Ideas for Engagement Announcements

• How will you spread the exciting news? happy couple image by Mat Hayward from Fotolia.com
  

  An engagement is a wonderful event to celebrate, and couples often send out announcements to inform their friends and family that they have decided to take the plunge. Sometimes the announcement will aso serve as a "save the date" notification if a couple has already decided when the wedding will be. The couple's unique style should shine through in the engagement announcements, and there are as many options for announcements as there are personalities to be reflected.

Traditional Engagement Announcements

• While there is no "right" way to announce your engagement, there are certain methods that are more common. A traditional way of sharing the news is by putting a small notification in the local newspaper, sometimes accompanied by a photo of the spouses-to-be. This method is a good way to ensure that everyone sees the good news, and you will not have to mail everyone their own announcement, although many couples opt to do both. Some couples prefer the more formal announcement, which can designed much like wedding invitations and mailed to everyone who will be invited to the wedding, often with an engagement picture slipped in as well. This method can be costly though, as the cards, envelopes, printing and customizing can really add up. For a similar, but more affordable method, take your favorite engagement photo to your local drug store and print your own announcements using the automatic photo machines. Sending these without envelopes, like postcards, can save money, too.

Custom Comic or Art Announcements

• If you and your fiance want to mail announcements to all your guests, but the formal wording and flowery decorations are not your style, look into doing something unusual and artsy with your announcement. Hire a graphic artist to make a comic strip portraying the story of how you met your fiance, or to create an artist's rendition of the two of you as superheroes. Local artists will often be glad to be commissioned to create a special visual piece for you to send as an engagement announcement, and the product will be uniquely yours. If you have any artistic talent, you might be able to do this one yourself.

Paperless and Tech-Savvy Announcements

• Between engagement announcements, save the date cards, invitations and thank-you notes, getting married seems to require that you cut down a small forest of trees. But there is a way around using all that paper and postage, and all you need is an email address. If you do not mind the informal announcement, sending a group email is fast, easy and cheap; you can even attach a digital photo. Some couples register at wedding websites such as OffbeatBride.com or MyWedding.com, which give you the opportunity to design and email your own engagement announcements and evites. However, if Great-Grandma Betsy does not have an email address, remember to send her a paper announcement instead.