You’ve got exciting news! How should you tell the world? We’ll break down whether you should ‘hard launch’ or ‘soft launch’ your engagement.
This article brought to you by Alli Murphy Photography, a Brides of Long Island Preferred Vendor!
Social media makes it easy to stay in touch with literally everyone — from distant relatives to old high school besties. Our networks are bigger than ever, and that means you’ll have a much larger audience for the major events in your life.
That is, if you choose to make those “major events” public knowledge. There’s nothing that says you have to announce every single detail of your life to everyone you’ve ever known, but there is something nice about sharing joyful news (like an engagement!) with your followers.
So now that you’ve got the ring, should you ‘hard launch’ or ‘soft launch’ your engagement?
‘Hard Launch’ vs. ‘Soft Launch’
What do these terms mean anyway?
A ‘hard launch’ is a bold public announcement that leaves no questions asked. Think close up selfies with your ring in prominent view, with captions like “I said yes!” posted hours (or even minutes!) after your proposal. You may tag your friends and family in the post, change your Instagram bio to “the future Mrs.” with a ring emoji, or make a TikTok chronicling your relationship with your engagement as the finale.
A ‘soft launch’ is way more subtle. There’s no close ups of the ring, no captions about wedding planning, no juicy details or highlight reels. You may post an image with your ring in view, or talk about how much you love your partner, but there’s nothing there that explicitly states your engagement.
Image courtesy of Heritage House Photography
Why choose a ‘hard launch’?
Big announcements come with big fanfare. If you love seeing your likes and comments skyrocket, a hard launch of your engagement will surely do the trick. Sharing your news in an exciting way adds even more excitement and momentum to your news. You’ll be flooded with well wishes and congratulations, sometimes from people you haven’t spoken to in ages. It’s a great way to connect (or re-connect) with lots of different people in your lives.
It also saves time. No need to text all your friends and family members individually, a hard launch does it for you. Plus, all of the “engagement” (no pun intended) you get will boost your post in the algorithm, which means more people in your network will see it.
Why choose a ‘soft launch’?
You may decide that you’d like to celebrate your engagement quietly at first, with only your fiancé. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that! Soft launches allow for greater intimacy and privacy, which many of us crave with the constant presence of social media.
Soft launches also allow you to control the spread of information. While everyone will be overjoyed at your news, let’s face it — we all have that friend or family member that will be a bit hurt if they aren’t the FIRST to find out. With a soft launch, you can tell your VIPs first so they’ll remain feeling very important.
Additionally, a soft launch may be the way to go if you’re planning on a small wedding. If you tell your whole network right away, chances are they’ll be some people expecting an invite that would have never made the guest list.
Image courtesy of RF Films | Photography
Should you hard launch or soft launch your engagement?
The decision is totally up to you…and your fiancé.
It’s super important that both of you are on the same page where announcements are concerned — especially if one of you is a lot more active on social media than the other. Before you post anything, talk it over with them and come to an agreement (or, at the very least, a compromise). You’ll both want to feel as if your boundaries are respected.
There are pros and cons to both, and one decision is not better than the other. The right decision is the one that’s right for you and your fiancé!
Deciding not to ‘launch’ at all
There’s absolutely nothing that says you have to make your engagement public in any way. If you’re more comfortable keeping the news entirely private, then that’s the way to go!