After telling your family and close friends, social media is the next place that most people turn to announce their engagement!

Whether its posting a #ringselfie on Instagram or changing your relationship status on Facebook, chances are hundreds of people will now be notified about your upcoming wedding. But considering that you probably are Facebook friends with or follow many more people that you’re inviting, there are a few things to consider when it comes to being social about your wedding.

1-Make sure to tell the most important people in your life about your engagement before uploading anything! Your first reaction is probably to call/Facetime your parents, siblings and grandparents followed shortly by best friends. But think about how your cousins or aunt might feel to find out on social media versus any sort of personal contact. That’s not to say, that messaging them on Facebook about it isn’t wring, just try to be personal. Emily Post (etiquette queen) says to think if there’s anybody else on the list who might be hurt if they found out second-hand. So while yes, you’re extremely excited, you don’t have to post within hours of saying “yes!” all of your friends/followers will understand.

2-Make a private Facebook group for your bridal party or even all of your guests. No one likes having FOMO. While everyone is undoubtedly excited for your upcoming wedding, you don’t need to announce to everyone on your timeline “send in your RSVPs we’re still missing 12!” That basically says “hey we already sent out the invites and no you’re not invited.” Facebook’s private group feature is a great way to use social media to your advantage without dangling in front of everyone. You can also make one just for your bridesmaids or whole bridal party. It’s an easy way to share ideas and communicate back and forth without blowing up everyone’s phones in a group message.

3- Be careful what you say in your posts. Some of this goes without saying, but anyone can screenshot anything nowadays. So if you went dress shopping with your FMIL and she said something you disagreed with, don’t post about it on your Facebook or even Twitter, even though she doesn’t have those platforms. Chances are someone you know ( i.e. your fiancé’s family) might see it and could say something to her. Keep your negative thoughts to yourself or a safe venting source, no need to ruffle feathers this way leading up to the big day!

4- Don’t post all of your wedding details online. We know, you’re extremely excited. But there is some method to not sharing everything. If you plan on having a B-list for your invites, don’t post a boomerang of a stack of invitations going in the mail. Then your B-listers will know for sure they’re on the B-list. Also be careful of who you send pictures of things too. While you might want to share everything with your aunt, you never know what technology could accidentally post. When you’re honeymooning, sharing is exciting, but you’re also letting everyone know you’re not in your home and won’t be for a while. All that being said, tag us in your “I found the dress” posts on Instagram, we won’t tell!

5- Photos. When it comes to photos of your wedding, there is a lot to keep in mind. Nowadays, most couples set up a wedding hashtag for their guests to use to sort all of the photos from the big day. Another important thing to express with social media and photos is whether or not you want an unplugged ceremony. Your guests will be so excited to watch you walk down the aisle, that they’ll want to whip their phones out to share it right away. Make sure you express your views on it early so that doesn’t happen if you don’t want it to.

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