Offer your congratulations. When your friend first announces her or his engagement, she or he is likely to be very excited. It's a big moment in anyone's life, and it is normally important to the newly-betrothed that their friends and family share in their joy. When your friend first tells you her or his plans, be happy for her or him and offer your congratulations. Hugs, kisses, tears and laughter are all appropriate. Hopefully this will come naturally!

Sakura ducked as a kunai whizzed past where her head used to be, then struck a low blow at one of Naruto's approaching bunshins. "So, Lee and I are getting married," she commented casually, dodging under Sasuke's sword arm and attempting to strike him in the abdomen. "He proposed last night. The wedding's in April." Unfortunately, the news didn't surprise either of her teammates into openings, as she had hoped. Sasuke whirled and made a back-handed swipe at her with the flat of the blade. It connected, sending her flying back into three of Naruto's bunshin as well as Naruto himself. The former promptly poofed out of existence as the latter pulled out a kunai and placed the blade at her neck, even as he was responding with "Ow. Congratulations!"

"Hn," Sasuke added, sheathing his sword. "First blood to Naruto. Let's go again."

Obtain an engagement present. You might like to give your friend a present to help celebrate her or his engagement. Champagne is sometimes a good option. Alternatively you could club together with some friends to treat the couple to an experience they can share together, like a weekend at a fancy hotel, but be sure to respect any religious beliefs that your friend may have about proper boundaries before the marriage.

"So," Ino asked Sasuke casually after a briefing at the Hokage's office. "What are you getting Sakura?"

Sasuke racked his mind for various present-giving holidays that he might have missed. Retrieving a blank, he condescendingly asked the question, "For what?"

ooo

Later that day found Sasuke pounding on Naruto's door as loudly as he could without breaking it down, and to hell with the neighbors or the fact that Naruto had just gotten back from a week-long mission. Naruto opened it sleepily. "Whazzat?" he asked in true shinobi fashion.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at his teammate's sloppy form. "We need to get Sakura a Wedding Present," he announced in clipped tones.

"Present?" Naruto returned intelligently, rubbing his eyes.

ooo

Very late that night, or very early the next morning, depending on who was counting, Sakura's doorbell rang. Imagining the worst, she hurriedly threw on a robe and rushed to answer it. On the other side were a very harried looking Naruto and Sasuke. They were holding between them what appeared to be one of Naruto's potted plants.

"We got you a wedding present," Naruto announced proudly, beaming good will to all man-kind.

Sakura accepted it without question.

Get to know your friend's partner. Now that your friend has decided to marry, it will be more important than ever that her or his friends and her or his partner get to know each other. If you haven't already done so, make the effort to get to know your friend's new spouse-to-be. Treat them as a unit by inviting them to things together. If for some reason you really can't stand the new partner, then you need to put in a bit of extra work. Try organizing group events to invite them to; that way you can get to know the partner without having to speak to him or her all the time. Remember that meeting the friends can be a nerve-wracking experience, so the partner could be acting out of character due to nerves. Give it time. You friend obviously sees something in this person, so he or she can't be all bad!

Naruto knocked on Lee's door one evening, while Sasuke sulked awkwardly in the background. Lee opened it with some surprise, though he made a Manly Effort not to show it.

"Come on," Naruto said to Lee, "Let's go for a drink."

Accept the wedding invitation. At some point during the engagement you will (hopefully) receive an official invitation to the wedding. The wedding day is traditionally hosted by the parents of the bride, and so the invitation will often be sent on their behalf. A traditional wedding invitation will often read something like: "Mr. and Mrs. Edward Evenett request the pleasure of the company of Claire Randall at the wedding of Alice and Sam at St. Paul's Church..." and so on. They will often request an RSVP by a certain date. The invitation may instruct you on how to do this, but if not you should reply by writing a short letter to the address on the invitation.

Sakura handed her teammates the wedding invitations before they started training that day. Both boys stared at them blankly. Finally Sasuke accepted his, opened it, and read it as Naruto peered over his shoulder. Then he folded it up carefully, handed it back to Sakura, and stared at her with the same expression. Finally he asked her tentatively, "You do remember telling us about this, right?"

"Yes…," Sakura answered.

"And you remember keeping us updated on almost every detail?" he continued in the same tone. Sakura nodded slowly.

"And you definitely remember checking with us a week ago about the date?"

Sakura sighed. "Of course."

"Then why did you give us wedding invitations?" Naruto cut in, obviously perplexed.

Sakura paused, as though trying to dumb her answer down so that two nineteen-year-old boys with no girlfriends of their own would understand. Finally she looked them in the eye and said, "Call it a girl thing."

Help organize the stag and hen nights or bachelor/bachelorette parties. If you are best man or maid of honor, it is traditionally your responsibility to organize the "last night of freedom" before marriage. Apart from the logistics, you also have the responsibility of looking after the bride or groom on the big night. You need to walk a fine line between making sure they have a party they will never forget, and stitching them up completely. You should bear in mind though that their partner will hold you responsible for their loved one's safety and well being, and will not appreciate any lasting damage or permanent tattoos.

Sasuke knocked hesitantly on Lee's door, while Naruto pretended to be very interested in the balcony. Lee opened it and beamed at them.

Sasuke gathered his courage. "Come on, Lee. It's your last free night. Let's go get a cup of tea."

Decide what to wear. You've been invited to share the most important day in your friend's life, so you should make an effort to look your best. Start planning early so you can dress smartly. Men should wear a suit and tie. Women should take the oppurtunity to wear a dress. Alternatively they could wear a nice top and skirt/trousers. The important thing is not to dress down as dressing up is a mark of respect for the bride and groom. You should also remember that weddings are an expensive business, and someone is paying for you to be there. Jeans and a T-shirt are a definite no-no. If for any reason you can't attend, then send a card with a message of best wishes. You are now ready to share in your friends' big day. Enjoy it!

Sasuke woke one morning to Sakura in his room with Naruto standing behind her sheepishly sporting a black eye. He put down the kunai he was about to disembowel them with and blinked. "Get dressed," Sakura announced brightly, "we're going shopping."

ooo

AN: Pure crack, as you can see. –grin– This was written by a really good friend of mine and I after seeing a wikiHow article on How to Be Supportive When Your Friend Gets Engaged. I figured I'd share with all of you, since I've got a bit of writer's block for Best Days and I'm not sure when it'll be out next. Just my luck I'd finally get time to write and then not be able to do it… If you want to read the article, it's here: Enjoy, and feel free to review and tell me what you think!