Who do I contact about engagement announcements and what do they say?

Engagement announcements can be sent as soon as you become engaged. They typically are sent to your hometown newspaper and to your fiancé's local paper. If you and your fiancé are living and working elsewhere, you can send it to that newspaper too. Look in the announcement section of the newspapers you have an interest in; most print submission instructions. If not, call the paper's society or lifestyle department for their guidelines or go to their web site for this information. Some may allow for on-line submissions. If not, most will want the announcement submission to be double spaced. Many people also submit engagement photos along with the announcement (usually 8x10 or 5x7 glossy B & W). Ask if the photo's will be returned. Ask about deadlines; some take info over the phone or on-line, others may require up to 10 days notice on their forms. Specify on what date you want your announcement to appear (Sunday is popular for weddings). Generally only the month the wedding will happen is mentioned, not the specific date.

Some sample announcements:

Mr. and Mrs. Henry Johnson announce the engagement of their daughter, Susan Lynn, to Mr. Mark Spritle, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Spritle of Albuquerque. The wedding will take place in June. [The city is listed only when it is different from where the paper is published.]

If someone's parents are divorced, they are generally both mentioned and wording depends on how friendly they still are. Ms. Nancy Johnson announces the engagement of her daughter, Susan Lynn to Mr. Mark Spritle, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Spritle of Albuquerque. Miss Johnson is also the daughter of Mr. Henry Johnson of Minneapolis. or Ms. Nancy Johnson and Mr. Henry Johnson of Minneapolis announce the engagement of their daughter, Susan Lynn, to Mr. Mark Spritle, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Spritle of Albuquerque.

If you are not on good terms with either parent or they are both deceased, you can announce your own engagement. The wording could be something like: Announcement is made of the engagement of Miss Susan Lynn Johnson to Mr. Mark Spritle... or Susan Lynn Johnson, an attorney for Bittle and Bittle, is to be married in June to Mark Spritle, an engineer with Honeywell. Ms. Johnson is the daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Henry Johnson. Mr. Spritle is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Spritle of Albuquerque.

Many people also include employment, education, offices held in professional associations, military service, etc, in their announcements. Nancy and Henry Johnson of Minneapolis and Mary and Matthew Spritle of Albuquerque, are happy to announce the engagement of their children Susan Lynn and Mark Andrew. Susan is a 1994 graduate of West High School and a 1998 graduate of The University of Minnesota. She is currently employed at Bittle and Bittle Law Firm. Mark is a 1994 graduate of King High School and a 1998 graduate of Harvard. He is currently finishing up his Master's degree at Stanford and is employed at Honeywell as an engineer. A June 2000 wedding is planned. Courtesy of EZWeddingPlanner.com