Engagement Seen As More Than A Promise

For most couples the engagement marks the beginning of planning a life together and is considered a promise to be married in most countries.

Traditionally, a period of engagement begins when a man asks a woman to marry them, presents the woman with a ring and she accepts the proposal. However, that tradition is sometimes overlooked and the woman will ask the man to a promise to be married.

In Ireland, February 29, which only shows up on the calendar once every four years, is considered the only acceptable day on which a woman can propose to a man.

In many cultures, the engagement announcement is a part of a religious ceremony and wedding banns are read during a church service. This practice is to make the intention of being married known and allow for those that may object to the wedding the opportunity to object at the time the announcement is made.

In the western culture, the acceptance of a proposal typically sparks a flurry of phone calls to friends and relatives as the intended bride announces her engagement.

From a legal stance, most states consider an engagement, including the giving of a ring to be a verbal contract and if only one party wants to end the contract, it could end up litigated in court. Most states also consider the ring a provisional gift and if the marriage is called off, the ring has to be returned to the giver.

Period Before Wedding Used For Planning

In most cases, once a couple becomes engaged, it may take a few more weeks before they decide on a date for their wedding.

The time spent between the agreement to be wed is made and the ceremony, commonly known as the period of engagement, is typically used to plan the wedding and the couple's plans following the ceremony. In some instances, the couple will send out engagement announcements, which serves as an indication that a wedding will be planned with details to be announced later.

Typically, a bride's family will make the engagement announcement through publication in local newspapers, usually once a tentative date has been selected, but it is not unusual for early announcements to lack any details on dates or location. Formal, written announcements may also be sent to family and close friends, advising them to be prepared to schedule time for an upcoming wedding.

Depending on their religious beliefs, an announcement is also made during a church service to meet the requirement of banns beings taken through the order.