How to Tell Your Friends and Family You’re Engaged

Getting engaged is an exciting event — one that, especially with the influence of social media, can mean you’re jumping through hoops to share the news without hurting anyone’s feelings. Here are a few things to remember when announcing your engagement.

Keep it private

Once you’ve made it official, make sure to consult with your new fiancé about how long you want to keep the news to yourselves. It’s important to take at least a few hours to celebrate this next step in your relationship without feeling stressed out or having to take in the opinions of everyone else in your life. Some couples may even prefer to keep the news quiet for a lot longer — and that’s okay. Remember, it’s your engagement we’re talking about here, not anyone else’s.

Tell those closest to you first

If you’re close to your parents, letting them know about your engagement in person or through a video or phone call should be your first priority. If your relationship with your family is strained, you may choose to let your friends in on the secret before anyone else. In any case, we highly recommend spilling the news to your besties before making it public.

Talk it through beforehand

Are you afraid some of you or your partner’s friends won’t take the news so well? Is your engagement coming right on the heels (or right before) another big event in a relative or friend’s life? Discuss any potential drama with your fiancé before you share the news, so you can make sure to diffuse any potentially awkward situations before they kill your buzz.

Find the right time to post

Once you’re ready to take your announcement public, set aside some time to decide how and when you want to share this exciting update with the world. Posting a pic with your proposal story can save you from having to retell it over and over again, but simply sharing your happy faces with a quick one-liner can do the trick just as well. Make sure you’re posting at a time when being flooded with questions, congratulations, and compliments on your new ring won’t be too much for you — that way, you can take it all in without feeling overwhelmed.

Don’t forget to live in the moment

After sharing your engagement with the world, it may be a good idea to stay off social media for a few days and just enjoy this exciting time. You’ll most likely have some unsolicited wedding advice, opinions on your proposal and ring, and even comments about your relationship once your engagement is made public. While of course much of this will be heartfelt, you may not be ready to jump into wedding planning right away or feel like answering questions when you’re still flooded with feels.