Your Guide to Sending Moving Announcements the Easy Way
Moving to your new home sweet home can be such an exciting time, but it’s also busy. There are moving trucks to book, finances to sort, and plenty of unpacking at the other end. In amongst all this, you’ll need to let people know where they can find you at your new home with a moving announcement.
In this guide, we’ll take you through everything you need to know about moving announcements so you can send with confidence.
Why Send Moving Announcements?
Most of us send out new address announcements to let friends and family know we’re moving home to somewhere new. We want them to be able to reach us easily and stay in touch, and moving announcements are a quick and easy way to make this possible.
There are other benefits to sending moving announcements, too. Confirming your new contact details with everyone means you’re less likely to miss out on valuable or important mail or gifts that might be sent your way in the coming months. In fact, it might encourage greeting cards or housewarming gifts from loved ones who want to wish you well in your new home. And if you’ve lost touch with someone you used to be close to, letting them know your new address can be a great way to open up that conversation again.
If you’re hosting a housewarming party, you could also include details about this on your new address card. Not sure on all the details or date yet? Simply add that you’ll share details about your gathering once you’re all settled in or send your housewarming invitations separately.
What to Include in Moving Announcement Cards
Design: Paper Raven Co.
Moving home can be full of complications and things to do. Luckily there’s a simple list of what to include on your moving announcement cards. Here’s a run-through of what to feature and why.
Your Names
With any card or notification, it’s always best to include your full name (or the name you’re known by) so there’s no confusion. If there’s more than one of you in the household, include everyone’s names. That way, you don’t need to create multiple versions of cards for people who may only know one of you — like the friends of your children.
Your Current Address
If you want to send cards to neighbors who may only know you as Mr. and Mrs. Smith from No. 34, it can help to include this information on your moving cards. Make sure it’s clear this is your current (soon to be former) address though, so nobody’s confused about where they can reach you.
Your New Address
It wouldn’t be a moving announcement without including your new address. It’s important to include your full postal address, including your ZIP code, to make it as easy as possible for mail and gifts to find their way to your new home. Getting all the details right during a move can be tricky, so double check your full address before you send your cards.
Your Moving Date
If you haven’t already moved, include your moving date on your new home announcement cards. This can be especially useful if you’re planning an international move that requires a lot of planning or that will lead to a delay in mail reaching you.
The Nature of Your House Move
You don’t need to share the details of why you’re moving house to a new nest, but it can be helpful to confirm whether it’s a permanent or temporary move. If you’re relocating for a few months for work or while renovations take place, let people know how long you expect to be at the new place and that you’ll confirm when you’re moving back to your usual home.
Other Contact Details
While the main purpose is to let people know your new address, it’s always a good idea to include other contact details. A close friend may want to call and wish you well or offer help with the move, or a family member might email to ask for plenty of photos of your happy new home. Most families choose to include their cell phone number and home number these days, along with an email address.
Of course, you’re free to personalize your announcements as much as you wish beyond the key details. You could add a quote about fun new beginnings or share a fact about the city you’re moving to. If you’re active on social media, maybe include your profile details so people can follow your new adventure in real time.
Who to Send Your New Address Announcements To
Design: Hooray Creative
Everyone’s list will be different, but there will be a few similar groups that most of us will want to inform of our new address. If you’re not quite sure, here are a few recommendations on people who you may want to get in touch with so they can add your details to their address books.
Family Members
Right at the top of the list is family members, and those you consider part of your family. If you stay in touch or they’re likely to need your address at some point, include them on your list of card recipients. Depending on your family dynamics, this list could include parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles, and cousins. To make your card feel extra personal, try a photo moving announcements design that means you can include an image of your family.
Close Friends
Next you’ll want to add close friends and family friends to your list. Even if you’ve drifted apart recently, updating them on your new address can help you reconnect or make the perfect excuse to have a get-together.
If you have children, find a way to get your new address details over to their friends’ families too. If you don’t have an email address or know where they live, send printed note cards with your kids to school so they can pass them out to their friends — just like they would with party invitations.
Neighbors and Work Colleagues
Once you’ve accounted for family and close friends, it’s time to start thinking about other people you’re friendly with. For some of us, this might be our old neighbors that we’ll be sad to leave, and for others, it could be work colleagues who are no strangers to a pizza night at your place. If you’d like to stay in touch, add them to your moving announcements list.
While in the past many of us would have sent a home moving announcement to different companies, you can often manage this in another way now. Log in and update your account details with utilities suppliers or call your bank or the kids’ school to inform them of your change of address.
When to Send a Moving Announcement
There’s no specific advice about when to send a moving announcement like there is with wedding invitations or save the dates, but most people choose to do this just after moving in. This gives you space to focus on moving and getting settled in before you add another task to your to-do list. It also means you won’t miss mail that’s meant for you if it arrives before you do, and you can use your new address as the return address.
For some people, sending change of address cards earlier makes sense. This is especially true if it’s a big, international move or if you simply prefer to give people more notice. You can always inform close friends and family of the details early by text or email, and think of the new address announcement card as more of a formality.
Even if you’re not moving for a few weeks or months, it can help to start thinking early and get your moving announcement cards ready to send.
How to Send Moving Announcements the Easy Way
Design: Emma Wassmer
With so many elements to a house move, sending moving announcement postcards or cards can feel like a chore. One way to make it easier and more fun is to use digital invitations to let people know you’re moving.
One of the main benefits of a digital service is being able to send out your moving announcements in a few clicks. Mix the DIY approach with technology and choose a design that matches your personality, or try a photo card with an image from your new house or hometown.
There’s no trip to the post box, printing address labels, or worrying about finding everyone’s address to mail out announcement cards. Instead, you can send your cards by email and track if they’ve been received and opened. It’s also easier for friends and family to reply back and send you well wishes. You could then follow up with digital thank you cards in response.
If you’re short on time or want a more creative way to share the fun news about your sweet new home, one of these digital moving announcements is a great choice.
Send Your Moving Announcements With Confidence
We hope this guide has answered all your questions about new address announcements. Like anything related to occasions, you can put your own spin on the basics and turn the task of sharing information into something fun.
With a clear idea of when to send your cards and who to include on your list, you can focus on finding the perfect design and building a moving announcement that’s as individual as you are.
