I’ve photographed a LOT of engagement announcements over the years. And the ones I remember the most — the ones that made me stop and actually feel something — were always the ones that were undeniably, unapologetically THEM. The couple who incorporated their Golden Retriever and their dog immediately walked away with the ring. The couple who showed up at their parents’ house on Christmas morning with zero warning. The couple who made their announcement look like a 1950s newspaper front page and sent the whole internet into a tailspin. Those are the moments that stick. And they can be yours too — you just have to know what makes your story different and lean all the way into it.
Your Announcement Should Reflect Your Story
Before we dive into the ideas, I want to say something important: the goal of your engagement announcement isn’t to go viral. It isn’t to have the most-liked post in your friend group. The goal is to share one of the most significant moments of your life in a way that feels true to who you are and the relationship you’ve built.
So as you read through these ideas, filter them through that lens. Which ones feel like you? Which ones make you laugh, or tear up, or immediately pull up your phone to show your partner? Start there.
Holiday-Themed Engagement Announcement Ideas by Season
Getting engaged around a holiday is genuinely one of the best things that can happen for your announcement content. The aesthetic is practically built for you. The backdrop exists. The emotion is already running high. You just have to lean into it.
CHRISTMAS AND WINTER HOLIDAYS
A Christmas engagement is content gold. The possibilities are essentially endless: ring in the ornament on the tree. Ring tucked inside a stocking. Proposing in front of the Christmas tree with the whole family gathered. The ring laid out next to a mug of hot chocolate with fairy lights in the background. For your announcement, lean into the cozy winter aesthetic — warm whites and deep greens, candlelight or string lights, the ring against a soft holiday backdrop. A caption like ‘The only gift that mattered this year’ or ‘Santa came through’ — with or without the comedy — works beautifully.
VALENTINE’S DAY
Yes, it’s the most obvious proposal day of the year. And yes, people make fun of it. But a Valentine’s Day engagement is also genuinely romantic and absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. The rose petals. The candlelit dinner. The fact that you were actually a little suspicious and he still managed to surprise you. Own it. Post the deep red floral arrangement and the ring and let your caption carry the love without apology.
NEW YEAR’S EVE
There’s something incredibly symbolic about starting the new year as an engaged couple. The ‘new year, new chapter’ angle writes itself — and it’s a genuinely beautiful one. Champagne flute next to the ring. Midnight. ‘Cheers to forever’ as your caption. The countdown that ended with a question. New Year’s Eve announcements always feel celebratory and optimistic, which is exactly the energy you want.
THANKSGIVING
Getting engaged at Thanksgiving is secretly one of the most beautiful scenarios. Your whole family is already there. The emotion is already at the surface. The warmth and gratitude of the day amplifies everything. A Thanksgiving announcement might feature the whole family in the background, or simply a table setting with the ring — with a caption that talks about having the most obvious answer to ‘what are you thankful for this year.’
Including Your Pet in the Announcement — And Why It Works
I am firmly, passionately, unapologetically of the opinion that pets in engagement announcements are always a good idea. Always. Not sometimes. Not usually. Always.
Here’s why: pets are family. If your dog or your cat or your impossibly photogenic rabbit is part of your daily life, they are part of your story — and your engagement announcement should reflect the full picture of who you are. Leaving them out feels incomplete. Including them feels exactly right.
The formats that work:
- The ring around the collar — elegant and iconic
- A sign around the dog’s neck: ‘My humans are getting married!’ or ‘Will you be my dog mom?’
- The dog holding the ring box in their mouth (with supervision and treats involved, obviously)
- The cat photobombing the ring selfie in a way you couldn’t have planned
- A photo of the couple with the pet — all three looking equally thrilled
And here’s the practical magic of pet content: it gets incredible engagement. People who maybe aren’t as close to you will still stop scrolling for a dog in an engagement photo. It’s science. Or maybe it’s just that joy is contagious, and pets are joy incarnate.
Your pet has been with you through the whole love story. Let them be in the announcement.
Throwing an Engagement Announcement Party
Before the dress shopping and the venue tours and the seating chart that will eventually make you question every life decision you’ve ever made — can we just celebrate for a moment? That’s what an engagement party is for. And it is criminally underrated as a wedding planning tradition.
An engagement party doesn’t have to be formal or fancy or expensive. It just has to gather your people and let you exist in the joy of this season before the planning takes over. Backyard with string lights and champagne? Perfect. Living room with your closest friends, takeout, and too much wine? Stunning. Your favorite local restaurant for a private dinner with family? Absolutely.
What I love about engagement parties is the timing: they happen before the wedding planning has really begun, which means it’s still pure joy. There’s no stress yet. There are no budget conversations. There are no conflicting family opinions about the guest list. There is just the celebration of two people who chose each other — and the people who love them most, gathered together to say so.
- Keep the guest list to your inner circle — this is intimate, not a pre-wedding with 200 people.
- Keep it simple — the point is presence, not production.
- Have your engagement photos on display if you have them.
- Consider doing your official social media announcement at or right after the party — that way your closest people find out in person first.
- Don’t stress about themes or decor — flowers and fairy lights and a warm room full of people who love you is genuinely enough.
The Newspaper and Magazine-Style Announcement Trend
Okay, I need to talk about this trend because I am genuinely obsessed with it. Couples are designing their engagement announcements to look like newspaper front pages or vintage magazine covers — complete with bold headlines, classic serif typography, engagement dates, and their love story written in that old-school editorial style. And the result is stunning.
The appeal makes complete sense: it’s nostalgic, it’s different, it stands out on a feed full of ring selfies and floral backdrops, and it has an inherent sophistication that feels timeless rather than trendy.
Here’s what a newspaper-style announcement typically includes:
- A bold headline: ‘LOCAL WOMAN FINALLY FINDS HER PERSON’ or ‘AFTER FOUR YEARS, COUPLE ANNOUNCES ENGAGEMENT’ — the more playful and specific to your story, the better
- A classic engagement photo in black and white or sepia tones
- The date and location of the proposal
- A brief ‘article’ telling your story in a few lines
- A small ‘opinion section’ or sidebar that’s actually your caption or a funny quote
You don’t have to design this from scratch. There are Canva templates, Etsy downloads, and graphic designers who specialize in exactly this. Search ‘newspaper engagement announcement template’ and prepare to fall down a very beautiful rabbit hole.
The newspaper engagement announcement is the one that will make people stop mid-scroll to show their partner and say, ‘We need to do something like this.’
Surprise In-Person Engagement Announcement Ideas
Here’s a concept that I think deserves way more attention: the in-person surprise announcement. Instead of — or in addition to — posting online, you show up. You ring the doorbell. You walk through the door with your ring on your finger and zero warning, and you watch the people you love fall completely apart with joy.
There is no algorithm that can replicate this. No caption can capture what it feels like to tell your parents in person. And if you happen to have someone there to film the reaction? You have content that will make your great-grandchildren cry someday.
Some ideas for the in-person surprise:
- Show up to your parents’ house the morning after the proposal with coffee and absolutely no explanation until they see the ring.
- Surprise your best friends with a spontaneous gathering — “come over for dinner tonight” — and announce when everyone is together.
- If you have a large family and can swing it, show up at an existing gathering and make your moment there.
- For the long-distance family member you can’t see in person, arrange a surprise video call with multiple family members all on at once so they can react together.
Film everything you can. Ask permission to share before posting anyone’s reaction online. And then let those moments be exactly what they are: evidence that you are deeply, genuinely loved.
How to Create Content That Feels Uniquely You
I’ve given you a lot of ideas in this post. And the temptation when you’re looking at a long list of ideas is to try to do all of them, or to pick the most popular one, or to default to whatever you think you’re ‘supposed’ to do.
Instead, I want you to close this tab and ask yourself one question: What would make us feel most like us when we look back at this announcement in 20 years?
The answer to that question? That’s your announcement. Everything else is just inspiration.
Next Steps: Coordinating with Your Photographer
Whatever announcement style you choose, your photographer can be one of your greatest allies in making it happen. Talk to them early about your vision. If you want to do a reenactment, a styled pet session, or a holiday-themed shoot — give them the context and let them help you plan it. A good photographer isn’t just someone who shows up on the day. They’re a creative collaborator who is invested in telling your story well.
Reach out. Share this post if it helps explain your vision. And start planning something that feels unmistakably, beautifully like you.
Weddings by Holly Lou 
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