The Engagement Period

What is an “announcement party”?

An announcement party is similar to an engagement party except that the engagement is formally announced for the first time during this party. It is usually attended by relatives and close friends, may be formal or informal and is often a sur-prise announcement, although everyone probably suspected as much, having seen that love light in your eyes. By the way, this is usually the first time the bride wears her engagement ring.

What is the ideal length of an engagement?

Although the average length of an engagement today is 15 months, I personally favor a shorter engagement period. Once you’ve found each other, it’s very difficult to wait so long to get married; however, it isn’t uncommon these days for a wedding date to be set 12 to 18 months in advance to allow time for booking the sites, the caterer, photographer, etc.

What if a couple becomes engaged long before the groom can afford an engagement ring?

Then, become engaged and make the formal announce-ments—no problem. It doesn’t take a ring to seal the com-mitment! In fact, I’ve known of dozens of couples who have put off the engagement ring until the first or second wedding anniversary, marrying in a simple double-ring ceremony.

What’s the best advice you can give us during our engagement period?

My best advice is this: Try to relax and bask in this magical, Cinderella time of your lives. Don’t let the wedding plans work you into a lather of anxiety—it’s just not worth it!

Excerpted from The Best Wedding Ever,© 1996 by Diane Warner. Published by Career Press, Inc., Franklin Lakes, NJ. All rights reserved.