Should You Announce Your Engagement Right Away?

It can be nice to keep the news between the two of you.

Find out when to announce the happy news to your closest friends and family, as well as your social-media acquaintances.

By Emily Lasnier

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Photo: Jay Lawrence Goldman Photography

At this point, most people know that they should inform their nearest and dearest about their engagement before announcing it on social media. But what if a couple decides to never post about the proposal? It’s certainly not required, and some people have started to feel social media fatigue as it seems to take over our lives and interactions. Hoping to maintain some level of privacy, celebrities often keep engagement news private for a while, which is why rumors often start when a star is spotted with a ring on her left hand. In fact, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle waited about a month before sharing their happy news with the world. Public interest in the pair means many aspects of their wedding and engagement will likely become popular trends; so don’t be surprised if suddenly people stop rushing to change their relationship status on Facebook after a proposal. 

can you wait to announce your engagement?

Photo by Amy Anaiz Photography

Unless you are estranged from your family, it’s usually best to tell parents and siblings, even if you otherwise don’t want to announce the news. Keep in mind that if your beloved asked for the blessing of your parents, they are likely expecting to hear about the engagement any day now. If you want to stay in the post-proposal bubble for a while, it’s totally fine to keep things quiet for a few days. Just be cautious about going out in public with your ring on – you’d hate for your mom to hear about your engagement through the grapevine. 

If you are telling your nearest and dearest, but otherwise want to keep the news quiet, don’t forget to clearly communicate that gossiping about your engagement is off limits. However, if you’re choosing to simply not make a big production out of the announcement, some family members will enjoy getting to share the news with people. 

Should you have a plan to announce your engagement publically and you just wanted to wait a while, consider throwing a surprise engagement party! It’s still a good idea to tell immediate family and even best friends first, as they may be hurt to learn the news the same time as others not as close to you. Or, if you don’t want to have a big celebration, you can simply have those closest to you over and then share the excitement all at once!

For more tips, learn the pros and cons of proposing during engagement season and discover the dos and don'ts of proposing.

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