Engaged? How to experience all the excitement of this special time

Engaged? How to experience all the excitement of this special time

(ARA) – Congratulations – you’re engaged! This is a special time, leading up to the big day that will change your lives forever. Don’t wait for the nuptials to arrive, however, before you bask in the bliss. Savor every minute of your engagement experience.

“Brides may find that making wedding plans can distract them from the simple joy of being engaged,” says Raymond Miller, a wedding planning expert with the Web site My Wedding Reception Ideas.com. “But some advanced planning and creative ideas can help them fully enjoy their engagement while still preparing for the wedding day of their dreams.”

Miller offers brides-to-be some simple advice for getting the most enjoyment out of being engaged:

Announcing your big news

News of your engagement is one of the most exciting pieces of information you’ll ever share with family and friends. Get creative and fun with your engagement announcement, but don’t overlook practicality. You want to announce your engagement and wedding date in a way that will be quick and easy for you – and memorable to those receiving the message. Save the date magnets can be a great way to get the word out and put your wedding date front-of-mind for those who are invited.

Traditional engagement announcements in local newspapers limit your creativity and the reach of your news. Save the date wedding magnets can relay information about your wedding plans across the country to distant loved ones. And because we all have a tendency to hold on to magnets (How many pizza delivery magnets do you have on your refrigerator?) in conspicuous places in our homes, your guests-to-be will see a constant reminder of your special day.

My Wedding Reception Ideas.com can help you create customized wedding save the date magnets that reflect your individuality, convey the theme of your wedding and keep your date on the minds of friends and family.

Sharing the celebration

Sure, your maid of honor and other girlfriends will probably throw you a bridal shower. But you don’t have to wait to begin celebrating the good news. You and your fiancé can involve loved ones in the celebrating – and do it at a time you choose – by hosting your own engagement party.

Staging your own party allows you to share the excitement sooner. Plus, you can use the occasion as an opportunity to “test drive” wedding day seating arrangements or check out a restaurant you’re considering for the rehearsal dinner. You can also experiment with linens and décor; using colors you’re considering for your wedding will give you an idea of what these decorator items will look like in an elegant setting. Or, use the engagement party as way to preview your wedding theme – for example, host the party at a seaside location for a beach-themed wedding.

And don’t forget to celebrate as a couple, as well. If planning starts to feel too stressful, consider taking a pre-honeymoon trip that will help you decompress and reconnect as a couple. Time away together will help remind you what all your wedding planning is really about – your love for each other. The break could be as simple as a weekly date night or as elaborate as a weekend getaway.

Be resourceful

The Internet has made wedding planning easier than ever. Use online resources, like sites that allow you to experiment with seating charts for receptions, compare color schemes and create sample menus. My Wedding Reception Ideas.com can help you pick and plan personalized wedding favors, accessories and gifts for your wedding party. The site also provides tips on different kinds of napkins and how to choose them, and other useful planning hints. Visit www.myweddingreceptionideas.com to learn more.

“Planning a wedding should be part of the enjoyable experience of being engaged,” Miller says. “With creativity and some expert help, it’s possible to make the months of your engagement as memorable and special as the wedding day itself.”

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Officially Announce Your Engagement by Sending to Local Newspapers

12 Months Before Your Wedding

You are officially engaged and want to share your good news with the world! There’s so much excitement but then comes the startling realization that you have a lot to do. The best place to start is to announce your engagement to the world. What better way to shout your good news than by placing an engagement in your local newspaper. This is one of the easier tasks and officially kicks off the journey to your nuptials. Prior to placing your announcement, you most certainly want to be sure that you have told all of your family and friends—you wouldn’t want them to hear of it first in the newspaper. We’re sure you took care of that detail within the first hour of having the ring on your finger though!

You want to do your research to ensure that you prepare the perfect announcement. To find your local newspaper for which you’d like to place your announcement, you can use a resource such as http://www.newspapers.com . You most certainly will want to find a local newspaper for the bride and groom, but it may also be fun to share your announcement in the paper in the parents of the bride and groom as well. Some local newspapers have well established guidelines that all couples must follow with their engagement announcement. Before you look for the perfect picture of you two as a couple, you want to be sure that your local newspaper accepts photos. Following any guidelines is the most time consuming part of this task on the checklist, and then creating the perfect announcement. You can have some fun with the announcement but keep in mind that everybody in the local area will be reading up on you. Keeping it simple can make it elegant and effective.

Be sure not to list any important details on your upcoming wedding that you wouldn’t want to the world to know. Releasing the location of your wedding or when you will take your honeymoon can potentially create problems down the road, so keep it light and simple. If you wouldn’t want the world to know where your wedding is or when you will be on your honeymoon, then don’t print it in your announcement. Classic announcements usually include the couple’s name, when they became engaged, sometimes how he proposed if the local newspaper leaves room for it, and when the wedding is. A photo is certainly nice if it’s allowed by the newspaper, so choose one that reflects you two as a couple.

Announcing your engagement is most certainly one of the most enjoyable tasks in the wedding planning process. As formal announcements aren’t often used anymore, placing your good news in the local newspaper is a great way to go. This is a great way to kick off your journey to the altar and will make for a wonderful piece of memorabilia to keep in your scrapbook. Keep to any established guidelines and this task will be one of the easiest on your master checklist.

Useful Links
Newspapers.com – Links to local newspaper sites