News of an engagement travels pretty fast that is why it may be best to tell multiple people at once. If one relative tells another this may make things easier for you but it may leave the relatives who found out secondhand feeling hurt or angry. A good way to ensure that you are the one telling those closest to you is by have a family dinner. You may need to hold 2 or 3 small get together to tell who's most important in your lives before sending out a general announcement.

These events should be held within one week of becoming engaged, if at all possible Do not give into temptation and start telling people before the dinner, keep it a secret. Since you are trying to make sure no one finds out before this event make sure not to tell anyone beforehand. For this reason you will want to schedule these dinners as close to the engagement date as possible.

If the two families have not met yet or are not on good terms the dinners should be separate. If they have not met you should try to have a get together for the two families soon afterwards, at least one with the two of you and the parents. Throwing separate dinners or even one big party at once will ensure that everyone hears the happy news from you. This way you can let the people closest to you know before the announcement goes out. This should be well before the dinner. You should let them talk about how they feel about the situation, and let them openly express themselves. The children should be told as soon as the engagement occurs. They should be told immediately after the acceptance and given a little time to adjust before the dinner party. Also let them know that you do not want them to tell anyone until after the immediate family is told at the party.

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