A courthouse wedding is one of the most honest ways to get married. You skipped the spectacle and went straight to the meaning. But when it comes time to tell people, that same simplicity can leave you staring at a blank card, unsure how to phrase something that feels significant without a big production behind it. The good news is that the plainness of a courthouse wedding is a gift for announcement wording. You do not need flowery language. You need warmth, clarity, and a little confidence in the choice you made.
Lead with the fact, then the feeling
The core of any courthouse wedding announcement is simple: you got married. Do not bury it. People reading your card want to know the news in the first line, so give it to them. Something as direct as "We got married at city hall" or "We said I do at the courthouse" does the job instantly. Once the fact is clear, you have room to add the feeling, a line about how right it felt, how happy you are, or how much you wanted it to be just the two of you.
The structure that works best is fact first, warmth second, and an invitation to celebrate third if you want one. Keeping it in that order means no one has to reread your card to figure out what happened. When you build the card itself, you can design one on InviteDrop for free and see how your wording looks laid out, which often helps you cut anything that reads as an apology rather than an announcement.
Own the choice, do not explain it away
Many couples instinctively soften a courthouse announcement with a defensive line, something that hints they could not afford a big wedding or ran out of time. Resist that. A courthouse wedding is a valid, often deliberate choice, and your wording should carry that confidence. Instead of "we decided to just do the courthouse thing," try "we chose a quiet ceremony that felt like us." The difference is subtle but real. One sounds like a compromise, the other sounds like a decision. People take their cue from you. If your card is proud, theirs will be happy for you.
Phrasing that suits different tones
Your announcement should sound like the two of you, so match the wording to your voice. If you are lighthearted, something playful works well, like "We made it official, no fuss, all love" or "Two people, one judge, zero regrets." If you lean sentimental, reach for something warmer, such as "Surrounded by nothing but each other, we became a family." If you prefer classic and understated, a clean line like "We are delighted to share that we were married at city hall" carries quiet elegance. There is no single correct register. The only wrong choice is wording that sounds like someone else.
Include the details people will want
Even a simple announcement benefits from a few anchoring facts. The date is the main one, because people like to remember your anniversary and note when it happened. Your city or the specific courthouse can add a lovely sense of place. If you took new names or are keeping your own, this is a natural moment to let people know, since it saves everyone the awkward guessing later. You do not need to list everything, but the date and the where give your announcement a spine.
Decide whether to invite a celebration
A courthouse wedding often comes with an unspoken question from friends and family: will there be a party? If you are planning one, your announcement is the perfect place to hint at it or invite people directly. A line like "We cannot wait to celebrate with you soon" keeps the door open, while a firmer "Join us for dinner to toast the newlyweds" turns the announcement into an invitation. If you are not planning anything, that is completely fine too, and you can simply let the announcement stand on its own as happy news.
If you do want to gather people afterward, the announcement can do double duty. Rather than sending news and then a separate invite weeks later, you can fold the celebration details into the same card and track who is coming from the start.
Keep the reveal as personal as the wedding was
The intimacy of a courthouse wedding deserves an announcement that feels personal rather than mass-produced. Because you chose a quiet ceremony, the way people receive the news becomes part of the story. An announcement that opens with an animated envelope reveal gives your simple card a small sense of ceremony, so the moment someone opens it feels a little like being let into your day. And if you are inviting people to a celebration, real RSVP tracking shows you exactly who is coming without a pile of separate texts to sort through.
You did not need a ballroom to get married, and you do not need elaborate wording to announce it. Lead with the news, own the choice, add a line of genuine warmth, and let the format carry a touch of occasion. When you are ready, you can design one on InviteDrop, put your wording on a card that opens like a real envelope, and share your courthouse wedding the way it actually felt, which is simple, sure, and full of love.
