Wedding Newspaper Announcement Template

I was going through some old "draft" posts, and I found this one and thought I ought to go ahead and finish it up and hit the 'Publish' button! This will be horribly boring for anyone not planning a wedding, but will probably be helpful for anyone who is!

This is our newspaper announcement from the wedding (cut out and laminated! haha):

Being an English major, I was kind of obsessed with making sure it was written just the right way. I read through weeks of wedding announcements in various papers to come up with the best way to word it. Most wedding announcements follow the same general pattern, so I ended up with a template of sorts which I used for our announcement.

To save other brides from spending their precious time doing this like I did, I'm going to go ahead and print here the template I created. Just fill in the brackets! This template will work for a traditional, ceremony + reception, hosted-by-bride's-parents, traditional-families event, but could be easily adapted to fit your needs.

Title: "Miss {Bride's Full Name} Weds Mr. {Groom's Full Name}"

Paragraph 1: The Basics
"Miss {Bride's Full Name} and Mr. {Groom's Full Name} were united in marriage on {Day of the Week}, {Month} {Day#}, {year} at {time spelled out - "half past four o'clock"} in the {morning/afternoon/evening} at {ceremony venue name} in {City}, {State}. The ceremony was officiated by {officiant name - including "the Reverend" for ministers}. Music for the ceremony was provided by {musician names here}. Ceremony readings were performed by {name}, {relationship - "uncle of the bride"}, and {name}, {relationship}. The bride's parents hosted a {seated/buffet} dinner and reception at {Reception Venue Name}. On the eve of the wedding, the groom's parents hosted a rehearsal dinner at {rehearsal dinner venue} in {City}, {state}."

Paragraph 2: The Family
"The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. {Dad's First and Last Name} of {City}, {State}. She is the granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. {Maternal Grandfather's First and Last Name} of {City}, {State} and Mr. and Mrs. {Paternal Grandfather's First and Last Name} of {City, State}. The groom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. {Dad's First and Last Name} of {City}, {State}. He is the grandson of Mr. and Mrs. {Maternal Grandfather's First and Last Name} of {City}, {State} and the late (use "the late" if any of these people have passed away) Mr. and Mrs. {Paternal Grandfather's First and Last Name} of {City}, {State}."

Paragraph 3: The Dress & Such
"Given in marriage by her parents and escorted by her father, the bride wore a {strapless/A-line/trumpet-style/etc} {Dress Designer Name} gown of {fabric - champagne satin/ivory lace/etc}. The gown featured {get the description from the dress designer's website - something like "hand-embroidered designs and crystals on the bodice"} and a {Description of the Train - "scalloped semi-cathedral train}, and was complemented by a {birdcage veil/hair fascinator/fingertip veil/blusher veil/etc} by {veil designer}. The bride carried a hand-tied bouquet of {list flowers in the bouquet}."

Paragraph 4: The Bridesmaids
(Note: whenever a bridesmaid is a sibling/aunt/cousin/relative, write it as "Miss Name, sister of the bride,")
"Miss/Mrs. {Maid of Honor's first and last name} of {City}, {State - omit the state if the city is the same as those mentioned with the parents}, {relationship if necessary - "sister of the bride"}, served as Maid of Honor. Bridesmaids included Miss/Mrs. {first BM name} of {City, State (if necessary)}, {ALL THE OTHER BMS}, and Miss/Mrs. {last BM name} of {City, State (if necessary)}. The flower girl(s) were/was Miss {Flower Girl's name} of {City, State}, {relationship if necessary - "niece of the groom"}. The Maid of Honor and bridesmaids wore {floor-length/tea-length/cocktail-length} gowns in {color} {fabric - chiffon/satin/etc}. Each carried a hand-tied bouquet of {color} {BM bouquet flowers}."

Paragraph 5: The Groomsmen
"Mr. {Best Man's name} of {City, State} served as Best Man. Groomsmen included {list the groomsmen and ring bearer like the bridesmaids and flower girl above}."

Paragraph 6: The Biographical Info
"The bride is a graduate of {high school name} High School in {City, State}. She graduated {cum laude/magna cum laude/summa cum laude if necessary} from {name of university} with a Bachelor of {Arts/Science} in {Major(s)}, and now works/attends school at {name of employer/school} in {City}. The groom is a graduate of {high school name} High School in {City, State}. He graduated {cum laude/magna cum laude/summa cum laude if necessary} from {name of university} with a Bachelor of {Arts/Science} in {Major(s)} and now works/attends school at {name of employer/school} in {City}."

Paragraph 7: The Closing
"Following a honeymoon in {location}, {Bride's first name} and {Groom's first name} will reside in {City}, {State}."

Just in case that's confusing, here's the final wording for ours:

Miss Katherine Middle Maiden Weds Mr. Jeffrey Middle Last


Miss Katherine Middle Maiden and Mr. Jeffrey Middle Last were united in marriage on Saturday, July 31, 2010 at half past four o'clock in the afternoon at Prince of Peace Catholic Church in Cypress, Texas. The ceremony was officiated by the Reverend John Keller, who was assisted by the Revered Alfred LastName, cousin-in-law of the groom. Music for the ceremony was provided by the Fine Arts String Ensemble. Ceremony readings were performed by Mr. Chris LastName, uncle of the bride, and Mr. William LastName, uncle of the groom. The bride's parents hosted a seated dinner and reception at Raveneaux Country Club. On the eve of the wedding, the groom's parents hosted a rehearsal dinner at Steamboat Steakhouse in Houston.


The bride is the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Dad Lastname of City, Texas. She is the granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. Granddad Lastname of City, Texas and Mr. and Mrs. Grandpa Lastname of City, Texas. The groom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Granddaddy Lastname of City, Texas and the late Mr. and Mrs. Grandpa Lastname of City, South Carolina.


Given in marriage by her parents and escorted by her father, the bride wore a strapless Casablanca gown of champagne satin and ivory Chantilly lace. The gown featured hand-embroidered designs and crystals on the bodice and a scalloped semi-cathedral train and was complemented by a birdcage veil by Angela Marie Veils. The bride carried a hand-tied bouquet of ivory ranunculus, peonies, and lilies of the valley.


Miss Kristen Lastname of City, sister of the bride, served as Maid of Honor. Bridesmaids included Miss Karoline Lastname of City, sister of the bride, Miss Kristen Lastname of City, Miss Amy Lastname of City, Texas, Miss Pilar Lastname of City, and Mrs. Nicole Lastname of City. The flower girls were Miss Sydney Lastname and Miss Sara Lastname of City, Texas, cousins of the bride. The Maid of Honor and bridesmaids wore floor-length gowns of navy chiffon. Each carried a hand-tied bouquet of burgundy calla lilies, gerbera daises, and cymbidium orchids.


Mr. Thomas Lastname of City, South Carolina served as Best Man. Groomsmen included Mr. Matthew Lastname of City, brother of the groom, Mr. Tim Lastname of City, brother of the groom, Mr. Evan Lastname of City, South Carolina, and Mr. Tyler Lastname of City, South Carolina.


The bride is a graduate of Name High School in City, Texas. She graduated summa cum laude from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Arts in English and Psychology, and will begin attending {Name of Law School} this August. The groom is a graduate of Name High School in City, Texas. He graduated cum laude from the University of South Carolina with a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering, and is currently employed as an engineer with Jeff'sCompany in Houston.


Following a honeymoon in Jamaica, Katie and Jeff will reside in Houston, Texas.