Top 4 Tips for Having an Amazing Engagement
So you may be getting engaged soon? Or you may be engaging someone else!? Not the right wording, but you know what I mean. Very exciting! Here’s 4 tips for having an amazing engagement, but remember, but everyone is going to put their own spin on engagement, so either way it will be magical.
1) Tell As Many People As You Can In-Person/Don’t Post It Immediately
The reason why I recommend this is because of the priceless memories we got from telling people in person rather than having them find out on social media and getting to see a comment as opposed to a genuine reaction. It’s worth mentioning that maybe this strategy doesn’t make sense to try with everyone, like immediate family for instance.
In our case, we are geographically separated from our families and most of our hometown friends, so waiting until we saw them in person may have been an awkwardly long time away, and something like having an engagement party was not really an option. So for immediate family and some friends we ended up doing a call or FaceTime, but were able to tell other friends in person which was so special.
Along the same lines, we didn’t call our immediate families until after breakfast the next morning. I really liked that we waited because the day we got engaged (on a sunrise hike in Chattanooga, TN) we had the whole rest of the day, dinner, and breakfast the next morning to enjoy what was kind of our little secret.
2) Take Engagement Photos the Same Day
A few things to unpack here. First, there’s multiple options for same-day pictures. My main point here is that it was nice to have organized/professional photos of that day, not just selfies or a phone set up on a stand. But with that being said, these photos don’t have to be at the actual engagement, because some people want that to be intimate which is also great. In our case we had professional photos during the engagement at the sunrise hike, but then also scheduled photos with the same photographer later that day in downtown Chattanooga.
Before getting engaged I would have told you that I wanted to do engagement photos after the actual engagement because that would have given me time to plan outfits/location/vibe in advance. But in hindsight, having either photos of the actual engagement or photos somewhere near where you got engaged, that same day, allows you to have memories in the moment which I love.
However, ultimately, it’s about what you both want, and talking about it beforehand is good so you know what the other person wants. Some people think talking about something means it can’t be a surprise, but that’s why I like the idea of parameters. Maybe give a rough outline of what you envision to your partner but leave some things up for surprise.
3) Take More Engagement Photos a Few Months Down the Line
This was great for us because if you want to use engagement photos for the wedding correspondence but you are getting married in a different season then you got engaged, then this is a way to have a new vibe for the cards. For us, we got engaged in the Fall foliage, but our wedding was full-on Summer in July! So it was great to be able to have beach pictures for the Summer vibes.
If you are thinking: “how much money are we going to spend on engagement photos?!” I hear ya. The engagement day-of photos were definitely pricey, but worth the money. For the second set of engagement photos we had a friend come to the beach with us at sunset and snap these. Granted not everyone has friends interested in photography, but since you already have some from the day of, there’s not as much pressure for the second set, and you may only really need one or two for the wedding save the dates/invites, etc. In this case, you could ask a friend or approach an amateur and save some money.
This can also be a chance to put more planning into the outfits and whatnot if the engagement was a surprise!
4) Give Your Partner Parameters
I hinted at this above, but want to emphasize this point for not only the actual engagement but the ring as well! Maybe I am Type A person (I most definitely am) but I want to love what I wear on my finger for the rest of my life! The way we got around me making sure I liked the ring style and there still being an element of surprise, was ~parameters~.
Some people do slide shows of the styles they like, but I kept it a bit more simple. Well I actually made an entire Pinterest board, so maybe not that simple LOL but the bottom line was that I had some non-negotiables, which were: low-profile and gold band and setting. The options/parameters were for 1) the shape: either oval or elongated cushion and 2) the stone: either diamond or moissanite.
In summary, all the tips for having an amazing engagement basically add up to: make sure you both are on the same page. Some people may even pick the ring out themselves, whatever works! And with location and level of privateness for the actual engagement I would recommend giving parameters as well.
Again, these are all recommendations, to each their own (one of my favorite phrases). Enjoy this magical time, and let me know how it goes!
Also, if you are thinking ahead to wedding planning, here is my guide to picking a wedding date and venue!
