Wedding Announcement Examples: Sample Ideas & Examples

Wedding Announcement Examples That Actually Work

Okay so wedding announcements are basically how you tell the world you got married, and there’s like a million ways to do it wrong which honestly drives me crazy because it’s not that complicated but people overthink it constantly. I had this client in spring 2023 who wanted to send announcements before the wedding and I was like no no no that’s an invitation, completely different thing, and we had to have this whole conversation about timing that could’ve been avoided.

First thing you gotta understand is when you even need announcements. They’re for people who weren’t invited to your wedding OR people who were invited but couldn’t come. If someone got an invitation and showed up, they don’t need an announcement because like… they were there. They know you got married. But your mom’s college roommate who you’ve never met? Your dad’s coworkers? Random relatives from three states away? Yeah, they get announcements.

Formal Traditional Announcements

The super traditional format looks something like this and you can literally copy this template:

Mr. and Mrs. Robert James Sullivan
have the honour of announcing
the marriage of their daughter
Katherine Anne
to
Mr. Michael David Chen
son of Mr. and Mrs. David Chen
Saturday, the fifteenth of June
two thousand twenty-four
Saint Mary’s Cathedral
Boston, Massachusetts

Notice it’s “have the honour of announcing” not “are happy to announce” because formal announcements are kinda stuffy on purpose. The parents are hosting/announcing in this version which is very traditional and honestly feels a bit outdated to me but some families really care about this stuff.

What annoys me SO much is when people mix formal and casual language in the same announcement. Like they’ll write “Mr. and Mrs. Robert Sullivan are totally stoked to announce” and I’m like pick a lane, you know? Either go formal or don’t, but this weird hybrid thing just looks confused.

When The Couple Announces Themselves

Most couples I work with now do their own announcements because they’re older or paying for their own wedding or their parents are divorced or whatever. That looks like:

Katherine Anne Sullivan
and
Michael David Chen
joyfully announce their marriage
Saturday, the fifteenth of June
two thousand twenty-four
Boston, Massachusetts

See how much simpler that is? No parents mentioned, just the two people who actually got married. You can also write it as “Katherine Sullivan and Michael Chen announce with joy their marriage” or “are pleased to announce” or whatever feels right.

Casual Modern Versions

If you’re not into the formal thing at all, you can totally do something more relaxed. I see these all the time now and honestly they’re my favorite because they actually sound like real humans wrote them:

We did it!
Katie Sullivan & Mike Chen
got married on June 15, 2024
in Boston, MA
and we couldn’t be happier

Or even simpler:

Katie & Mike
are married!
June 15, 2024

These work great for postcards or social media announcements. Speaking of which, my cat knocked over my coffee all over a stack of announcement samples last week and I had to reprint everything, but that’s… anyway.

Blended Family Announcements

This is where it gets tricky and I spend so much time helping clients figure out wording. If both sets of parents are hosting together:

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Sullivan
and
Mr. and Mrs. David Chen
announce the marriage of
Katherine Anne Sullivan
and
Michael David Chen

If parents are divorced and you want to include everyone, you gotta list them separately:

Mrs. Patricia Sullivan
Mr. Robert Sullivan and Mrs. Jennifer Sullivan
together with
Mr. David Chen and Mrs. Linda Chen
announce the marriage of their children
Katherine Anne and Michael David

Honestly this can get really complicated really fast depending on who’s remarried, who’s still friendly, who’s paying for what… I once spent two hours on the phone with a bride trying to figure out how to mention her mom, stepdad, dad, and dad’s girlfriend without offending anyone. We eventually just had the couple announce it themselves because it was gonna be a nightmare otherwise.

Elopement Announcements

Elopement announcements are having a huge moment right now and they’re actually kinda fun to write because you can be more playful:

We eloped!
Katie & Mike
secretly tied the knot on June 15, 2024
in a private ceremony in Boston
We can’t wait to celebrate with you soon!

Or if you want something that explains why you eloped:

Katherine Sullivan and Michael Chen
chose to begin their marriage
in an intimate ceremony
on June 15, 2024
We look forward to celebrating
our marriage with you in the future

The key with elopement announcements is you don’t have to apologize or over-explain. You got married the way you wanted to, and the announcement is just letting people know. Some couples add “Reception to follow in October” or whatever if they’re planning a party later, which is totally fine.

Destination Wedding Announcements

These are basically the same as regular announcements but you might wanna include a bit more location info:

Katie Sullivan and Mike Chen
were married on June 15, 2024
in Santorini, Greece
surrounded by close family and friends

That “surrounded by close family and friends” part is optional but it kinda softens the message for people who might feel left out that they weren’t invited to Greece or… wait, actually no, if they weren’t invited they shouldn’t feel entitled to go to your destination wedding, but you know what I mean.

Newspaper Announcement Format

If you’re submitting to a newspaper (which fewer people do now but it’s still a thing), they usually have specific requirements. Most want something like:

Sullivan-Chen

Katherine Anne Sullivan and Michael David Chen were married June 15, 2024, at Saint Mary’s Cathedral in Boston. The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Sullivan of Boston. She graduated from Boston University and is employed as a marketing director at TechCorp. The groom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. David Chen of Cambridge. He graduated from MIT and is a software engineer at StartupXYZ. The couple honeymooned in Italy and resides in Boston.

Newspapers want all that biographical info which honestly feels weird to me in 2024 but that’s their format. Some papers charge by the word so you might wanna keep it shorter. Also check their deadlines because they’re usually like 2-3 weeks out which nobody remembers until it’s too late.

Photo Announcement Cards

Most announcements now include photos which makes them way more interesting. You can do a wedding photo with text like:

Just Married!
Katie & Mike Chen
June 15, 2024

Or you can have the photo be the main focus with minimal text. I had a couple in summer 2021 who wanted to use like five different photos on their announcement card and it looked so cluttered, but they insisted and honestly it was their announcement so whatever, but I still think one good photo is better than cramming in a bunch.

Timing For Sending Announcements

You send announcements AFTER the wedding, usually within a few months. Like ideally within 6-8 weeks but honestly if you send them 3-4 months later nobody’s gonna be mad. I’ve seen couples send them a year later which is pushing it but life happens.

Don’t send them before the wedding because that’s confusing and people will think it’s an invitation. And then they’ll be waiting for details about where to show up and you’ll have to explain that no, you already got married, this was just an announcement, and it’s awkward for everyone.

What To Include On The Envelope

The outer envelope should have the recipient’s name and address obviously. Inner envelope (if you’re doing that formal double-envelope thing) just has their name. Return address goes on the back flap or upper left corner of the outer envelope.

One thing people always ask is whether to include your new married name on the return address if you changed your name. I say yes if you’ve already legally changed it, but if you’re still in the process just use whatever name is on your current ID because otherwise mail gets confusing.

Digital Announcements

Email announcements are totally acceptable now, especially for casual weddings or if you’re sending to a lot of people. You can design something in Canva or whatever and just email it. Same general format applies:

We’re married!

Katie Sullivan and Mike Chen
exchanged vows on June 15, 2024
in Boston, Massachusetts

We’re so grateful for your love and support!

Social media announcements are even more casual. I see couples post wedding photos on Instagram with captions like “Mr. and Mrs. Chen est. 6.15.24” or “Officially off the market!” or whatever matches their vibe. That’s fine for friends and social media followers but you should still send actual announcements (paper or email) to older relatives who aren’t on Instagram.

Religious Or Cultural Considerations

Different religions and cultures have their own announcement traditions. Jewish announcements might include Hebrew names. Catholic announcements might mention the priest who performed the ceremony. Hindu announcements might include both families’ names in a specific order.

I worked with a couple who had both a traditional Chinese tea ceremony and a Western church ceremony and we ended up doing two different announcements because the families wanted different things emphasized and honestly that worked out fine, just cost a bit more.

What NOT To Include

Don’t put registry information on announcements. Like ever. It looks like you’re asking for gifts from people who weren’t even invited to your wedding which is tacky. If people ask where you’re registered, you can tell them, but don’t print it on the announcement.

Don’t include reception details unless you’re actually inviting those people to a reception. The announcement is just informational, not an invitation.

Don’t apologize for not inviting people. “We’re sorry you couldn’t be there” sounds defensive. Just announce the marriage and move on.

Special Situations

If one or both parents are deceased, you can still mention them:

Katherine Anne Sullivan
daughter of the late Robert Sullivan and Mrs. Patricia Sullivan
and
Michael David Chen
son of Mr. and Mrs. David Chen
announce their marriage

If you’re announcing a marriage after being together a long time or if you’re older:

Katherine Sullivan and Michael Chen
are delighted to announce their marriage
after fifteen years together
June 15, 2024

Second marriages don’t need different wording unless you want to mention children or something. Just announce it the same way.

Paper And Printing Choices

For printed announcements you’ve got options ranging from super cheap to ridiculously expensive. Minted, Paperless Post (which isn’t actually paperless anymore, confusing name), Shutterfly, Etsy sellers, local print shops, fancy letterpress places… the range is huge.

Basic announcement cards start around $1-2 each. Fancy letterpress can be $8-15 each. Figure out your budget first and then look at options in that range because otherwise you’ll fall in love with $12 letterpress announcements when you budgeted $2 and that’s just math that doesn’t work.

I usually tell clients to order 10-20 extra because you’ll always forget someone or mess up an envelope or want to keep extras for your wedding album or whatever. They don’t go bad, you can keep them.

Addressing Etiquette

Formal announcements use formal addressing which means no abbreviations. “Street” not “St.” and “Apartment” not “Apt.” and you write out “Massachusetts” instead of “MA.” Inner envelopes for married couples are “Mr. and Mrs. Chen” and for unmarried couples you list both names on separate lines.

But honestly if you’re doing casual announcements just address them however you normally would. Nobody’s checking your abbreviation usage on a casual announcement card, I promise.

Sample Combinations That Work

Sometimes you want elements from different styles mixed together. Here’s some combinations I’ve done that turned out nice:

With joy in our hearts
Katie & Mike
are married!

June 15, 2024
Boston, Massachusetts

We were surrounded by our closest family and friends
and wish you could have been there too
We can’t wait to celebrate with you soon!

Or this one that’s formal but friendly:

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Sullivan
are pleased to announce
the marriage of their daughter
Katherine Anne
to
Michael David Chen
The couple exchanged vows
on the fifteenth of June, 2024
and currently reside in Boston

You really can mix and match elements as long as the tone stays consistent throughout. That’s the main thing, just keep the vibe the same from start to finish and you’ll be fine. People way overthink this stuff when really it’s just about sharing your news in whatever way feels authentic to you and your partner and maybe your families if they’re involved in the decision, which hopefully they’re not being too annoying about but that’s a whole other topic I could talk about for hours based on client experiences but I won’t because this is already getting long and I need to wrap this up soon.

The bottom line is wedding announcements are pretty flexible and there’s no one right way to do them. Pick a format that matches your wedding style, include the basic info people need, send them within a few months of your wedding, and call it done. Don’t stress about making them perfect because nobody’s grading your announcement wording except maybe your grandmother and she’s just happy you got married at all probably.