat to celebrate LOVE! Casey and I are getting married!
Be mindful of important milestones or difficulties of others in your circle and try not to take the focus away from them with your news. Still share, but with a little extra thought.
Celebrate With Everyone
Your engagement announcement should be reflective of the two of you as a couple — so anything goes. Whether you love tradition or prefer quirky and unique, your announcement will likely be well-received because the love shines through. Take the time to relish in this joy — and celebrate with your loved ones.
