Wedding announcement etiquette

It's interesting:
"In researching this speech, I’ve tried to find some dirt on Linda, but neither her brother nor her best friends could give me anything. As I'm sure you noticed it wasn’t a problem that I had with Paul. Linda is well liked by everyone, and I have never met anyone who has had anything but good things to say about her – which is wonderful for Paul, but a bit inconvenient for me at this precise moment. It means that I have to continue to shower her with platitudes. But seriously, Linda, you have had a huge positive impact on Paul, and we now speak of Paul ‘BL’ and ‘WL’ - ‘before Linda’ and ‘with Linda’."

A wedding is a joyous occasion for the bride and groom and their families and friends. However, not all wedding budgets are big enough to invite everyone you would like, and some family members or friends might live too far away to attend. Wedding announcements are the proper way to inform people who were not invited of your marriage.

1. Stationery

   • Stationery for wedding announcements should match those of your invitations or other wedding stationery. If you eloped or did not send any invitations, you can use wedding stationery or other formal white stationery and have the words engraved with black ink. It is customary to include an at-home card with the announcement to advise the recipient of your new address. This is not seen as solicitation of a gift, just an easier way for your family, friends and co-workers to keep in touch.

   Wording

   • Wedding announcements are worded similarly to wedding invitations. If the parents of the bride invited guests to the wedding, they will also announce the marriage. The wording should say:

     "Mr. and Mrs. (parents of bride) are honored to announce the marriage of their daughter (the bride) to Mr. (the groom) on (day), the (date) of (month), two thousand and (year, in words)."

     The location of the marriage can be included, as well as the name of the church or chapel. If both sets of parents, divorced parents or the couple themselves are sending the announcements, the wording would be very similar. For multiple parents, each couple would be listed on a separate line, separated by the word "and," and the rest of the wording would be the same. If the newly married couple sends the announcement, their names would be listed the same, followed by the words "announce their marriage." "Joyously" or "with honor" should not be used because it is automatically assumed the couple is happy.

   Envelopes

   • Just as with wedding invitations, wedding announcements should be sent in double envelopes. They should be addressed by hand by yourself or a calligrapher and follow the same etiquette as wedding invitations for wording and titles. If possible, wedding announcements should be sent right after the ceremony. Although announcements can be sent up to one year after the wedding, it is more proper to send them right away, waiting for up to one or two weeks if you are including a wedding photo. Wedding announcements should never be sent prior to the wedding ceremony itself.

   Receiving Wedding Announcements

   • No response is required when you receive a wedding announcement, although it is nice to do so. It is proper to call the mother of the bride first, if you have her number, and then the bride herself. Gifts are not expected, though they are always welcome. Any response to the couple is at your discretion, but should only be positive.

Source: www.ehow.com

Tags: announcements should, wedding announcements should, wedding invitations, announce marriage, announcement etiquette, announcements should sent