Wedding Announcements Show Friends And Relatives You Care

I'm sure glad that I'm already married and hopefully I will never have to go through that ordeal again. I have to admit it was fun, but I'm just not sure it would be fun a second time. If I had to get married again, I can’t imagine that anything involved would be fun for me. I remember that it was a lot of work, and there were a few things that we forgot to do. One of those things was to send out wedding announcements timely to those who were not able to make it to the wedding (and boy did I hear about that from a few of my friends who I had grown up with!).

Most couples choose to use wedding announcements to announce their big day after it is over for those who could not attend, and for those they could not squeeze onto the guest list. Though not being able to invite everyone you know is quite common, there are some people who get quite offended. I’m not sure what the rule is when it comes to gifts from those who only receive wedding announcements rather than invitations, but I would think that you wouldn’t expect much. It might be proper for them to send something, but I can’t imagine anyone who already feels miffed about not being invited to your wedding wanting to send a gift. And that seems just fine.

When sending wedding announcements, be sure to do so promptly, so that the wedding is not old news by the time they're received. Those who live far away may have heard about the wedding knowing that they would not attend, but they might be disappointed if they don’t hear from the new couple within a few weeks. The etiquette guides seem to say a lot of different things, so I would suggest you try to get them out with the thank you notes you write for gifts. And it would seem reasonable to try to have them all sent out within a month of the wedding, if at all possible. The wedding guides may suggest otherwise, but I don't think it's realistic to expect folks to wait around for too long of a time without feeling a bit let down.

Most couples will have wedding announcements which include a shot from the wedding, but if your photographer is slow to produce the pictures, that can be a problem. If you allowed guests to take candid shots, this might be where you find your photograph. They may not look as good as the ones your photographer took, but all you need is one keeper if you can find it. You could choose to wait for your wedding pictures to come back, but again, don’t wait to long, or you will offend some of your friends and relatives. If nothing else works, use an engagement photo for your wedding announcements, or simply leave a photo off altogether.

Like many things we do, the wedding announcements are somewhat symbolic. They are an acknowledgement to your friends and relatives who weren't able to attend your wedding, for whatever reason, that you appreciate them and regard them enough to include them, even if only in this small way.