A wedding announcement shares news of a marriage that has already happened; it does not invite someone to an event. Send it after the wedding, use clear past-tense wording, and leave out RSVP requests and registry links. If you are asking someone to attend a later celebration, send a reception invitation instead.
Start with what you want the reader to do
After a small wedding or elopement, you may want to tell relatives, friends, or colleagues without making the card feel like a late invitation. The useful question is simple: are you sharing news, or asking the recipient to attend something? That decision controls the wording, mailing list, and timing.
This is a real concern for couples. In a US wedding-planning discussion about announcements, a couple planning a smaller guest list asked how to notify people who were not invited. Responses differed, which is a reminder that family expectations vary. The discussion identifies the buyer question; the etiquette guidance below comes from named sources, with practical planning suggestions and original examples.
Announcement, invitation, or thank-you: a quick decision tool
- “We want you to attend our wedding.” Use a wedding invitation with the future event details and a response method.
- “We are already married and want you at our party.” Use a reception or celebration invitation. Identify the actual event being offered.
- “We are already married and want to share the news.” Use a marriage announcement. No attendance decision is needed.
- “We want to thank you for your gift or help.” Write a personal thank-you. An announcement does not do that job.
If your card contains “please join us,” a future date, an arrival time, and a venue address, readers will reasonably treat it as an invitation. A small “announcement” heading will not cancel those signals. Conversely, “were married” followed by a past date makes the purpose much easier to understand.
For a party after a private ceremony, use our reception-only invitation wording guide. That situation needs different information from a news-only card, even if both begin by saying the couple is married.
Who should receive a marriage announcement?
Emily Post's marriage-announcement guidance describes announcements as appropriate for people outside the wedding guest list who would welcome the news, including acquaintances and business associates. Its traditional approach excludes people who already received an invitation and makes clear that an announcement creates no gift obligation.
Build a separate announcement list rather than copying your entire address book. For each household, ask whether you have a real relationship and whether hearing from you personally would be meaningful. A former coworker you still speak with may appreciate a note; an unrelated professional contact may not need a formal mailing.
Keep three columns in your working list: household name, whether an invitation was already sent, and preferred communication method. This helps prevent accidental duplicates and lets you choose a mailed card for one relative and a personal email for another. Keep addresses in your private planning records rather than putting a recipient list on a shared announcement.
If someone attended, declined an invitation, or sent a gift, communicate with them in the way that fits that relationship: a photo update, personal note, or thank-you. There is no need to make every post-wedding message use the same card.
When should you send it?
Send the announcement after the marriage has taken place. Emily Post suggests mailing promptly after the wedding while allowing several months for a later mailing. That is useful flexibility if you are waiting for a photograph or need time to settle back into everyday life.
For practical planning, choose one of two routes:
- Text-only announcement: Prepare the wording and address list beforehand, then confirm the actual names, date, and location after the ceremony before releasing it.
- Photo announcement: Wait until you have the photograph you want and permission to reproduce it, then proof the image and text together.
Do not mail early simply because production is finished. A future wedding date can make a news card resemble a save-the-date, especially when it arrives before the event. If a close relative should hear about your plans beforehand, have that personal conversation separately instead of relying on an ambiguous mass mailing.
Five original wording examples
The following fictional examples use past-tense language and omit RSVP details. Replace every name, date, and place with verified information. The city and state describe where the marriage occurred; they are not directions to an upcoming event.
1. Simple couple-led announcement
We are delighted to share that
Selena Hart and Adrian Cole
were married on August 14, 2027
in Portland, Oregon.
With love, Selena and Adrian
This works when you want a clear, warm message without a long explanation of the wedding's size. Full names help recipients who know only one partner recognize both people.
2. After a private ceremony
We have happy news!
Simone Ellis and Aaron Reed
were married in a private ceremony
on September 18, 2027
in Asheville, North Carolina.
We are grateful to share this new chapter with you.
“Private ceremony” explains the format without ranking guests or discussing the budget. Use it only if it accurately describes your wedding. You do not need to add a defensive paragraph about why the recipient was not there.
3. A short elopement announcement
We eloped!
Sabrina Lane and Alexander Brooks
were married on October 2, 2027
in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Sending love as we begin married life.
Choose “eloped” because it fits your experience and preferred tone, not because every small wedding needs that label. A courthouse wedding, a religious ceremony, and an elopement are not interchangeable descriptions.
4. Parents sharing the news
Marina and Daniel Hart
are delighted to announce the marriage of
their daughter Selena Hart
to Adrian Cole
on August 14, 2027
in Portland, Oregon.
Use a parent-led announcement only when the couple and the named parents agree. Check the relationship sentence carefully. A neutral couple-led version can be easier if several households would otherwise need recognition.
5. A personal email version
Subject: Some happy news from Selena and Adrian
Hi Morgan,
We wanted to share that we were married in Portland on August 14. It was a lovely day, and we're excited for this next chapter. We hope you've been well and wanted you to hear the news directly from us.
With love,
Selena and Adrian
Personalize the greeting and closing instead of sending a formal card image with no context. Emily Post's email guidance accepts emailed announcements, particularly when email is already how you keep in touch. This is a communication option, not a claim that LunaInvites sells digital announcement files.
Remove details that accidentally turn news into a request
Before approving a layout, look for leftover invitation-template fields. Remove an RSVP deadline, meal choice, attendance checkbox, dress code, and arrival time from a news-only announcement. A venue street address is usually unnecessary when nobody is being asked to travel there.
Keep registry links, payment handles, and honeymoon-fund instructions off this card. They shift attention from your news to a request. If a recipient independently asks about a gift, answer that person separately. Avoid describing congratulations as something people owe you.
Be careful with “celebrate with us.” In a personal sentence it can express shared happiness, but beside a date or location it may suggest an actual gathering. “We are happy to share our news” is less ambiguous. If you really are planning a future party, decide whether invitations will follow and communicate only what you can confidently promise.
Choose the format without assuming every invitation model will work
A printed announcement can share the visual style of your wedding stationery, but you should confirm the exact wording and layout before ordering. Browse the wedding invitation card sets for design inspiration rather than assuming every listing is a dedicated announcement product.
For example, the Tulip clear acrylic wedding invitation has personalized wording and a digital design-proof process. If you want to adapt that model for an announcement, ask whether your text and intended layout can be accommodated. Do not assume a photograph can be added, that a reverse side can be printed, or that a new insert is included.
A digital proof is the design-approval stage of a physical order. Review the exact final names, past-tense sentence, marriage date, and place in that proof. Our readability guide can help you judge whether the news is clear without shrinking the essential text.
Under the current shipping policy, US shipping is free, with estimated total delivery approximately 7–8 days after final design proof approval, including 2 days of production. This is an estimate, not a guarantee. Plan separately for proof revisions and mailing the finished cards to recipients.
A final five-point check
- Does the first sentence clearly say the marriage has already happened?
- Are names, date, and location accurate and approved by both partners?
- Can the reader tell that no RSVP or attendance is expected?
- Have invitation-template fields and gift requests been removed?
- Is each recipient someone who would genuinely welcome this personal news?
The strongest announcement is clear and considerate. It shares a meaningful change in your life without making the reader guess whether an invitation went missing or whether a response is required.
Sources and store information checked October 14, 2026. Examples are fictional. Cover: original illustrative comparison, not a photograph of a product for sale.