UPDATED FOR 2024/2025
Here at Ananya Cards we absolutely love to hear our couple’s engagement stories, especially those planning luxury weddings in Dubai and the UK, and to listen to the wedding and stationery ideas being brainstormed while at home with loved ones over the holidays!
If you’ve recently become engaged yourselves – congratulations! Enjoy it, as it’s an unforgettable chapter of your stories together. Savour it and be present in this moment: the world can wait an hour, a day, or even a week – don’t feel like you need to tell everyone right away, unless you want to!
Once you’ve decided you’re ready to announce your engagement to your friends and family, we’re here to give you advice on how to spread the love.
Floral Palm engagement cards by Ananya Cards
1. ENGAGEMENT ANOUNCEMENT ETIQUETTE
The big news will have a happy and possibly huge impact on your nearest and dearest, so we recommend taking some time to think about considerate and meaningful ways to share. The traditional order would be tell the couple’s own children and parents first – then close family, like sisters, brothers, grandparents – and then the rest of your circle of family, friends, and work colleagues. Many couples choose to tell their closest loved ones in person, and then send their engagement announcement out to everyone.
While your engagement announcement will hopefully be joyously received by all, do be mindful that you may have some recently separated or single family members and friends – so it’s kind to be tactful and not excessively soppy in the content of the announcement. Don’t feel pressured to say too much about the proposal or your wedding plans – as you’ll feel much more comfortable discussing this in person, and decide what to share on a case to case basis with your friends and family. To learn more about crafting wedding stationery that resonates with your love story, read our article on personalising your wedding invites.
Peacock notecards by Ananya Cards
2. WHAT TO WRITE IN YOUR ENGAGEMENT ANNOUNCEMENT CARDS
Once the proposal excitement settles, and you’ve spoken to your closest loved ones, sending out a formal engagement announcement card to all your friends and family can be really fun! It can also have some practical uses too, such as getting the news out quickly and easily if you have very large groups of friends or co-workers, and also can double as an invitation to your engagement party, if you’re hosting one. Another benefit is that you can start building a relationship with a stationery designer, who can then craft stunning save the dates, wedding invitations, and on-the-day paper goods for your wedding too.
The wording can be as formal or as personal as you wish! Some couples choose to have these formally sent out by their parents, while others send out much more informal and playful “we said yes!” or “we’re engaged!” cards directly from them. Generally engagement announcement cards include your names, a joyous message indicating you’ll be tying the knot, and – if you know you’ll be inviting all the same people as the ones you’re sending the announcements to – you can also include something along the lines of “Save the dates to follow”. Only include this if you are certain you’ll be inviting those friends and family members though!
Engagement notes by Ananya Cards | Elizabeth Mitova Photography
3. THE DESIGN OF YOUR ENGAGEMENT ANNOUNCEMENT CARDS
Many couples opt to have an engagement or couple portrait photography session, which can be a wonderful way to spend time together and become more familiar with posing in front of the camera. If you click with the photographer and love their gallery, it can also be great way to connect with someone who will be able to shoot your wedding too! If you like the idea of using a photo of you in your engagement announcement cards (and perhaps on your save the dates too!), it’s a great idea to have some images taken and edited professionally. This will ensure the quality and composition looks the best it can! Chat to the photographer about your idea of using one or two images on announcement cards, so that they know to edit a few previews for you as soon as possible – and to shoot in either landscape or portrait orientation depending on the card style you are sending.
When it comes to the aesthetic and style of the engagement announcement cards, don’t worry too much about tying these to your wedding stationery. Most likely, a fair amount of time will pass between your announcements and your save the dates! If you want to make sure everything feels seamless and in harmony, my advice would be to work with the same stationery designer throughout your whole stationery journey – and to keep your announcements fairly minimal and simple in style, so that you can steer into a stronger theme or palette further down the line.
Once you’ve sent the announcements out, do make sure you thoughtfully and graciously thank everybody who’s congratulated you! Remember that these are your nearest and dearest family and friends, and many of them will be the same people who will be bringing their joy and good energy to your beautiful wedding soon!
We hope these tips and thoughts have been helpful, and that you’re excited about sharing your happy news! If you’re looking for bespoke stationery that reflects your love story through every detail - whether for your engagement, wedding invitations, or on-the-day stationery - we’d love to hear from you. At Ananya Cards, we specialise in luxury wedding stationery for couples planning unforgettable celebrations in Dubai, London, and beyond. Let's create something truly magical for your special moments.
Until next time,
