When Do You Send Out Wedding Announcements

From LoveToKnow Weddings

Figuring out when do you send out wedding announcements can be confusing for couples who want to follow proper etiquette. While you can really send out announcements any time after the event has occurred, it is best to do it sooner rather than later.

Follow proper etiquette with announcements.

Wedding Announcement Mailing List

Before you can send out wedding announcements, you need to determine who needs to receive them. Unlike engagement announcements, a wedding announcement will not go to everyone you know. Instead, you send out announcements to people who were not invited to your wedding but would like or need to know of your marriage.

Commonly, wedding announcements are mailed to family, friends, and business associates when couples elope, have a private wedding, or a small destination wedding. Announcements are also mailed to people who were not invited to the wedding, like those who live too far away to be expected to attend or who are unable to attend because of health concerns.

When Do You Send Out Wedding Announcements

After determining who gets a wedding announcement, you are ready for the answer to "when do you send out wedding announcements." Ideally, wedding announcements are mailed out on the day of the wedding or the next business day after the wedding. Recently, it has also become acceptable for announcements to go out with a photograph of the wedded couple several weeks after the wedding (due to a wait time on professional photographer printing). Some couples who plan a honeymoon getaway send out announcements upon their return, or may even mail out themed announcements from their honeymoon destination.

Though some etiquette experts may offer the advice that sending out announcements up to a year after the actual wedding is acceptable, it really should be done as close to the wedding as possible. However, do not send them before the actual date of the wedding or they may inadvertently be confused for invitations.

Write announcements in the past tense, to inform people of an event that has all ready occurred. Wedding announcement wording is often similar to invitation wording and may use the same style stationary. If the couple has moved since their wedding, including a small card with the new information is perfectly acceptable, and women may be clear in the announcement about whether or not they are keeping their maiden name or taking the name of their husband.

Newspaper Announcement Timeframe

Newspaper wedding announcements are another way of announcing that a marriage has taken place. Unlike mailed wedding announcement cards, the newspaper announcement is usually printed several weeks after the wedding itself. Some newspapers will charge a fee for an announcement, especially those with a photograph. Others, however, may not. Check with your local paper to be sure.

Typically, the following information is included in a newspaper wedding announcement, though not all newspapers may use as many details: