Wedding Announcement Etiquette

What are you to do if the cute little chapel that you want to use for your wedding can’t accommodate a large crowd? What if you want a destination wedding, but it’s too far or too expensive for most people to attend? Do you invite them anyway and just not expect much? No, you send a wedding announcement instead.

What is a wedding announcement and what is the proper wedding announcement etiquette? That is what you are about to learn. A wedding announcement, unlike a wedding invitation, isn’t mailed until the day of the wedding or a day or two after.

This is to ensure that the person receiving it does not mistake it for an invitation. However, the wording should prevent that mistake, as well. Usually, wedding announcement etiquette says that these are sent to friends or family that were not invited to the ceremony for whatever reason that made that impossible.

Wedding announcements can also go to business associates that might need to know the name change or address change or colleagues that are friends but not close enough to be included in the ceremony.

If you are lucky enough to be able to invite everyone that you consider important enough to know about your marriage, then you may skip sending wedding announcements altogether.

If you do send wedding announcements, who announces it? That can be handled two ways by wedding announcement etiquette. If the parents hosted the wedding, it is especially appropriate that they are the ones doing the announcing.

However, it is also acceptable for the couple to make the announcement themselves. If you eloped, it would only make sense that you announce it yourself.

In the case of elopements, etiquette for wedding announcements allows an inclusion of a post-event reception. Normally, however, a wedding announcement should not be seen as asking for a gift.

It should be more like the engagement announcement that most read in the society page of the newspaper; strictly to inform. The wording of the announcement will be past tense so that it is clear the wedding has already taken place.

Just like the invitations, everything is spelled out. The place and time that the wedding was held are included, as well. You can also include a card with your new address if that has changed.

Many styles of wedding announcements are available. You can even have them match your wedding invitations. They are also addressed exactly the wedding invitations with a double envelope.

The outer envelope has the same formal titles and names with the inner envelope having the title and last name only. The formats for the different situations are also the same.

Some are wedding announcements are more formal and some are more casual and fun. You can pick any of these to suit your style rather than having to stay with a formal announcement because you think it is proper etiquette.