Wedding announcements appear in newspapers across the country every day. The stories range from simple informative briefs to long, winding tales filled with romance and adventure. Every wedding announcement contains basic information such as the full names of the bride and groom, their occupations and the date and venue of the wedding. Find the wedding announcement you are looking for by searching tangible and virtual sources.
How to Find Wedding Announcements in the Newspaper
Look in the current edition of the local newspaper. Most newspapers have a daily or weekly section devoted to wedding announcements. Traditionally, wedding announcements are placed in the newspapers of the bride’s hometown and/or the location of the wedding. If you are looking for a current wedding announcement, look in the current local newspapers. Consult the table of contents to find the page where the wedding announcements are located.
Search the newspaper’s online archives. Find wedding announcements within the last 10 years by searching the online archives of the local newspapers. Some newspapers charge a fee for accessing archives that are from a certain year or earlier. The Special Libraries Association News Division (http://www.ibiblio.org/slanews/internet/archives.html) hosts an online archive of newspapers from various American cities.
Search the library. Libraries contain the archives of local newspapers. Archives are housed as actual newspapers, as microfiche and in digital formats. Call ahead to secure permission to use a microfiche-viewing machine, and have a librarian show you how to use it.
Search the Library of Congress Newspaper and Current Periodical Reading Room. The Library of Congress website (http://www.loc.gov) lists dozens of free and fee-based online newspaper archive sources. The newspaper archives are for current and past editions. The list includes Google News, which has partnered with publishers worldwide to digitize news archives.
Conduct research in the local historical societies. Marriage announcements that are at least 100 years old or involve a famous person are found in local historical societies. Call ahead to secure permission to view the marriage announcements.
Inspect family scrapbooks. If you know the family of the bride or groom in the wedding announcement, ask to search the family archives. Old scrapbooks, trunks and forgotten drawers often house family artifacts such as wedding announcements.