[Paulson]

Hi there. We are having our wedding at a 4 day hotrod show this summer and I need advise! I should first start by saying that our announcement will be to announce that we ARE getting married, not that we have gotten married. I will be sending out announcements and not invites due to the distance of our wedding but want to incorporate that you are more than welcome to come. I want to put in there that if you are attending you must RSVP and also put the website of the carshow in case they have questions on the cost to go, lodging, maps etc. Is it tacky of me to only send out an announcement instead of and announcement and invite? P.S. WE ARE PAYING!!!

This post has been edited by Paulson: 27 January 2026 - 12:37 PM

[Wedding Queen and MOG]

What you are going to send cannot be called anything other than an invitation since it is being sent before the event and it's "inviting" the recipient to attend.
We don't send announcements that we are going to be getting married. That just isn't nice. It's like getting a piece of mail that says, we're getting married and you're not invited. Announcements are sent after the wedding to let people know you've been married. There's no mention of the details so the recipient won't feel bad about not being included.
If you want to invite guests to your hotrod wedding, you would, of course, carry the cost of attending.

[Etiquette Now]

I completely agree. If you want these people to attend, then you would invite them. You are then a host. A host hosts--pays. It is never polite or appropriate to expect guests to pay an entrance fee.

Announcements announce. Invitations invite. There is no in between.