Bride Guide #34 gives you everything you need to know about Announcements and Stationary By Bountiful Utah Wedding Photographer Lauren Kay Photography.

You want to tell people you’re getting married! Of course! Even if you’re not super close to them, you
still want them to know in a more personal way than a Facebook notification. I totally get that. And I
agree!

Just because you want to tell someone about your marriage, doesn’t mean you need to invite them. To
anything. It is totally fine, in my opinion, to send wedding announcements. And they should be just that.
An announcement. They don’t need to be invitations. If you're doing a reception or open house another
day, that’s great. But even if you’re not, you can still tell people about your marriage. I believe there is
nothing wrong with tactfully saying you want to tell them you are getting married and are grateful for
the influence they have had in your life. No invitation needed. You may get less gifts, it’s true. But you’ll
also spend less money on your celebration, and more importantly, you’ll be spending your day with
those you truly want to be with.

Now, for actually designing your announcements, what do you do? You can find a template online,
design your own invitation, or have a designer do it for you. With a template or designer, you have
minimal work to do. And with a designer, you can have it completely custom and exactly the way you
want. They can even design other stationary for you as well. But, you might be creative you want to
design it yourself. I was dead-set on designing my own invitations, and in retrospect, I wish I would’ve
spent my time in other ways. It is time consuming and time is precious! Unless you are a very talented
artist, I recommend trusting a designer or a template with your announcements and stationery.

Then you need to choose your style. A printed picture and a separate announcement? Pictures directly
on your announcement? This is totally just a personal style preference.
You’ll also want to purchase or have any other stationery you need designed. Other stationery includes:
inserts inviting people to the sealing/ceremony, invitations to the dinner or celebration, RSVP cards,
envelopes, programs, menu cards (whether you have them by each item in the buffet or printed for
each plate or table), place cards, and any stationery that makes sense for your wedding.

Whatever you choose, when it comes to your announcements and stationery, have the focus be loving
the way your announcement looks, not the price or who it was done by.

With tact…
How can you tactfully tell people about your marriage without inviting them to anything? Right?
Traditionally speaking, you only send announcements to people who weren’t invited after the actual
wedding has already taken place. You can do it this way but I think you can send them before as well. I
know some people may balk at this, but I think something like the following example is a completely
respectful and tactful way to announce your marriage:
 
Sarah + James
Along with their parents are pleased to announce their upcoming marriage in the temple on January 1
 
Thank you for the role you have played in our lives and all the support you have given us throughout the
years.
 
(Either at the bottom or on an insert)
The couple is registered at Amazon.com
 
● Then include a return address on the envelope that they can send a gift to if they so desire.
● Remember to include invitation inserts for those actually invited to the sealing/ceremony, dinner
or lunch, and/or celebration.

RSVPs:

● It is super helpful to have people RSVP for the sealing/ceremony and lunch or dinner. That way
you spend less with catering and are not stressed about having too many or too few people there.
● You can send RSVP cards that they return in the mail to you, ask them to text or call a number (put
a family member or friend in charge of this), or text all the people you invited and see if they will
be able to come (again, put a family member or friend in charge of this).
 
My top picks:
● Go to https://laurenkayphoto.com/ vendors to see my top picks for designers.
● You can also use templates on websites like https://www.minted.com/, https://www.shutterfly.com/, https://www.canva.com/

Bountiful Utah Wedding Photographer