Do people still announce their engagements?

theycallmelinz

We're finally having engagement pictures done in two-ish weeks, and I'm wondering do people (or have you ever known people) who announced their engagements in local newspapers? I'm from a small area and growing up a ton of people, my sister included, announced their engagement in the newspaper. I don't know if this is really customary because 1) I never read the paper so I don't know if people still do this, and 2) there was many a time that I saw the engagement section and was like, "So? I don't care about these people getting married."  What are y'alls thoughts on this?

littlemushroom

Yep, it still happens in our paper. But like you, I don't get the paper so it isn't something I think of checking out. We didn't do it. My parents do read that section, however, and tell me anytime someone I know is in there.

Jells2dot0

I would have done the local paper thing if it had been my first marriage. It's still a pretty standard thing to do where I grew up and I did it back when I got married the first time.

OliveOilsMom

My BIL and his wife had their engagement announcement put in the paper.  Her dad is old school and wanted it done.  I think it really depends on the area you are from and how popular they continue to be.  I would also do one, if either of my parents had requested it.  I think sometimes the engagement announcement is more for them, than the couple.

charlottesmom0626

My parents live in a small town and they put it in the paper because everyone reads the paper...I've even had semi-acquaintances cut it out and mail it to me.

cupcait927

MIL really wanted to do this so we agreed. I haven't read our local newspaper in years so I don't know how often it happens, but people must still do it in my area if they have a section for it in the paper. My husband's family is pretty well-known in the area (been here for generations) so I'm assuming that's why MIL wanted to put it in there.

KeptInStitches

Yes, people still do in my area as well.

amelisha

People still do it in my parents' city of 100,000 but I've never noticed them here (about ten times as many people.) I haven't lived with my parents for ten years so I asked them to stick to a group email to their friends.

jenna8984

None of my friends did and neither did I. But I think it's true that it's more show-offy for the parents and my parents aren't like that. "Typical" parents who are like we need to gush to the world and invite all of our friends to the wedding because it's a big deal for US too. Nope, nope, nope, not my parents.

flyingfoxes

I see them in our Sunday paper, but there's usually only one or two.  I think it's a dying trend.

Bubblegum5586

We did it in my hometown paper but not H's. My mom really wanted it and it was free so we did!

falsara

Since we moved around a lot there was no point in putting an Engagement announcement in the town that my parents live in now.  They weren't living there 6 years ago, and basically anyone who is important knows that I'm engaged. They don't need an announcement in the paper to tell them that.

RebeccaFlower

SIL did it for their engagement and wedding. For both, it costs like $150, so I didn't see any point, so we skipped it. Do you know how much wine we can buy for $150!?

novella1186

We didn't do it because to me personally it just seemed a little silly and embarrassing. Plus I think it's a tradition that's dying out a little bit, just because with social media these days there's really no need to publish announcements in newspapers. 

RebeccaFlower said, it costs money, which to me seems like a waste. 

JaxInBlue

Four-ish years ago, DH and I announced our engagement in our hometown paper but not the paper were we live.  It was free and made our parents happy to see it announced formally, so it wasn't a big deal.  We followed up with a wedding announcement in the same paper.  My sister and BIL did not announce either their engagement or wedding announcement in the local paper.  Things had changed in the four years between our engagement and theirs - most of the family was now on Facebook, the paper was charging, the announcements were less personal and more fill-in-the-blank form.

I don't think it was a huge deal to do it (more for our parents than us) so I don't see these types of announcements as a bad thing, but I'm also not sure I'd use the same announcement format now given the changes to our and our families' social media use.  I guess this is something I see as knowing your audience.

cafarrie

I would have done it had my parents or I still lived in the town I grew up in.  But we moved around so much growing up that unless people had kids close to my age in that town, no one else knew me anyway.  

thisismynickname2

My hometown definitely still does this. If I remember to do it, I'll put our wedding picture in there. It's free. My parents have lived in that community for 35-odd years so outside of social media, it's just one of those nice things to do.

I have every intention of putting a wedding photo in my college alumni magazine, only because I really enjoy reading that section myself. They're not all recent; sometimes a major anniversary gets put in there with the 20 or 30-year old wedding photo. If you had classmates in your bridal party the magazine highlights them too. Though DH and I went to the same college, we were there at different times; four of our bridal party members are fellow alumni.  << Looks at calendar to anticipate arrival of pro photos... >>

 

Though I will say I feel super old when "So and so, class of 2013" has a wedding picture in there...

OHBride85

My hometown still does this. FI and I are both from there and my mom really wanted to do it. I gave her one of our engagement pictures and let her. 

I think the majority of the people that probably saw it were just my parents' friends and FI's parents' friends.

caitlinmca

My hometown newspaper does this, and people still put their engagements, weddings in the section. For our newspaper it is free therefore, I was planning on putting our engagement announcement in, and later our wedding. If it wasn't free it would probably be different, and my parents aren't pestering, its just tradition where I am from. 

huskypuppy14

It's done in my hometown and my husband's. My MIL put our engagement announcement in the paper. She wants to do the wedding announcement too. I agree it's really for the parents.

AddieCake

I think if when YOU saw them in the paper your reaction was, "So? I don't care about these people getting married" then you shouldn't announce yours in the paper, either. Otherwise I would say you should because people from your town who read the paper might care about it.

pumpkincreamcake15

They do it in my hometown. We are doing it there cause I guess it's "the thing to do". 

CMGragain

It is the ONLY proper way to announce your engagement publicly.  Most people don't do it because it can be expensive.  A smaller newspaper might not charge as much.  The Des Moines Register wanted $350.  No way!

lulu0405

@lulu411‌ I like your username! People in my hometown (mid size city) still announce engagements. I wouldn't do it, but I always scope out the engagement section when I'm at my mom's house and she always tells me when I miss someone.

wrigleyville

We put it in my hometown paper because it's a small town and a ton of my relatives and parents' old classmates live there. It only cost $10, and a lot of relatives keep those things for their scrapbooks, so it made sense. 

I did like having a copy to put in my wedding album, because all of my relatives have newspaper announcements in theirs, and I loved looking at them when I was a little girl.

Part of me is stuck in 1964, even though I wasn't alive at the time.