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Engagement Etiquette
Engagement etiquette - you ask yourself, "What more do I really need to know?" "Surely all I need to do is flash my new ring and bubble over with excitement and happiness and wait for the big day?"
Sorry Sunshine, there is a lot more for you to be aware of; there's a lot of planning and organizing to be done before the big day. Although there are not many hard and fast rules of engagement etiquette to follow, there are some very important and practical rules of etiquette one should be aware of.
One of the main rules of engagement etiquette is the rule of being tactful, being especially tactful with family. It is so easy to offend through being ignorant of what is good engagement etiquette. There is so much to know now that you have two families to consider, both families wanting to help. It is good to be aware of the rules of wedding etiquette, that way all you do is let the right people do the right job. Maybe you have divorced parents and step parents to consider? Don't worry, there are rules of etiquette to follow with all aspects of weddings and engagements. Mostly couples plan a year-long engagement to make preparations for their wedding, although some of the most popular wedding specialists can be booked from 12 to 18 months in advance. Either way, if you decide to organize everything with family and friends or book a wedding planner it is wise to make an early start with planning and bookings. Let's get started .. First of all the two of you are so happy and want the world to know how you feel. You feel like shouting it from the rooftops! Not very safe ... you may fall off in all the excitement! (only kidding). Seriously though, not only is it important, but it is also good manners and etiquette to let your parents know first. Let's start right at the beginning ... first the romantic proposal and acceptance. Then ???.. Wedding Engagement Announcement
Besides the rooftop option, there are more practical ways of sharing your excitement and happiness. This important announcement can be a bit overwhelming, especially for a young couple who are not well versed in matters of wedding engagement etiquette. Who do we tell first? What do we do next? Not only is part of wedding and engagement etiquette to inform both sets of parents before anyone else, it is also just plain good manners, consideration and caring to show them that they are still an important part of your life. After sharing the good news with the parents, other immediate family members and close friends, there will be other family members, friends, and colleagues who you will want to inform. A formal announcement in the media is the most traditional vehicle for providing the information. The bride should contact the newspaper(s) she wants the announcement in to find their particular procedure and time. If the groom's parents reside some distance from the bride's parents, the bride's parents should provide all the information necessary to announce the engagement in the groom's hometown newspaper. It is not traditional etiquette for the groom's parents to make the engagement announcement. The wording of the announcement can be a little tricky if any of the parents are divorced, remarried or there's been a step parenting situation. Make sure you look at all aspects before placing the announcement. It is easy to upset people here, as it can be a very sensitive area and you don't want to start World War III in the family! Do some research first, read the engagement notices in a few newspapers and don't hesitate to ask the newspaper what they suggest.
The Engagement Ring itself has its own rules of etiquette which have been covered on another page (the link below will take you straight to it). Some couples like to throw an Engagement Party and of course there are rules of etiquette for this too (the link below will take you straight to it). Sadly, a Broken Engagement leaves parties bitter and disappointed. Our page "Broken Engagement" can help to minimise the fallout that could result (the link below will take you straight to it). You may also be interested in...
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Engagement Etiquette.
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