What You Should Know Before You Send Out Engagement Announcement Cards

One of the best parts about a proposal is all of the (fully reasonable) celebrating you get to do. You might start by sharing the exciting news on social media, but you can continue shouting it from the rooftops by sending engagement announcement cards. When we say "engagement announcement card," we're not talking about a short blurb in your hometown newspaper or wedding save-the-dates. An engagement announcement card is a mailer that announces that you and your love are engaged, nothing beyond the ring is required to send it. A physical engagement announcement message is a sweet way to showcase your relationship's personality and keep your favorite people in-the-know about your upcoming nuptials.

Need more info on exactly what this process entails? Below, we're outlining the basics of engagement announcements, such as details to include, when to send them, who to put on the mailing list and even a few stylish designs you can shop right now, including a few fully customizable picks from The Knot Invitations.

In this article:

• What are engagement announcement cards?
• Do you need to send engagement announcement cards?
• When should you mail engagement announcement cards?
• Who gets an engagement announcement card?
• Where can you buy engagement announcement cards?

What are engagement announcement cards?

When you get engaged, you'll probably have a contingency of VIPs you're likely to tell first: your parents, siblings, best friends, close relatives and potentially even some colleagues. Good news travels fast and often spreads via text, phone call or FaceTime, but a tangible "We did it—we got engaged!" card is something you can send out to make the "we're making things official" bulletin even more, well, official.

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You might be inclined to send a formal engagement announcement if you and your fiancé haven't finalized your wedding details, but can't wait any longer to tell everyone that you're getting married. The important difference between engagement announcement cards and save-the-date cards is that your engagement announcement doesn't usually include specific details of an event. The main purpose is to tell your loved ones about your exciting news (while maybe sharing an adorable photo or two), with the implication that more details are forthcoming. You may still be at the starting gate of your wedding planning process, but that doesn't mean you can't start building hype or, at the very least, show off your brand-new sparkler and celebrate this momentous next step. You're finally in your "engaged AF" era, so why not milk it.

As for what constitutes engagement cards, it definitely runs the gamut. You can opt for a simple digital design to share via email, roll the good news into an engagement party or celebrate-with-us-in-our-finest-hour dinner invitation, or choose from unique paper designs like magnets, postcards or photo cards.

Do you need to send engagement announcement cards?

The simple answer: no. These pieces of wedding stationery are totally optional. If your budget allows, there's a plethora of engagement announcement templates out there. Engaged couples who are embracing a longer engagement (or are really just taking time to soak up all of the postengagement pomp and circumstance, which we're ALL for, of course) may want to send engagement announcements out prior to save-the-dates to make the time before the wedding even more special. And to give those besties an even earlier heads up to keep their social calendar light with all of your wedding events on the horizon.

Your engagement announcement cards are also a great opportunity to share details about the proposal or your relationship as a whole. This is especially true for extended family members who may not already be familiar with the story about how you and your significant other (now future spouse!) met and began dating. Including proposal snaps, engagement session photos, personal anecdotes or a relationship timeline can help build momentum and excitement as you look forward to your wedding day.

Not to mention, these cards can also serve as beautiful souvenirs you and your partner will cherish forever. After all, save-the-dates may be classic for making that "first impression" of your wedding style, but an engagement announcement card says, "This is us: We're in love, we're tying the knot, so get ready," even sooner.

When should you mail engagement announcement cards?

While there isn't cut-and-dry timing for when announcements like these go out, much of the same etiquette for sending save-the-dates applies here. Following your actual proposal, you'll want to get your engagement announcement cards out as soon as possible (remembering not to rush, of course—enjoy your engagement afterglow first and foremost).

Added perk: If you decide to send out formal paper engagement cards, you can use this time to start collecting mailing addresses for your future wedding invitations and other prewedding events, like your bridal shower or wedding shower.

Who gets an engagement announcement card?

You should send engagement announcement cards to anyone you'd like to share this major life update with. It's another big differentiator between engagement announcements, save-the-dates and wedding invitations. With an engagement announcement, you can keep your mailing list long because you're not obligated to invite everyone to your wedding later on—sort of like a social media post that shows up in all of your friends' and followers' feeds, with no strings (or invitation obligations) attached. (That means you can satisfy your parents' friends who need to know "the haps" and hot goss without feeling pressure to include them in your special day.)

Where can you buy engagement announcement cards?

While engagement announcement cards aren't as mainstream as traditional save-the-date cards, you can still find them at a lot of the same places you'd shop for wedding stationery. You always have the option to commission a custom card by an independent stationer or design studio, especially if you can't find a specific "engagement announcement" you're crazy about. Just keep in mind that something one-of-a-kind can be much pricier. If you're dead set on an engagement announcement card that feels made-to-order at a reasonable price point, then you can find it at The Knot Invitations. Our exclusive stationery boutique offers customizable templates that can be tailored to your needs. Start with a save-the-date card, then add your names, the occasion and even a personalized message to make it extra special.

Another great option is Minted, where you'll find a wide selection of beautifully designed and indie artist-envisioned engagement announcement cards. Their website allows you to browse through various styles and customize the cards with your own personalized details, creating something truly unique.

If you're looking for an original or even handmade engagement announcement card, take a peek at Etsy. Here, you'll discover a wide range of digital downloads and printed cards you can personalize with all of your proposal details, your names (perhaps the first time you'll put your future shared last name in print?) and a hint about what's ahead—your big day!

At the end of the day, the most important thing is to choose a statement card that resonates with both of you and that captures the essence of your love story. Shop around, ask your engaged friends what they did and find something you'll be thrilled to "pitch" to your people. To get you started, we've rounded up some of our faves below.

1. Wedding of the Century Engagement Announcement Cards

Photo: The Knot

Engagement announcement etiquette is never something to ignore, especially when you're sharing your good news with friends and family who might also be engaged. But that's not to say you still can't be ecstatic about your big day to come. This petite save-the-date card is cute for an engagement announcement. How to make this postproposal appropriate? Just edit the vertical text to read "ICYMI: We got engaged!!" For continuity, it might even make sense to change the core text to "You won't want to miss this news."

2. Totally Engaged Engagement Announcement Cards

Photo: Minted

When you're oh-so-smitten with your soon-to-be spouse (and who isn't, right?), you live everything in extremes. That's why an option like this one, showcasing your names in trendy script above a capitalized "ARE TOTALLY ENGAGED," is perfectly on-point. The extra context that comes across in the "we wanted to share the happy news but we don't have a date yet" lets your favorite people know that you're incredibly excited and you want them to be, too. The three available colorways are modern and minimalist, but if you'd like to add some gold foil to any of your text (we always like how it makes names pop), you can absolutely do so—it'll just up the total expense.

3. Three-Photo Engagement Announcement Cards

Photo: Minted

Did you book a photo session (in a locale you two love) as soon as you got engaged? If so, you'll have a great place to show off your professional portraits. This horizontally oriented design is simple, but striking. Drop in three of your favorite snaps and pop in your first names. The text is limited—with your names and two important words: "we're engaged," followed by an obligatory exclamation mark—but it gets the job done! And you can divert ALL of the future wedding guests' questions about when and where with the italic reference to your wedding website. You can even grab it in postcard form to deliver sans envelope.

4. Subtle Rainbow Digital Engagement Announcement Cards

Photo: Greenvelope

You can save a lot of money by going paperless, while still impressing your besties with something stylish (in this case, slid straight out of an animated, stamp-topped envelope). The only words that matter are the "we're engaged" up top, but then you can slot in a photo of you and your partner, your names, the date the question was popped and where it happened. That rainbow light streak adds a little extra magic, too, not that you need it.

5. Holiday Engagement Announcement

Photo: EverydayAurora

When you get engaged ahead of the holiday season, you have a valid excuse to [peppermint] stick some proposal news into your cheerful tidings. This adorable digital download can be customized with several photos of you and your turtle dove (sorry, we had to), topped with a non-denominational message that reads: "Life just got a whole lot merrier." You can personalize the back of the card with wording that sends well-wishes for the festive season. Just purchase, edit, download and send the file to a print shop—just don't forget to shop for size-matched envelopes (and some snowflake or tinsel-looking stamps), too.

6. Full Photo and Script Engagement Announcement Cards

Photo: The Knot

Once you're engaged, you'll end every conversation you have about your wedding—from now until you say "I do"—with "we can't wait!" So why not capitalize on that in your engagement announcement card? This save-the-date design has the enthusiastic expression scrawled in script across a full-bleed photo of you and your S.O. We would just update the back of the card with a "we got engaged on" or "we became fiancés" caveat before the date (which would typically be a wedding date). All of the important text fields can be customized, so feel free to make it yours.

7. Earth-Toned Four-Photo Engagement Announcement Cards

Photo: Minted

We love the warm and modern feel of these engagement announcement cards. The front features a four-panel grid that'll be glowing with some sweet shots of you two together, while a simple "we're engaged!" gets the message across in the upper left corner. The colorways for the text are just *chef's kiss* as well, featuring warm and spicy tones like Terracotta and Latte.