When Gibran asked me to marry him (and I accepted), I was tempted to update my status before I’d even called my friends and family. (Guilty!) Yup, I confess to being a Facebook addict, just like most of you. As far as I’m concerned, uploading pictures of lunch or bragging about a great party is harmless social-networking fun. That is of course until you’re engaged. Ladies, I know it’s tempting to want to share your engagement news, wedding details, and every darn thing in between on your wall. But, I beg you to proceed with caution before you spill all your bridal beans on Facebook. Why? Because if you’re not careful, one impulsive post can cause you more drama than you may be prepared to handle. So, I offer you my 10 Dos and Don’ts for being engaged on Facebook. Some of these lessons I recently learned the hard way, and the rest I picked up by watching other brides. Enjoy!

DON’T announce your engagement on Facebook if you’re still friends with a crazy or jealous ex. He will see it, and he will openly hate on you two. Come on, what did you think would happen?

DON’T ask your girls to be your bridesmaids via wall post. Now you’re just being plain lazy. It’s a special honor that deserves a special phone call (and probably even a card!). Bombing this one is a sure-fire way to piss off your bridesmaids early on.

DO learn the difference between a wall post and a private message. Sure you can ask a friend for their mailing address by posting on their wall, but do you really think they’re going to answer that one publicly?

DON’T post angry rants about your future mother in law in your status. There isn’t a privacy setting out there that can keep that one under wraps. He won’t be happy, and you’ll be seriously wishing you’d just vented to your girls on the phone.

DON’T make your status “Engaged” or “Married” before you really are. It only confuses people when the time actually comes. Plus, it takes all the fun out of the real thing.

DO post pics of the boy and the bling. Once you announce your engagement people are going to start asking for all the juicy details. So go ahead and brag a little.

DON’T post about save-the-dates or invitations if you’re not planning to send them to everyone on your friend list. If you do, all of the “I didn’t get mine yet” or “I’m invited to your wedding right!?!” messages start flooding your inbox. The trouble is, usually those messages come from the people you didn’t actually invite. Um…awkward!

DON’T post about where you’re registered. This is almost as tacky as asking for “monetary gifts only” in your invitations or save the dates. If you must get the word out, try an app like facebook.com/weddingbuzz instead. It lets you store wedding info and publish updates whenever there’s a change.

DO pick and choose which details to share. Putting all your wedding info out there may excite you, but ask yourself this: How many people really care about how your cake tasting went?

DO network with Facebook vendors. “Like” your planner or deejay’s page and make frequent visits. You’ll get to know each other a lot better before your big day (which makes for great day-of chemistry) and if you get really really cool, you might be able to negotiate a discount or two down the line.

Brides, have you had any recent Facebook-related wedding drama? Share your stories and add a DO or DON’T to my list.

Check out more of Charli’s The Road to Mrs. blog posts here.