13 Creative Engagement Announcement Ideas to Share Your Happy News

OMG—you're engaged! This major relationship milestone has likely brought on a whirlwind of emotions, but first and foremost, it's time to share your happy news. You're probably so excited that you could shout it from the literal rooftops, but if a strategic approach is more your vibe, these engagement announcement ideas are just as good. We're sharing the scoop on how to announce an engagement, including our favorite creative ideas, plus who to tell, when to share and what—or what not—to say.

In this article:

• How to Announce Your Engagement
• 13 Creative Engagement Announcement Ideas

How to Announce Your Engagement

Before you post that ring selfie, keep these engagement announcement tips and etiquette in mind.

Savor the moment with your partner.

Your engagement is one of the defining moments in your relationship, so try to soak in every second with your partner. It's exciting to immediately call your BFFs and family right after the proposal, but it's also okay to pause and keep this special moment between the two of you. Take a few hours—or even a few days—to bask in your just-engaged bliss. Once you tell your loved ones, they'll be thrilled to shower you with well-wishes. When you look back, you'll be glad that you intentionally set aside some time with your partner.

Tell your loved ones first.

Before you share the happy news with the whole world (read: social media), there are a few people you should personally loop in. Start with your immediate family, like your parents and siblings. If you can't see them in person, give them a call or surprise them with a video—they'll love hearing your voice or seeing the reactions on your face. From there, you can share the news with your closest friends and extended family members (like aunts, uncles and cousins). Can't decide who else needs a heads-up? Think of it this way: if you would want to be personally told about their engagement, you should consider telling them about yours.

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Decide how—and if—you want to announce your exciting news.

Announcing your engagement on social media seems like common practice these days, but the truth is that you don't actually have to post about it if you don't want to. It all depends on what you and your partner feel comfortable sharing and how much you want to reveal about your personal lives.

If you both agree that you want to share your news on social media, it's best to wait until you've personally told your family and friends, including anyone who's a frontrunner for your wedding party. Once you've done that, a simple Instagram post with an engagement caption is an easy way to spread the news. Show off a photo from your proposal, snap a ring selfie or share a snapshot of you clinking champagne glasses with your partner.

Avoid oversharing too many details.

It's easy to be in the sharing mood once you tell your followers about your engagement, but remember to be selective about the details that you post. After your initial engagement announcement, try to avoid giving too much away about your actual wedding, especially if you're only inviting a select group of people. Save the specifics for your wedding website and invitations to avoid upsetting anyone who isn't on the guest list.

Consider an engagement moon.

Before you go all-in on wedding planning, take some time to regroup and relax with your partner. Whether you jet off to a tropical location or plan a low-key staycation in your hometown, more couples are jumping on the engagement moon trend (it's like a honeymoon before your wedding) to enjoy quality time together before embarking on the wedding planning process. You'll only be engaged for a limited amount of time, so savor this phase of your relationship by treating yourselves to a well-deserved vacation.

13 Creative Engagement Announcement Ideas

Ready to share your happy news with loved ones or post the big moment on social media? Kick off your engaged era with one of these engagement announcement ideas.

1. Official Engagement Announcements

Go old-school by sending formal engagement announcements to your friends and family. Keep in mind that an engagement announcement isn't the same as a wedding save-the-date, but it can double as an engagement party invitation if you're planning to celebrate. Just be sure not to mail any announcements to people who you wouldn't ultimately want to invite to your wedding. Work with a pro invitation designer or head to a local stationery store to have engagement announcement cards customized and printed. (Psst: This is also a great way to screen potential vendors for your wedding invites).

Another way to formally announce your engagement: Submit a write-up to your hometown newspaper or other local publication. You might have to pay a small fee, but you can frame your engagement announcement in the newspaper as a special keepsake.

2. New Personal Stationery

If you love sending handwritten notes and memos via snail mail, refresh your stationery to go along with your newly engaged status. Create a new monogram that incorporates your partner's initials or update your return address stamp to include both of your names. Or if you're planning to change your last name after getting married, you can add a cheeky header phrase, such as, "From the desk of Future Mr./Mrs. …" to your stationery. Snap a photo of your new paper goods and share them online as a cute engagement announcement.

3. Holiday Ornament

This cute engagement announcement idea is perfect for the holiday season. Depending on how much time you're working with, you can order a custom ornament with your names and the date of your engagement. Otherwise, try your hand at making your own using a classic round bulb and metallic marker. Once you're newlyweds, you can add a just married ornament to your collection.

4. Pop a Bottle of Bubbly

There are few things more celebratory than opening a bottle of sparkling wine and toasting to the special occasion. Splurge on a nice bottle of bubbly and grab your camera to capture the moment. Whether you go all out with a champagne spray photo shoot or you keep it simple with glass champagne flutes and a cute selfie with your partner, everyone will know right away that you're announcing some major news.

5. Custom T-Shirts

Can't resist snagging a commemorative T-shirt every time you go to a concert or travel somewhere new? Then you'll love this creative engagement announcement idea, because it's a chance to design your very own merch. Order matching T-shirts or sweatshirts for you and your partner to wear for an engagement photo shoot. The exact wording is up to you—include your names, your engagement date or a telltale phrase, like 'just engaged' to clue everyone in on your latest milestone.

6. Engagement Ring Close-Up

It's hard to go wrong with the classic engagement ring selfie. The great thing about this engagement announcement idea is that there are so many ways to do it, and it can be as simple or as complex as you want. For the most low-key approach, find an interesting wall or scenic view to act as your backdrop (and put all eyes front-and-center on your ring). If you're feeling a little more creative, have your partner stand in the background with your ring focused in the foreground, or take close-up of the two of you holding hands.

7. Pet Photo Shoot

Celebrate this exciting moment with a photo shoot featuring your partner and your pet(s). Embrace your at-home routine and take pictures around your house, or head to a favorite spot, like a neighborhood park, farmer's market or beer garden. Incorporate a wedding-themed prop or two for your furbaby, like a new collar, dog outfit or sign to announce that their paw-rents are getting married.

8. Carved Pumpkins

If you love spooky season, getting engaged during your favorite time of year is even better than the barista adding extra whipped cream to your PSL. What better way to announce your engagement than with a couple of carved pumpkins? Use stencils to carve an engagement ring, your initials, a heart or the date of your proposal. Or if you don't want to get messy, use paint, markers or push pins to decorate the pumpkins instead. Arrange the pumpkins on your front porch or use them in a fall-themed engagement shoot (flannel shirts and colorful leaves included, of course).

9. Now and Then

Lean into your hopeless romantic side by creating a post or video with flashbacks from when you and your partner first met. Include all of your favorite memories and photos from your relationship leading up to the proposal to show just how far the two of you have come. Depending on how long you've been together, the memories could span years or even decades. If you're feeling extra-nostalgic, start with childhood photos and a caption along the lines of, 'Little me never would have guessed I'd be marrying [partner's name] someday' to pull at everyone's heartstrings.

10. Proposal Snapshot

Did your partner enlist friends or a photographer to capture the proposal on camera? If you've got footage of the big moment happening in real time, use it to announce your engagement. Everyone will love seeing your unfiltered emotions and watching how the proposal unfolded.

11. Wedding Planning Supplies

If you've already started wedding planning (we can't blame you—it's exciting!), take a snapshot of your supplies and share it on social media. Include items like your wedding planning book, an engagement ring cleaning kit and a copy of The Knot Magazine to give everyone a not-so-subtle clue about what you're up to.

12. Pool Floats

For a summer engagement announcement, grab your swimsuits and head to the nearest pool. Bring a wedding-themed pool float or two and stage a photo with your partner—look for a float that's shaped like an engagement ring, a heart or a bottle of champagne. Whether you wear matching swimsuits is up to you, but we vote yes.

13. Sidewalk Chalk

This idea is a fun way to announce your engagement if you and your partner have kids together. Ask them to draw something wedding-related using sidewalk chalk, then gather your whole crew and pose for a photo with their newly created art.