The Sweetest Engagement Congratulations Quotes to Send to the Happy Couple

Whether your lifelong best friend just popped the big question or a family member just said "yes" to the love of their life, odds are that someone you know and love is getting engaged right now, and you want to express to them just how happy you are. It's such an exciting time!

But coming up with the perfect way to say "congratulations"—without just saying "congratulations"—can be really hard! You don't want to sound cliché, and you do want the well-wishes to sound personal since this is a couple you really care about. Fear not: We've compiled a list of the best engagement congratulations quotes sourced from great works of literature, movies, and cultural icons. Read on for tips and inspiration.

When Should I Congratulate Someone Who Got Engaged?

As soon as you hear the news! If the couple has announced their engagement on social media, feel free to comment your congrats on the post, but it's also nice to send them a separate message, too—either a card in the mail, a heartfelt text, or an email—to express your excitement and congratulations. If the couple calls you directly and hasn't posted publicly about the event, don't post anything on social media (you don't want to steal their thunder!) and instead send them a private message or a card after the phone conversation.

What Should I Include in an Engagement Congratulation?

As you sit down to write (or type) your engagement congratulations message to your friends or family, keep in mind that it doesn't have to be complex or lengthy. If you know the couple very well—like if this is your best friend or a sibling—you can make your message a bit longer, and maybe include a sweet anecdote about when you met their now-fiancé (but remember to leave some stories for a speech at the wedding). If this is a friend but not someone you know super well, feel free to keep it short and sweet but from the heart.

We also love the idea of making your congratulations message extra special by including a quote about love and romance. Think of how much this will stand out to the couple, and they'll have a sweet message to look back at for years to come!

Engagement Congratulations Quotes From Literature

For a dose of timeless romance, these are our favorite literary quotes to use in your engagement congratulations message:

• “He's more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.” - Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights
• “Wherever you are is my home, my only home.” Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre
• "My bounty is as boundless as the sea, My love as deep. The more I give to thee, The more I have, for both are infinite." - William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet
• “'Why do we have to listen to our hearts?' the boy asked. 'Because, wherever your heart is, that is where you will find your treasure.'"- Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
• “You have been the last dream of my soul.” - Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities
• “Doubt thou the stars are fire; doubt that the sun doth move; doubt truth to be a liar; but never doubt I love.” - William Shakespeare, Hamlet

Engagement Congratulations Quotes From Cultural Figures

When congratulating a loved one on this huge step in life, turning to the words of a cultural icon—from authors to musicians, actors to politicians—for a quote about love is the perfect way to express your happiness for the couple. Here are a few of our favorites:

• “You don’t love someone for their looks, or their clothes, or for their fancy car, but because they sing a song only you can hear.” - Oscar Wilde
• “Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.” - Aristotle
• “You are the butter to my bread and the breath to my life.” - Julia Child
• “The best thing to hold onto in life is each other.” - Audrey Hepburn
• "Where there is love there is life." — Mahatma Gandhi
• "There is no more lovely, friendly, and charming relationship, communion or company than a good marriage." — Martin Luther
• "Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get—only with what you are expecting to give—which is everything." — Katharine Hepburn
• "Life is the flower for which love is the honey." — Victor Hugo
• "Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality." — Emily Dickinson
• "Love is the key to peace and happiness in life." - Stevie Wonder

Engagement Congratulations Quotes From Movies

Especially if the engaged couple is a pair of movie buffs, why not turn to the silver screen for some romantic inspiration? Here are some movie quotes about love that we think are perfect for congratulating your newly engaged loved ones:

• "To me, you are perfect." — Love Actually
• "It doesn’t matter if the guy is perfect or the girl is perfect, as long as they are perfect for each other." — Good Will Hunting
• "When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible." - When Harry Met Sally
• “If you’re a bird, I’m a bird.” - The Notebook
• "You want the moon? Just say the word, and I'll throw a lasso around it and pull it down." - It's a Wonderful Life
• “It’s like in that moment the whole universe existed just to bring us together.” - Serendipity
• "You don't marry someone you can live with, you marry the person you cannot live without." - P.S. I Love You
• "Our love is like the wind. I can't see it, but I can feel it." —A Walk to Remember