Marriage and birth announcements

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liaconn

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Does anyone understand why people still announce their engagements or the birth of their children in the national newspapers. I could understand it years ago when people didn't have phones, internet, texting etc but it just seems a bit pointless now. Surely anyone who's really interested will hear very quickly on the grapevine so you're only really making the announcement to total strangers.
I can understand it with deaths as a huge number of people have to be informed very quickly of the funeral arrangements and the family are often in no state to do this or wouldn't even necessarily know all of the people who would like to be informed.
 
liaconn said:
Does anyone understand why people still announce their engagements or the birth of their children in the national newspapers. I could understand it years ago when people didn't have phones, internet, texting etc but it just seems a bit pointless now.
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I understand totally. Because it's a nice thing to do, marking a very important life event and the newspaper is a lovely keepsake/souvenir of the announcement. Guessing you haven't had kids yourself or been engaged?
 
Maybe as a keepsake. The same as anniversary notices. You say about death notices being ok, but your mentioned telephone, internet etc could apply the same to a death.
 
Smashbox said:
Maybe as a keepsake. The same as anniversary notices. You say about death notices being ok, but your mentioned telephone, internet etc could apply the same to a death.
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Not really. Read the 2nd para of my post.
 
enoxy said:
I understand totally. Because it's a nice thing to do, marking a very important life event and the newspaper is a lovely keepsake/souvenir of the announcement. Guessing you haven't had kids yourself or been engaged?
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No I haven't but loads and loads of my friends and relatives have and didn't publicly announce it in the national newspapers. My parents did because it was many years ago and it was the quickest way to let people know. I'm not criticising, just curious as to why people still use such a method of making a non urgent announcement in this day and age.
 
I didn't even realise that this ever happened. I can't see why a newspaper article would be seen as a sentimental keepsake, surely there are enough cards, photos etc that are more personal? Each to their own I guess.
 
MrMan said:
I didn't even realise that this ever happened. I can't see why a newspaper article would be seen as a sentimental keepsake, surely there are enough cards, photos etc that are more personal? Each to their own I guess.
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It's not intended for us hoi polloi but for the aristocracy or those who think they are...;)
 
I love reading the birth announcements ... to see the unusual names people are giving their off-spring!
 
Vanilla said:
It's not intended for us hoi polloi but for the aristocracy or those who think they are...;)
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Good point. It is a bit pretentious in this day and age really. I doubt very much that most people do it to have a keepsake of the event. As someone else said you have plenty of photos etc to remind you of the occasion.
 
I always remember reading a birth notice where the family were thanking God for the birth of their 13th child. The first thought that sprung to mind was that surely they couldn't leave it at unlucky 13 :confused:

Can never understand people reading the death notices every day to see who has died. Its such a depressing pastime and I just can't bear to read about young children dying.
 
Sue Ellen said:
Can never understand people reading the death notices every day to see who has died. Its such a depressing pastime and I just can't bear to read about young children dying.
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I have a colleague who reads the death notices before looking at the front page of the paper....It's always driven me mad! If she knows any of the people she'll then give me a run down of who they are and who they are related to and their life story - says herself that she loves a good funeral...

I don't know anyone who puts announcements in the papers about marriages or births - but perhaps it is the "done thing" in some families?

My father sometimes leaves the parish newsletter lying around at his house and I do like to read the birth notices to see the names chosen.
 
Sue Ellen said:
I always remember reading a birth notice where the family were thanking God for the birth of their 13th child. The first thought that sprung to mind was that surely they couldn't leave it at unlucky 13 :confused:

Can never understand people reading the death notices every day to see who has died. Its such a depressing pastime and I just can't bear to read about young children dying.
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If you live in the country, the death notices are often the first page people turn to, especially the older generation, to see if there are any funerals they have to go to.
 
I find myself listening to the death notices on Shannonside radio, never realised I got in to such a habit!
 
Sue Ellen said:
Can never understand people reading the death notices every day to see who has died.
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In business I find it very important to check death notices each day. There's nothing worse than a client telling you weeks after the event that a mother/father/spouse etc. has died and having missed it.
 
liaconn said:
Does anyone understand why people still announce their engagements or the birth of their children in the national newspapers.
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Well, I have done this - engagement + the birth of my two children.

I never gave it a second thought. It was a tradition I was raised in and one that many of the people I went through school and college with also subscribe to.

My father was a civil servant and my mother is of the generation that had to resign from paid employment once married. We're not aristocrats, nor do we have pretensions to same.

What's the issue ? Read them. Don't read them. Move on.
 
Not an issue, Tarfhead, I was just pondering on the reasons why people still do this. I know you did it out of tradition but, even though my parents did it I wouldn't as I think we have loads of other means of communication nowadays and don't see the necessity. Just interesting to hear other people's views.
 
Its essential to read the death notices. If you have friends and someone close to them dies they will notice that you did not attend the funeral and may be upset. This may sound strange but anyone who has experienced the death of a family member will appreciate very much those who attended.
 
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