Wedding Planner Blog

Wedding announcements differ from wedding invitations in that, while wedding invitations invite people to your ceremony and/or your reception, wedding announcements serve as an announcement to others of your new life as husband and wife.  Couples often order wedding announcements and wedding invitations at the same time, though they don’t need to be sent to the same list of people, since those who attended your ceremony or your reception already know you’re married of course.

Therefore, wedding announcements are usually reserved for those you know well but weren’t able to invite to the ceremony, along with co-workers and acquaintances who you want to know about your wedding and your new marriage status.  However, wedding announcements are similar to wedding invitations in that there are a number of ways to go about printing them.

One option you might consider is to make your own wedding announcements.  Some couples go this route in order to save money, while others want to have complete creative control over their announcements.  The do-it-yourself route isn’t particularly advisable though, since it’s often more expensive than you’d think and since many wedding announcement printers will allow you to tailor your announcements to fit your needs and desired style anyway.

There is a wide variety of different printers available for wedding announcements, from large mail-order companies to tiny neighborhood printers.  It’s a good idea to shop around quite awhile ahead of time since many printers, especially small specialty presses, usually book out long in advance.  Make sure to sample different papers and designs, even if you’re doing all of your sampling via mail through a distant company.

Also, don’t purchase wedding announcements or wedding invitations for that matter until you have a clear idea of what you want them to say and what you want them to look like, since once you’ve finalized the process it’s tough to make any changes.  When you get your proofs, make sure to proofread them carefully and have them double-checked by someone else, since it can be pretty embarrassing to have a typo or misspelling on your own announcements.

Search until you find a design that matches both your personal styles and your budget; wedding announcements along with wedding invitations are often saved for years, and you want yours to be special, right?  Once you find a design and a printer you like, don’t be afraid to ask questions and make suggestions; often the process is much more flexible that you may believe.  Shop around and ask around; eventually you’ll find wedding announcements that will fit you and your special day perfectly.