There is an old saying that a proper lady should have her name in the newspaper only three times in her life: when she is born, when she is married, and when she dies. No woman will have control over the first and last of those, but when it comes to the happy occasion of your marriage, you will get to be the one to make sure the announcement appears in the paper. This is how to put a wedding announcement in the newspaper to share the news of your wedding with the world.

Each newspaper has their own policies when it comes to wedding announcements. In some papers, all announcements are accepted, while in the pages of the prestigious New York Times wedding announcements, only a select few are chosen to run. One of the first steps is for the bride to decide in which papers she would like to place her announcement. It is traditional to have it run in her hometown paper (assuming her parents still live there, even if the bride no longer does). Often, the bride may also wish to have another announcement run in the newspaper that is local to where she and her fiance currently reside. Of course, the groom’s parents may also opt to place an announcement in their local paper too.

The size of the wedding announcement will be the next thing to decide. Most papers charge a fee based on the size of the announcement, so that is often the deciding factor. You will also have to decide if you wish to include a photograph, or simply run a brief paragraph. The photo may be a bridal portrait of just the bride in her wedding gown and bridal jewelry, or it may be a wedding day photo of the happy couple. Some of it depends on how soon after your wedding the announcement will be run. If you plan to use a traditional bridal portrait, gather your wedding gown, bridal jewelry, and veil for a photo session about two weeks before your wedding date.

A good place to begin sorting out the details is your local newspaper’s website. In some cases, all of the forms needed to place a wedding announcement are available online, and you may even be able to submit your photographs electronically as well. Other papers still prefer to receive submissions via fax or mail. When photos are mailed in or dropped off, the newspaper will probably not return them, so be sure to give them only a copy of your precious wedding photos. Take a careful look at the deadlines for payments, written information, and pictures for each paper in which you plan to run a wedding announcement so that you do not miss any important dates.

Then there is the information to include in your announcement. The basics are the names of the bride and groom, their parents, the date of the wedding, and the location. It is also customary to include some biographical information about the couple, such as where they attended college and their professions. The names of the attendants, details about the bridal party (or at least the names and hometowns of the best man and maid of honor) may also be included. If space permits, include a brief description of the bridal gown, which is always fun to read about. Finally, conclude with the name of the honeymoon destination and the town in which the newlyweds will reside.

That’s it! All that is left is to let your friends and family know when your wedding announcement will run in the newspaper so they can pick up a copy on that day. And of course the bride and groom will want to have a few copies of their own wedding announcement; one for the wedding scrapbook, and possibly one to frame and display in their new home.

Author Bio: Bridget Mora writes for Silverland Jewelry about weddings, society, and etiquette. Treat yourself to bridal jewelry from http://silverlandjewelry.com/ and receive complimentary shipping on your jewelry order over $99.

Category: Marriage
Keywords: bridal jewelry, wedding announcements, newspaper wedding announcements