6 Months Before: Section 3: Part 2
Announcing your engagement in local newspapers may seem like an old-fashioned tradition, but it’s actually one of the best ways to share your news with friends, family and people in the community. You can even send out the link to your engagement announcement since most newspapers post them online. Photograph via Heather Hagge of Hagge Photography.
Wondering how it works? Here’s what you do:
Engagement announcements usually run two to three months before the wedding date so start contacting newspapers 4-6 months prior to your wedding.
Call or email the local newspapers in your hometown and your fiancé’s hometown to find out what each paper’s submission requirements are. If your parents are no longer living in your hometown, contact the newspapers in their current communities.
Most newspapers will send you a form to fill out with all the necessary details, which you will fill out and return and they will write the announcement for you. If you would like to write your own, simply ask. They may have a few guidelines for you to follow. If you do write your own, here’s an example of a standard wedding announcement for reference.
“Samantha and Alex Thompson of Grand Rapids, MN are happy to announce the engagement of their daughter, Katie Anne, to Sean George Anderson, son of Greta and Robert Anderson of Fridley, MN.
Katie is a graduate of Mankato West High School and the University of Minnesota, Duluth. She also holds a Masters Degree from the University of Minnesota, Twins Cities. She is employed as a financial analyst in Minneapolis, MN.
Sean is a graduate of Fridley High School and served in the U.S. Army prior to his current position at the Minneapolis Police Department.
Sean and Katie will be married on September 23, 2011.”
Traditionally, announcements are written as though the bride’s parents are announcing the engagement. You may modify the wording as needed.
Most newspaper engagement announcements are free and many will allow you to include a photo with your submission, but there may be a scanning fee for putting the photo online.
Check out more of our Wedding Planning Guide posts.
