Congratulations on your engagement! This is a really exciting time in your life. It’s also probably going to be a bit stressful.
During this next year, I want to walk through this process with you. I’ll give you a 12 Month Guide to planning your wedding and explain things along the way. You can start from the beginning here (click). Come back to this blog each week for the next installment.
Week 25 – Newspaper Announcement
Hope everything is goes well! This we’re going to address newspaper announcements.
Depending on where you’re from, these announcements can be either really important or completely off your radar (which is why we have focused on more pertinent information that everyone could use). Sometimes it’s more important for our mothers than for us. So now that you have a good engagement photo and several basic details are in place, you can contact your local newspaper and ask about submitting a newspaper announcement.
So … what goes into the announcement?
The newspaper may give you a template or a form to fill out. However, there are a few things that are often included:
1. The couple’s full names
2. High school, college and/or career information
3. Parents’ names
4. Wedding date and location
You can add as much information as you like, but it’ll cost a little more. Engagement photos also add to the cost and are based on size. In many cases the article will start by saying “(the bride’s parents), of (town name) are proud to announce the engagement of their daughter (bride’s name) to (groom’s name), son of (groom’s parents), of (town name).”
There are lots of personal scenarios, and the wording for one couple may not work for another. There are lots of examples online of how to phrase the announcement in a way that fits your family’s situation.
Once you’ve written the announcement, double-check to make sure it doesn’t look like an invitation. You wouldn’t want to accidentally invite the whole town. A few other things to exclude are registry, gift or ring information.
Once it’s done, submit it to the newspaper and double-check the costs. If you were prolific in your writing, you may need to cut it down a bit. Next, double-check the date the announcement is set to be published and buy that paper so you can save the announcement.
Hope this is useful as you shout from the rooftops, or the front porch steps, about your engagement.
Next week we’ll look at registering for gifts.
Katelyn is a certified wedding planner. She is available for consultations.
She will even meet with you on Skype to help you work through part of your wedding planning.
Click here for more information.