Sample Wedding Announcements
Wedding announcements were once thought of as the after-thought wedding stationery but with so many destination weddings and weddings held far away from the bride and groom’s families, wedding announcements are becoming more important than ever. Whether you’ve just returned from your elopement or have many long-distance relatives that couldn’t be at the ceremony, the wedding announcements are a great way to make people who couldn’t be there feel included.
What to Include
Wedding announcements can be sent by the parents of the bride or the parents of both the bride and the groom. They can also be as informal or as formal as you would like them to be so although there are some things that you must include, you can also get a little more creative with these announcements than you may have been with your other wedding stationery. Because the wedding announcements not only inform people that you have gotten married but they also let people know if you have changed your name as well as what your new address is, they need to always include: the name of the bride and groom, with the bride’s maiden name listed; the new address; the date of the ceremony; and the location of the ceremony. You can also include some details of the ceremony to make the announcements more personal.
From the Bride’s Parents
Traditionally the bride’s parents are the ones to send the announcement. This is a sample of a wedding announcement from the bride’s parents with a formal tone:
Victoria and Peter Smith
have the honor of announcing
the marriage of their daughter,
Kathryn,
To
Mr. Brent Thomas Elliott
on Saturday, the 16th of August
2008
Little Rock Church
Little Rock, Arkansas
But even if tradition states that the bride’s parents send the wedding announcement, it doesn’t state that it must be formal. If your parents wish to send the announcement but want to keep it within a fun tone to fit a fun wedding, they may wish to word it differently such as,
“Kathryn and Brent just got back from the beach…
….where they eloped!”
Just be sure that all the other important information is included as well. If the groom’s parents wish to send the wedding announcements and the bride’s parents are in agreement with that, the same formats can be followed but the groom’s parents’ names would be placed at the top of the announcement and the son’s name would be announced first.
From the Couple
It’s also perfectly acceptable for you to send the wedding announcements with your fiancĂ© and this is a very popular choice among couples who have just returned from eloping. These too can be either formal or informal, depending on which you prefer and the tone of wedding you had. Here’s a sample of a wedding announcement sent by the couple:
“We’re so excited to tell you…
We got married!!!
On a beautiful day, on a beautiful mountaintop,
Tamara Morgan and Michael Lavery
began a beautiful marriage!
The ceremony was held on
June 7, 2008
Although you couldn’t be there, please know you were in our thoughts as we started
our lives together!”
