What to tell those not invited to a destination wedding

By CARLEY RONEY
Scripps Howard News Service
Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Q: We're having a very small destination wedding. Can we send a post-wedding announcement to friends and family members who weren't invited?

A: Absolutely. Wedding announcements should be sent out immediately after the wedding to relatives and friends who weren't present to let them know that you have gotten married.

You can say something like, "Kate Smith and Billy Reyes are pleased to announce they were united in marriage on September 15, 2007, in Hawaii." If you're worried about possibly offending someone who wasn't invited, allude to the intimacy of the celebration: "Kate and Billy eloped on September 15, 2007, in Hawaii."

(Carley Roney, co-founder and editor in chief of The Knot, the nation's leading wedding resource, advises millions of brides on modern wedding etiquette at www.theknot.com.)