Announcing engagements and births in the newspaper

Yes for deaths but absolutely not for anything else. Why would you these days?

I have seen weddings documented in gossip magazines, from families with nobility titles - pretentious in my opinion

For some years I have been a reader on Talking Newspapers for the Blind. We put as much news from the local paper as is possible to put on. But whatever had to be cut, for lack of space never cut the hatches matches and despatches. These announcements enabled blind people to still be part of the community and get the news like everyone else. They could rerun to check what they wanted to hear.

i've never known anyone to put births/marriages in the paper.
but then i'm not posh.
deaths are different, for reasons stated above.

Death notices can still be useful. Marriages and births surely not of any significance to anyone other than those who would already know via friends and family.

But surely you will only see the announcement on Facebook of an engagement or a birth if you are "friends" of the person making the announcement?

An announcement in the paper will quite often be seen by those who have lost touch with an old school-friend or distant relation.

Another point is that most of us have quite a lot to do when either planning a wedding, expecting a baby, or arranging a funeral.

Placing an ad. in the paper takes one person one phone call or e-mail.

My experience of trying to contact those whom I am not in frequent contact with by phone or email is that at least three out of any number larger than ten will have changed either their phone no. or their e-mail address since I last was in touch.

Leaving me with nothing except an automated e-mail stating that my email was not able to be delivered. Worse - you text or phone a mobile phone no. and find yourself in communication with a total stranger who somehow has been awared your second cousin's former number.

This can actually be quite embarrassing.

I have more than once been greeted with, "I have no idea who you are, or what you are talking about." a statement some of those younger than I apparently do not find discourteous, but which I find extremely rude.

I had to bite my tongue hard not to reply as my grandmother would, "Good manners cost nowt, young woman!"

My DH wants his death put into his hometown paper, so I will do it he left there I 1976 and only has a niece living there. Me no my only family live round the corner, don't have a home town.

I always read the births, deaths and marriages. If you are interested in names and ancestry then it is interesting. I put my children and grandchildren’s births in the paper.

<I have more than once been greeted with, "I have no idea who you are, or what you are talking about." a statement some of those younger than I apparently do not find discourteous, but which I find extremely rude>

that is somewhat brusque maybe and to the point.
but is it really rude ? i don't see that. it is clear and concise.

I read of a very good friend’s death on FB - I found that very difficult but came to the conclusion social media is now the equivalent of newspapers.

Very rarely in our local paper. Death notices and in memorials are still posted.

Except we just stopped getting the local paper. Very little in it of interest that ai can't find out on Facebook!!

No just deaths really

My MIL wanted to announce our marriage in the paper. My FIL wouldn't let her as he said we wouldn't last long and then they'd be a laughing stock!!

Our local papers are still going strong and often have two pages of Births, Marriages, Deaths and In Memorium notices. It's nice to see formal announcements are still popular with some people. However Death notices are sometimes used by the criminal fraternity as a route to extorting money, or burgling properties while the relatives are at the funeral. That happened to a neighbour a few years ago, so cruel.

grandtanteJE65

But surely you will only see the announcement on Facebook of an engagement or a birth if you are "friends" of the person making the announcement?

An announcement in the paper will quite often be seen by those who have lost touch with an old school-friend or distant relation.

Another point is that most of us have quite a lot to do when either planning a wedding, expecting a baby, or arranging a funeral.

Placing an ad. in the paper takes one person one phone call or e-mail.

My experience of trying to contact those whom I am not in frequent contact with by phone or email is that at least three out of any number larger than ten will have changed either their phone no. or their e-mail address since I last was in touch.

Leaving me with nothing except an automated e-mail stating that my email was not able to be delivered. Worse - you text or phone a mobile phone no. and find yourself in communication with a total stranger who somehow has been awared your second cousin's former number.

This can actually be quite embarrassing.

I have more than once been greeted with, "I have no idea who you are, or what you are talking about." a statement some of those younger than I apparently do not find discourteous, but which I find extremely rude.

I had to bite my tongue hard not to reply as my grandmother would, "Good manners cost nowt, young woman!"

I agree with you in relation to death announcements. But why on earth would people you haven't seen or had anything to do with for years want to know about your engagement or new baby?

Happysexagenarian

My MIL wanted to announce our marriage in the paper. My FIL wouldn't let her as he said we wouldn't last long and then they'd be a laughing stock!!

Our local papers are still going strong and often have two pages of Births, Marriages, Deaths and In Memorium notices. It's nice to see formal announcements are still popular with some people. However Death notices are sometimes used by the criminal fraternity as a route to extorting money, or burgling properties while the relatives are at the funeral. That happened to a neighbour a few years ago, so cruel.

Yes, those people are a particular type of low life. Sad losers completely devoid of compassion.

This may be UPSETTING for some Gransnetters, I'm sorry.

How would you feel if the local paper decided to print a front page article about the sudden death of your baby DD in the weekly edition without anyone in the family having any knowledge/warning of this happening?

That happened to us over 40 years ago, DD died on the Sunday morning and the ambulance crew, the GP and the coroner were all very kind. On the following Thursday we had her funeral and later that day I picked up the local rag Christmas issue to find the headline "Baby found dead in cot" on the front page and the details in the article were totally wrong.

Even now I want to get my hands on the idiot that wrote a pack of lies and do certain things that I cannot write here!

More than anything this event taught me to never believe anything in the press.

chocolatepudding we had something similar. Someone in the family committed suicide and the inquest was reported in the paper. His ex-wife was reported as saying some pretty nasty and untrue things and it caused a rift in the family. Fortunately his brother was also at the inquest and was able to report to the family what actually was said, but it took a long time before everyone in the family became aware of the actual proceedings and in the meantime the ex-wife took a lot of flack. But the incorrect report on the inquest is there in black and white for all time now.