If you, or your partner, popped the question over the holidays, and you’re trying to find a fun way to spring the news on your friends and family, here are some novel ways to share the news with those you love!

Start a Wedding Blog

A great way to announce your upcoming nuptials is to start a website for your wedding. It’s an easy way to keep your wedding party and guests informed about the special day and it’s upcoming events. Send an email to all, post the link on your favorite social networking site (remember to adjust your privacy settings!), and let the web do the rest. Look for free blog publishing services that have tutorials on how to start your own blog. WordPress has this beautiful wedding theme ready to be customized:

If you’re still in the market for an engagement ring due to an impromptu proposal, here’s a beautiful, modern diamond ring for you. The recessed stone style is great if you work with your hands but still want to flash your engagement ring.

Photo Album

If you got engaged while on vacation, you probably have photos to prove it. Make a photo album with some of your favorite shots of the two of you. The final page can let your loved ones know the fabulous news and the date, if you’ve already set one. There are many websites that let you build your own photo albums. Then they print them, bind them and send them to you! Impressive yet easy.

If you want the world to know the groom-to-be is all yours, consider a men’s diamond engagement ring.

Throw a Party!

Have your friends and family over for a cocktail party and surprise them with the sweet news in the form of these tasty treats from beau-coup.com.

When it comes time to pick out your wedding bands, consider this beautiful wedding ring to pair with her engagement ring above.

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Spring has sprung (or is, at least, in the process of springing) and Easter is just around the corner. Traditionally a time of renewal and new beginnings, Spring is an egg-cellent time to pop the question, so get cracking!

Here are some timely ideas for wedding proposals – let Easter inspire you to be a good egg – let your wedding proposal set the tone for the unique, exciting, and wonderful future life you will share together as husband and wife.

Elegant Egg Hunt

Make an egg hunt elegant by ordering these beautiful, simple personalized wooden eggs from Etsy seller ‘Imagination Kids.’

You might even be able to order 4 eggs and have them each inscribed with 1/4 of the most important question you may ever ask:

Will You Marry Me?

I love this bunny ring by Betsey Johnson but it might not make the best engagement ring… don’t get too carried away with bringing the ring into the theme – remember, your future wife will be wearing it every day for the rest of her life!

Instead, consider this beautiful and unique engagement ring with a contemporary abstract floral design.

Or just select a grade-a large diamond (I’m sure she won’t mind).

Whatever you do, don’t forget the presentation:

A Scavenger Hunt that Makes Scents

Imagine returning home from a romantic lunch date to find a path of  flower pots to the door- a note tied to  each pot (and then tie the ring around the very last one)?

Some Bunny Loves Me

Pick a stuffie that will fill her heart with love (and encourage her to say yes!).

Share The Occasion With Your Peeps

Invite friends and family to an Easter Brunch. This would be an excellent engagement party as well – here is a cute idea for a smores recipe if you want to have a less formal party in the backyard. You could have an egg hunt for the kids, some delicious frittatas in the oven and some savory breakfast sausages on the barbeque. Check out bigsislilsis.com for some other fun ways to enjoy peeps, as well as links to other unique recipes for Easter Candy.

Close-a With A Mimosa

Raise a toast to your love. If you’re really sneaky, you’ll put one of those glass charms around everyone’s glass but an engagement ring on hers (get ready to drop to one knee when she notices!).

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We Love Hearing From Our Readers!

After reading “Unique Ways To Announce Your Engagement,” Amanda shared how she announced her engagement to her mom:

My boyfriend proposed via a [pictogram], so I sent a picture of the [it] to my mom by email and asked her if she could figure out the riddle. When she couldn’t, I sent a picture of my ring and told her that the picture might help her figure it out. She did.

We asked Amanda to send us a copy of the cryptogram. Here it is:

Pictogram Proposal

“Will you marry me?”

Amanda’s boyfriend took his best (screen)shot and she said “Yes.” Congratulations Amanda and Aaron! Who knew a computer could be so romantic? You two make such a cute couple!

Is He Speaking in Code?

Communication is so important in relationships, but sometimes it’s fun to use code. It can be very exciting to try to decipher a coded message, particularly when it has such a happy message. Sure, you can just get down on one knee and propose in short, clearly posed proposal (“Will You Marry Me?”) but why not make it your own unique memory?

Big Fat Ideas

Here are some of our own big fat ideas for how you can make your wedding proposal unique with codes and puzzles.

Please Mr. Postman – Letter Jumble

Cut out the letters for Will You Marry Me and then mix them up. Mail a few letters inside an envelope each day. Once your intended receives all of the letters they can start to rearrange them to decipher the message (they will probably start trying earlier, so keep this in mind when you decide which letters to send).

Another great idea: include some extras in each envelope – perhaps mementos of your time as a couple.

Crossword Question

If your special woman (or man) is into crosswords, you could make your own and have all of the answers relate to your couple-dom. You can do this yourself (use a program like Excel or an online program) or order online from a company like romancebetweenthelines.com.

Big Fat Examples

Are You In A Love HTML Relationship?

Here is one good example of a time when you are HAPPY that he is speaking to you in code (HTML code, that is…) The creators of the webcomic The Joy of Tech agree to use their powers for good by helping one of their readers propose to his girlfriend (click here to see the comic).

Image: Nitrozac and Snaggy, Joy of Tech, geekculture.com

Geek Love

In another example, perlmonks.org user Falkkin posts this:

Thirteen minutes later, user Vortacist replies with “Yes! ”

Spell It Out For Me

Not really ‘code,’ but this Wisconsin Marquette University student still gets an ‘A’ for effort.

We Want To Hear From You!

What do you think? Do you have an interesting story about that engagement ring on your finger?

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Personalized chocolate is a great way to share good news, whether it’s an engagement or wedding announcement or just announcing where someone is supposed to sit at a table…

Chocolate Diamonds

Make some chocolate jewels for a stagette or bridal shower, using this mold from cookiecutter.com. A great excuse for the bride to be to show off her engagement ring!

Design Your Own

You can create your own signature chocolate at chocri.com. How does a chocolate bar with dried cranberries and banana chips sound? Or perhaps one with gummy bears or jalapenos? All possible… “more than 10 billion possible combinations” according to their website.

Killer Copy Cats

Make your own deluxe versions of popular chocolate bars using the recipes at chow.com. This is a great way to spruce-up a snack for the bride and groom with a sweet tooth.

Personalized Wrappers

Order chocolate with personalized wrappers like these funky options from beau-coup.com. They offer classy kosher Belgium chocolate. You can also find online tutorials to help you print your own wrappers, allowing you to wrap your favorite brand of chocolate bar. My friend ordered personalized Nestle Crunch bars for her wedding, I tried to keep it as a keepsake but it didn’t last long – I think I ate it that night!

Handcrafted Squares

These personalized wedding favors from chocolate.com would also work well for an engagement party (note: the minimum order is 100).

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Last post, we gave you some proposal ideas for Christmas. Here are some ornaments to consider for the tree this year if she has already said yes.

Christmas Ornaments for Engaged Couples

Here’s a gift for your bride or husband-to-be to commemorate that moment when the engagement ring came out and the question was popped! You can hang it on your tree every year and remember those romantic exciting months when you were engaged to be married. Consider making it the first ornament in a tradition for your new family unit: add a new ornament to your tree each year to celebrate a special memory (first house, new baby, new pet, special visit from relatives, new job, graduation, move to another city, etc).

Here is a beautiful Christmas gift for your fiance – a collection of wedding ornaments with a personalized certificate. These ornaments from ornamentshop.com have a vintage look which makes them even more romantic.

Here is another classic looking ornament made from glass (also from ornamentshop.com).

ornamentshop.com

Did you buy that engagement ring at Tiffany’s? If so, your fiance can follow his purchase up with this ornament – the iconic blue gift box will always remind you to look down at the big rock on your finger and smile!

Here’s an ornament that you can personalize – available at personalizedfree.com. You can add your names (as pictured, below) and personalize the banner to say “Engaged!”  The banner message is up to you – you could even have it say “Will You Marry Me?” and use it to propose!

Another personalized option, this time from santasornamentshop.com.

Another great choice from ornamentshop.com: make sure you get a photo of your proposal and then remember it always in an ornament picture frame!

For more big fat advice, please read “Proposal Tips for Men and Christmas Proposals” and Christmas Gift Ideas for Newlyweds. Or, join us next week for a selection of Christmas ornaments to celebrate your engagement!

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danforthdiamond.com

In my last article, We’re Engaged! Engagement Announcements I talked about two modern ways to announce your engagement.

The first was to create customized animated announcements at designhergals.com which could be sent out as e-cards, via mail, or as save the date magnets.

The second was to register at an event or wedding site that allows you to have a wedding website or blog (and send out engagement announcements too!).

Since then, I’ve been thinking of more unique ways to make the announcement and I’ve scoured the net, so here’s what I found:

Spell it Out For Them

If you’re all fans of board games you could have a family (or family and friends) game night. Start off with the Game of Life  and then try to give out clues with the words you and your fiance put on the board for scrabble. Finish off with a game of charades or pictionary – when it’s your turn ignore the word or phrase given to you and act out “We’re getting married” instead.

Send guests home with a personalized chocolate bar from Hershey’s as a memento of the occasion.

Surprise! We’re Engaged!

Throw a party or invite your key family and friends to dinner at a restaurant and pop the news! Don’t forget to bring photos of the proposal if you have any. This event can double as your engagement party if you like, just make sure you’re confident about who will be in your wedding party and make sure everyone is there (if not, keep the guest list restricted to immediate family and you and your fiance’s very best friend – i.e. the maid of honor and best man).

The Cover Story

Buy a bridal magazine but replace the cover with a picture of yourself and plant it at your event – someone will recognize you and then you can pop the news! This would be great if you’re making an announcement at a girl’s get together at a spa or any event where a coffee table is handy! If you’ve got the computer skills you can make up a shot like this yourself. You can also order a fake magazine cover for yourself online (check out www.magmypic.com for example).

brides.com

If you have some unique ideas for engagement announcements, or stories to share, I’d love to hear them!

Please leave them in the comments below and I might feature your idea in a later post. Oh, and don’t forget to hide your engagement ring if you’re trying to surprise people – the sparkling finger is always a give-away!

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It is traditional to formally announce your engagement to your friends and family.

Often, an engagement party is used as the stage to show off your engagement ring, make some toasts, and even announce the names of your wedding party. An announcement may also be sent out in the mail. Some couples also appear in the newspaper.

Here are some unique ways to announce that you are engaged!

Design Yourself Onto A Custom Card!

I’ve discovered a really cool site called designhergals.com. You’ll want to register so that you can create yourself in cartoon – it’s so fun! Here’s me below… pregnant mom hauling my daughter around in a stroller and juggling with my other interests (such as playing bass in my band Mink Valley).

You can create your guy, too, and then order some funky engagement announcements or save the date magnets (or, if you’re budget-conscious – send out an announcement that doubles as a save the date!).

There aren’t as many choices for the guys so you might find it challenging to come up with something that resembles your husband. I would have liked some options for facial hair and some skater style shoes and perhaps a laptop as an accessory…

Overall, I think this service is a great idea – it’s unique and fun. Once you’re set up you can create other people too – perhaps you are throwing a baby shower or a stagette for a friend? Surprise her with customized invitations!

Announce it on the World Wide Wed

Sites like mypunchbowl.com allow you to share your news with family and friends for free. You can pick the style, add photos, and even include a video of you and your man making the announcement! Here’s a quick example I made up – very easy to use and fast, too! Free announcements if you register. You can also use mypunchbowl to find the best date for your event, manage RSVPs, include a gift registry, and share photos and videos afterwards – all for free! It also looks like it hooks up with Facebook so I think I will be using this in the future because it’s good for all sorts of events, including: showers, birthday parties, and potlucks!

Funny Announcements

Another way to let the world know about your engagement is to have a name combination that is so ridiculous it catches the eye of a late night talk show host…

Tips for Wording

Here is a helpful video that will help you create your announcement:

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Reality TV star David Otunga proposed to Jennifer on her 27th birthday, on Friday, September 12. 

Jennifer Hudson looking wonderful in white

The Ring…

Her rep confirmed this exciting news to People magazine and told them that he gave her a Neil Lane diamond ring, I can’t wait to see it! Jennifer is in good company – Julia Roberts, Renee Zellweger, Courtney Cox Arquette, Reese Witherspoon, and Madonna have all been spotted wearing Neil Lane jewelry. He has also created wedding bands for Debra Messing and Gwen Stefani.

Neil Lane sells Antique Estate Jewelry and also designs jewelry from his shop on Hollywood Boulevard. It is (of course) really expensive. However, it can be a source of inspiration for the rest of us and you can get a similar look for much less.

Vintage-inspired jewelry is the most romantic!

These pieces would be great accessories for the big day! Perhaps a gift from the groom the day before the wedding? (Hint, hint…)

So how did Jennifer’s love life lead her to her engagement to David Otunga? 

Jennifer was dating her highschool sweetheart, James Peyton, when she began competing in American Idol but the relationship seems to have suffered from her fame – Jennifer broke up with James Peyton last year to go out with New York Jets’ player Kerry Rhodes.

After a month of Kerry, Jennifer and James got back together, but it couldn’t have lasted very long because Jennifer and her fiance David Otunga have been together for almost a year. Advice for David- beware of those high school sweethearts- their attraction seems to linger for years! 

I’d love to hear stories from anyone out there who is haunted by their high school sweetheart. Or married to him! Or if you’d just like to share a story about what your high school sweetheart was like, that would be interesting, too!

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