Engagement and marriage are two of life’s most exciting events, so you'll want to tell the world in style when they happen to you. You'll find many methods for announcing your marriage plans, ranging from traditional routes to technological innovations. When the time arrives to flaunt your engagement rings, you'll want to start with those people closest to you—parents, siblings, and grandparents. If this is a second marriage for either the bride or the groom, and if either person has children from the first marriage, they should be the first to know. As a matter of respect, the former spouse ought to be told as well, especially if the marriage ended on positive terms. Similar rules apply for ceremonies to renew vows.

Aside from a personal visit, the most intimate and immediate way to tell your family and closest friends is by telephone, but it may not be practical to call everyone else. If you have far-flung friends with whom you often share the details of your lives via e-mail, then it’s quite acceptable to announce your engagement to them this way. Be aware, though, that many future wedding guests will prefer to hear big news over the phone Just to be safe, if there is even a distant possibility that someone you know will be offended, take the thoughtful approach and give them a call.