Popping the news!

May 20, 2009 11:30 PM

Help me and my new fiancé tell our friends and family the news in creative and fun ways!

The boy and I just got engaged over the weekend (yay!) and we have the fun task of telling all of our peeps the news. Some of them already know, but we've told most of them over the phone or email as we're currently away on vacation. We're seeing a bunch of people this week and we're looking for creative and/or hilarious ways to surprise them with the news. We're looking for maximum freak-out possibilities here -- crying, screaming, the works!

There is a ring to use as a prop here. He's told most of his family, but there's still my grandmothers and my aunt, my best friends, his best friends, and a bunch of our mutual friends. Most of these will be in person but a couple will be over the phone.

Thanks for helping us have some fun telling our good news!

posted by pised to human relations (10 comments total)

You know, I had a lot of fun just not telling people. I don't know if you're into that, but after the first few seeds that put my marriage to the rumor mill, it was delicious to just wait for people to bring it up in conversation, where I'd be like, "Marriage, oh yeah, that, I did that." Friends & relatives would chime in with, "Yeah, that's how he told me, too."

Deadpan it. People remember the shock, and seem to be very eager to attend the wedding.
posted by saysthis at 12:22 AM on May 21

Propose again in front of them, as if it were the first time. Come up with more and more messed up ways to do it.

"I want us to be married before the Feds catch up with me."

"I want my babies to have a father."

"I want to be married while I still have my short term memory... I want to be married while I still have my short term memory."

"Your sister said no, so do you wanna get married?"
posted by Paragon at 2:09 AM on May 21 [6 favorites]

The way my sister announced her pregnancy might work; we were all at a family get-together and she brought out a bunch of pictures for everyone to look at; the very last one was a picture of a positive pregnancy test; substitute a picture of the ring and there you go.
posted by TedW at 4:34 AM on May 21 [1 favorite]

I'd suggest not doing what my friend did - not tell me she even had a guy (just a few months ago we were joking about planning crazy weddings and finding the right guy to have them wish!), then be out of contact for a while, then have the news broken to me by her dad via text message when I asked him if she was ok!

She told me (after a thousand apologies) that she was keeping the news for when I was going up to see her, but that meeting didn't even happen eventually so I may not have heard.

If they're not your close friends, then yeah, holding on to it till you meet them is good (I suggest cake). If they are close, though, please don't let them find out from some third party - it makes us feel bad!
posted by divabat at 5:18 AM on May 21

Seems kind of on-the-nose, but maybe do a second proposal with the bended knee and everything in front of everyone? That'll get their attention. Ham it up!

Mayeb go to a bar or other place with a large screen display, and broadcast it on the jumbotron: PISED IS ENGAGED - YAY FOR PISED - DRINKS ARE ON PISED - EVERYONE GET PISED - "Oh, look, I think that message is for us!"
posted by ostranenie at 5:54 AM on May 21

I think I'd do something like performance art. Have him propose again (or you do it), but then reject the proposal. It'll be wonderfully awkward and no one will know what to say. After a few minutes of making everyone squirm, come back out and explain it was all a joke. In my circles/family, people would find that hilarious!

And instantly, you give people a very funny story to tell at your wedding.
posted by dnesan at 6:42 AM on May 21 [1 favorite]

Get and wear a huge, hideous, gaudy, fake "diamond" bling-ring. Cracker-jack box style engagement ring.

Years ago, my Mom and I had lunch with a friend of mine. Friend apparently spent lunch hiding her left hand (ring) because her parents didn't know yet. At dessert, she blurted it out and displayed the ring. It was sweet.
posted by theora55 at 6:53 AM on May 21

If you took any videos or pics of your vacation, put them online, with some offhand reference to the engagment embedded therein. When you see your peeps, tell them that you wanna show them vacation pix/video. When they get to the engagement part, deny it outright in the face of all the evidence including the ring on your finger. "What are you talking about? Wedding?"
posted by not_on_display at 9:32 AM on May 21

I don't have a great suggestion for creative ways (all of the previous suggestions seem really good) but as the friend to many an engaged woman, I just wanted to give some advice-- please don't be offended or hurt if you put a lot of effort into sharing the news and you friends don't react in the way you're anticipating (crying, screaming).
posted by ishotjr at 6:22 PM on May 21

Thanks, ishotjr, for the advice. Honestly, I expect that most people won't cry or scream, but as long as everyone is happy about it (which I'm sure they will be!), I'll be happy too!

TedW and not_on_display: you're reading my mind! On it.
posted by pised at 12:18 AM on May 22