Facebook Etiquette for the Newly Engaged

OMG… You’re Newly ENGAGED!

Life feels like you’re dreaming, am I right? You’ve found your dream partner, said “YES” to your dream ring, and are pumped to get planning! Before you post all over your social media accounts, take a few moments to decide why you’re really posting that announcement. I’ve gathered a few tips from my experience in the wedding industry for those exciting announcements below.

First things first: Consider your audience

Having more than 500 friends on Facebook, means making a public announcement that you’re newly engaged might not be the best idea for you. Do you really want your third Great Aunt twice removed expecting an invitation? What about that Facebook friend you met once at a conference for the job you held during college? While we all want to tell the world that we’re marrying the love of our lives, we don’t want the added pressure of inviting people we only like in small doses to our wedding. Not to mention the number of wedding vendors already on our friends list. The number of times I’ve seen comments like “Oh, I know this fabulous wedding photographer” when talking about themselves is crazy.

If none of these things bother you, then post away! Even announcing it quietly will likely have these people in your audience. But if you still want to make your announcement on facebook consider doing one of the following:

A Wedding Info Group

Create a group for your closest friends and family as your announcement, then add your guests as you select them. This way you can avoid the awkward “Where’s my invitation” question from people you have no plans to invite.

A Wedding Website

While my favorite is Zola, there are many wedding planning websites that allow you to make your own wedding website. This is an easy link to send out to those people who are invited. Plus, if you haven’t entered someone’s email, they can’t just RSVP to your wedding. It doesn’t totally avoid the conflict, but it will keep it off your public wall (hopefully).

Turn Off Commenting

This may seem a little passive aggressive, but make your post and immediately turn off comments. People can still leave you love, but this keeps them from asking you questions on your post. It’s probably not the best option, but it’s definitely an option.

Second: You don’t have to update everything

Wedding planning is exciting and as humans we want to overshare all our wedding plans. However, I highly suggest avoiding putting all of these things on your wall. Instead use a wedding group to post all the details, like finding your dream dress, booking your venue and sending out your wedding invitations. This will keep random people from expecting invitations, or worse, showing up at your wedding uninvited. And I promise you, we’ll all still be just as excited as you are about your wedding!