Announcing an engagement is a momentous step in a couple's life. The news will travel fast, so it is essential to tell everyone at the right time.

Family should be prioritised, and the parents of both bride and groom should always be the very first to hear of an engagement.

The groom may already have sought permission from the bride's father before he proposed, so it may not come as such a surprise.

Telephone calls to the rest of the family and close friends will follow; a round-robin email or text announcing the news is fine for everyone else. Following that, the grapevine can be relied upon to spread the word.

Some families choose to place a formal announcement in the newspaper.

The traditional practice of sending engagement announcement cards is less common nowadays.

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