Engagement and wedding announcements are great ways for a couple to let their communities know about their upcoming or recent nuptials without sending an invitation out to everybody.

Contacting the newspaper and meeting deadlines

Contacting the newspaper in which you want your announcements to run is the first thing you should do as deadlines are important.

Determine how often your hometown and local newspapers run (daily or weekly) and when their deadline is to have the information turned in.

Some newspapers may actually charge for an announcment to be run, so be sure to ask about any fees. If there is a fee, they will most likely charge per word or by column inch.

Check to see if they will run a picture with your announcement whether or not it will cost anything. Also, find out which format they would like the picture in and what size of photo. Remember to send something that shows both the bride- and groom-to-be’s faces.

Most publications will have guidelines as to which information they typically include in the announcements they run. Some newspapers may even have a template they will email to you.

The couple can choose to write out their announcement in paragraph form, but newspapers will probably take a list of information and form it into a story. This is another thing to ask about when calling about placing an announcement.

Engagement announcements

When submitting an engagement, try to have it published as close as possible to a week or two after the engagement. However, make sure you have told your closest friends and family before you run the announcement in the newspaper.

Information that is typically included in an engagement announcement includes:

• Names and careers

• Parents’ names

• Hometowns

• Higher education

• Wedding date and location (if decided)

• Date of engagement

• Couple’s residence

Wedding announcements

Wedding announcements tend to be a bit more detailed than the engagement announcements since the wedding is undoubtedly a larger event.

Most of the information that was in your engagement announcement will also be reiterated in your wedding announcement. Here is a list of things to remember to put in your wedding announcement:

• Names and careers

• Parents’ names

• Hometowns

• Higher education

• Wedding date and location

• Bridesmaids and maid/matron-of-honor

• Groomsmen and best man

• Reception location

• Officiant

• Honeymoon plans

• Future plans

• Music played (optional)

• Description of bride’s and bridesmaids’ dresses (optional)

• Colors used (optional)

What the couple chooses to let the public know is, of course, up to them. They can publish as much or as little information as they like.

Websites

Websites are becoming ever more popular when it comes to announcing an engagement or wedding. Couples can choose to make their own or go to wedding websites such as The Knot, Wedding Window or Wedding Wire, to name a few.