There is a lot to be said for an intimate wedding ceremony. Remember that the proposal was often done in quiet intimacy and will be filled with a gravitas that few other ceremonies related to marriage are going to accomplish. The wedding ceremony traditionally is about bringing the families together, but the truth is that some couples do not want to bring their families together for their wedding ceremony.

If you choose to go the route of the private wedding ceremony, you might consider this sample announcement to help calm the upset emotions from family or friends not invited to the actually ceremony.

Sample Announcement:

We invite you to take a moment on December 8 at 5:00 p.m. to say a prayer, a blessing or simply to observe a moment of silence as we, the bride and the groom, commit ourselves to one another and to walking the path of life together. In privacy and intimacy, we will make our commitment because our marriage is about joining our lives.

When you see us before, you will know us, as we were - individual and singular.

We invite you to join us at the Youreventlist Hotel (just a sample hotel) in the private dining room for a celebration dinner at 7 p.m. In lieu of any gifts, we ask that you instead make a donation to charity in our names as a couple that we will have become. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your love, your kindness and your devotion.