We came across this posting and thought it might be helpful to those many of you that aren’t able to invite EVERYONE you know to your wedding!  There are some great ideas on how to announce your wedding without screaming about how much fun you had and hahaha, they weren’t there!

(photo by MCDPhoto)

Here’s your challenge: how to share your good news without making people feel like A) they were excluded from the good times, or B) you expect anything from them. In other words, you want to share the news without bragging or making it seem like you’re fishing for gifts.

Urg. It’s a delicate balance, to be sure. Here are a few ideas for how to tip toe through this communication minefield… 

The family method

One way to get around the awkwardness is to have your parents issue the announcements. Obviously, this only works if it’s mostly family and family friends who you want to reach, but the advantage here is that it comes off just as parental pride, instead of you being like OMG Y’ALL WE DID THIS AWESOME THIIIIING AND TOO BAD YOU WEREN’T THERE LA LA LAAAA!

Here’s a wording example:

Mr. and Mrs. Your Parents
are proud to announce
the marriage of their daughter
Your Name
to
Mr. Your Groom’s Name
on Saturday, June 4th, 2011

The new home method

If you and your partner are moving in together for the first time after your wedding, you can bundle the announcement in with announcing your new address. This way it’s less about the wedding, and more about “Hey, we moved because we got married!” Aim for a card design that’s more about announcing a move than a marriage. (Vistaprint has super cheap, customizable options.) Here’s a wording idea:

It’s been a busy time for us!

We were married on
Saturday, June 4th, 2011
Austin, Texas

We’re beginning a new life together
in our new residence:
Our Names
1234 Our Street
Austin, Texas 78704

Do note that if you’re trying to avoid looking like you want a gift, this method is a bit risky. You’re including your address, which could be seen as a request to be mailed something. It’s up to you as to whether that feels right.

The “let’s be straight-forward” method

So you want to tell your friends (so the family method won’t work), you’ve lived together for years (so the moving method won’t work), and you don’t want to play games. Just be honest with your guests. Here’s one way of wording it:

With great joy we announce that
we were married on
Saturday, June 4th, 2011
in Austin, Texas

Our painfully small [guest list/budget/venue/whatever]
meant there were many loved ones
we were not able to invite.

We deeply missed having you there,
but you were in our hearts.

We love you.
We miss you.
We hope to see you soon!

Love,
Your Names

(Source: offbeatbride.com)

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