Wording8 min read
Elopement Announcement Wording: 30 Examples to Send
Announce after the fact, invite before it. 30 lines to copy for elopements, courthouse and civil ceremonies, micro-weddings and the party that comes later.
By The Veiloria AtelierPublished Updated
Contents
- The short answer: announcement or invitation?
- Elopement announcement wording (8 examples)
- "We eloped" and "we got married" photo captions (5 examples)
- Courthouse and civil ceremony invitation wording (6 examples)
- Micro wedding invitation wording (5 examples)
- Reception after elopement invitation wording (6 examples)
- How to tell family you eloped, and who to tell first
- When to announce an elopement: before, on the day or after
- Frequently asked questions
Good elopement announcement wording says three things in a few lines: that you're married, when and where it happened, and what comes next. If guests are coming to a courthouse ceremony, a micro-wedding or a party later, you're writing an invitation instead, with a date, a place and a reply-by date.
Below: 30 examples to copy, labeled by tone, then who to tell and when. For classic lines, see our wedding invitation wording guide.
The short answer: announcement or invitation?
An elopement announcement tells people you married; an invitation asks them to be there. Many couples send both: the news now, a party invitation later.
| Announcement | Invitation | |
|---|---|---|
| Sent | After the wedding, or on the day | Before the event |
| Asks guests to | Nothing | Come, and reply |
| Must include | Your names, the news, when and where | Names, date, time, place, reply-by date |
| Optional | A photo, a new name or address, "party to follow" | Dress code, map, schedule, gifts |
An announcement carries no expectation of a gift.
Elopement announcement wording (8 examples)
An elopement announcement needs your names, the word "eloped" or "married", and where and when. Names and places are placeholders.
1. Formal
Iris Whitfield and Callum Reid
were married
on Saturday, the third of October, 2026
on the island of Paxos, Greece
2. Formal, from the parents
Ingrid and Paul Whitfield
are delighted to announce the marriage of their daughter
Iris
to Callum Reid
on the third of October, 2026, in Paxos
3. Warm
Just the two of us: Iris and Callum married on a cliff above the sea in Paxos on October 3. We can't wait to celebrate with you.
4. Short
We eloped. Married October 3, 2026, Paxos. Love, Iris & Callum
5. Playful
Plot twist: we got married. Just us, an officiant and one curious goat on a hillside in Paxos. 🐐 Party details soon.
6. With a party to follow
Héloïse and Raphaël eloped in Paris on June 12, 2026. We saved the celebration for you: a party next spring, invitation to follow.
7. Gentle, for family who hoped to come
We chose to marry quietly, just the two of us. We thought of you all day and can't wait to celebrate together.
8. With a new name or address
Iris and Callum married in Paxos on October 3, 2026. From November 1: Mr. and Mrs. Reid, 14 Linden Lane, Portland, Oregon.
"We eloped" and "we got married" photo captions (5 examples)
Let the photo carry the news and keep the caption to one or two lines. Post only after your family has heard.
9. Minimal
Married. October 3, 2026. Just us and the sea.
10. With thanks
Mr. and Mrs. Reid, as of Saturday. Thank you for loving us all the way here.
11. Card or digital announcement
We said our vows at the courthouse on a Tuesday morning, and it was everything we wanted.
Linnea & Elio · May 12, 2026
12. Light
Today's outfit: a borrowed blazer and a marriage license. 💍
13. Holiday card
Our news this year: we got married.
With love, Linnea and Elio Moretti
Courthouse and civil ceremony invitation wording (6 examples)
A courthouse wedding invitation asks a few guests to a civil ceremony and gives the exact room, the arrival time and what happens afterward.
14. Formal
Together with their families
Héloïse Martin and Raphaël Benoît
invite you to their civil ceremony
Friday, the twelfth of June, 2026, at eleven o'clock
Mairie du 4e arrondissement, Paris
Lunch to follow at Le Petit Cyprès
15. Modern
We're getting married at City Hall, and we'd love you there. Thursday, May 7, at 2:30 p.m., Room 214. Lunch after. Please reply by April 20.
16. Asking a witness
We're marrying at the courthouse on Thursday, May 7, at 2:30 p.m. We need one witness, and we'd love it to be you.
17. Parents only
Mom and Dad, we're marrying at the courthouse on Thursday, May 7, at 2:30 p.m., and we want only you there. Dinner after is on us.
18. Civil ceremony first, celebration later
Linnea and Elio marry at the registry office on Friday, May 15, 2026.
Celebrate with us on Saturday, September 19, 2026, at four o'clock, Villa Serena, Val d'Orcia.
The two-step pattern is common in Europe: in France only the town hall ceremony is legally binding, and German couples often marry at the Standesamt first.
19. Civil now, religious later
Iris and Callum marry at the town hall on Friday, March 5, 2027, at ten o'clock. A blessing at St. Columba's follows in summer, with its own invitation.
For the blessing, see religious wedding invitation wording.
Micro wedding invitation wording (5 examples)
A micro-wedding is a full wedding, ceremony and meal, for one or two tables of guests. Every guest was chosen, so write personally.
20. Formal
Iris Whitfield and Callum Reid
request the pleasure of your company
at their marriage
Saturday, the third of October, 2026, at four o'clock
The Old Olive Press, Paxos
Dinner to follow
21. Personal
We're keeping it small: twelve of the people we love most, and you're one of them. Saturday, October 3, at four o'clock. Reply by August 15.
22. One long table
One ceremony, one long table, one evening. We marry on Saturday, June 13, 2026, at six o'clock, in the courtyard at Maison Cerise, Lyon.
23. At home
We're marrying in Mom's garden. Saturday, August 22, at five o'clock. Supper and dancing on the lawn after.
24. Destination
We're marrying in Paxos with a handful of you beside us. It's a journey, and we'll understand if you can't come. Saturday, October 3, 2026.
Every Veiloria plan includes unlimited guests and the RSVP for one payment per wedding, so 12 guests cost the same as 300.
The sun print
Cyanotype
A sun print by the sea, exposed by your guests and washed into Prussian blue
A real cyanotype, the photograph made without a camera, in Prussian blue and paper white. A coated sheet lies under glass with three ferns and a sprig of sea-oak on it; your guests let the sun in, the paper turns from yellow-green to bronze, the glass and the plants lift away, and a sheet of water rinses down the print as deep blue blooms behind it, leaving white ghosts of the ferns around your names. Then every section is a different print pegged on its own cotton line along a limewashed studio wall, each developing as it arrives: an exposure test strip for the countdown, a date brought out with a burning glass, your photographs turned into true cyanotypes and left to dry, a blueprint of the venue, fabric swatches as the only colour, and a reply your guests expose themselves, laying down a sprig of lavender or a gull’s feather.
Cyanotype suits a wedding this size: a sun print by the sea, exposed by your guests.
Reception after elopement invitation wording (6 examples)
A party invitation after an elopement says you're already married, then gives the usual details: date, time, place, dress code, reply-by date. Call it a reception or a celebration; "wedding" alone suggests vows.
25. Formal
Iris and Callum Reid
were married privately in Paxos
on the third of October, 2026,
and request the pleasure of your company
at a reception in their honor
Saturday, the sixth of March, 2027, at seven o'clock
The Glasshouse, Portland
26. Hosted by parents
Ingrid and Paul Whitfield
invite you to a reception celebrating the marriage of their daughter
Iris
to Callum Reid
Saturday, the sixth of March, 2027, at seven o'clock
27. Modern
We eloped. Now let's party: dinner, drinks and dancing, Saturday, March 6, at seven o'clock, The Glasshouse, Portland. Reply by February 1.
28. Warm
We said our vows quietly. Now we'd love to celebrate loudly, with you. Saturday, March 6, from seven o'clock.
29. Vows again, for everyone
We married on our own in October. This spring, we'll say our vows again, with all of you there. Saturday, April 17, 2027, at four o'clock.
30. First anniversary
One year married, and we never threw the party. Come celebrate on Saturday, October 2, 2027, at eight o'clock.
If guests are invited to only part of the day, see evening and reception invitations.
More small-wedding designs are in the collection.
How to tell family you eloped, and who to tell first
Tell anyone who would be hurt to learn it from a screen, by phone or in person, before you post.
- Parents and step-parents, the same day.
- Siblings and grandparents.
- Close friends who expected an invitation.
- Anyone who booked travel or was asked to stand with you.
- Everyone else: by announcement, post or card.
A script for the call:
"We wanted you to hear it from us first: we got married on Saturday, just the two of us. We did it this way because ___. We love you, and we'd like to celebrate with you soon."
If someone is hurt, acknowledge it first ("I know you wish you'd been there") and offer a way in: dinner, the photos, the party. If save the dates went out for a bigger wedding, see our wedding change of date wording.
When to announce an elopement: before, on the day or after
Tell family before or on the day, announce within a few weeks, and invite to a party 8–12 weeks ahead.
| When | Who and how | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Before the wedding | Parents, in person, if a surprise would wound them | Pressure to change your plans |
| On the day | A call from the courthouse steps; your post that evening | Posting before every parent has heard |
| Within a few weeks | Announcements: card, message or post | News reaching people second-hand |
| 8–12 weeks before a party | The reception invitation, with a reply-by date | Promising a party that never comes |
Frequently asked questions
How do you announce an elopement?
Tell parents and closest friends personally, then send a short announcement: your names, and when and where you married. Online, a photo and a line or two are enough.
How do you word a courthouse wedding invitation?
Give your names, the date, time and exact room, then what follows and a reply-by date. Ask guests to arrive early: the clerk won't wait.
Should you send announcements after eloping?
Yes, if you want people beyond your inner circle to hear it from you. They ask nothing of guests, so send them widely within a few weeks.
How do you invite people to a reception after eloping?
Say you're already married, then invite as to any wedding, with a reply-by date. Call it a reception or a celebration, and send it 8–12 weeks ahead.
Is it rude to invite only close family to a courthouse wedding?
No. Courthouse weddings are small by nature, and many rooms hold only a handful of guests. Tell close friends yourselves and include them in a later party.
