Traditionally, any engagement would have been formalized between the families of the couple – with the couple themselves being quite passive in this. Often the groom’s father or a male elder would speak for the groom – both in the proposal and, eventually, during the wedding! The elder would then place a bottle of drink on the table and if the bride’s father drank from it, this was the sign that the proposal had been accepted!
Modern Estonian engagements don’t necessarily adhere to these old traditions, although the families taking a drink together to celebrate the engagement might well still happen if the couple are having a formal engagement party.