diff --git a/app/views/notify/new_issue_email.html.haml b/app/views/notify/new_issue_email.html.haml
index 05a9142471374a4a079e0b19c7707a0a43a3ff45..f2f8eee18c49cd18b374ba822a38db2610bc443f 100644
--- a/app/views/notify/new_issue_email.html.haml
+++ b/app/views/notify/new_issue_email.html.haml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
-%p
-  New Issue was created.
-%p
-  Author: #{@issue.author_name}
-%p
-  Assignee: #{@issue.assignee_name}
+-if @issue.description
+  = markdown(@issue.description)
+
+- if @issue.assignee_id.present?
+  %p
+    Assignee: #{@issue.assignee_name}
diff --git a/app/views/notify/new_merge_request_email.html.haml b/app/views/notify/new_merge_request_email.html.haml
index bc52824c44f8bee36761bc14a521be0242f34845..2c012c4b21547913f62161acdc8cb61fe5f1ec8e 100644
--- a/app/views/notify/new_merge_request_email.html.haml
+++ b/app/views/notify/new_merge_request_email.html.haml
@@ -2,6 +2,10 @@
   = "New Merge Request ##{@merge_request.iid}"
 %p
   != merge_path_description(@merge_request, '→')
-%p
-  Assignee: #{@merge_request.author_name} → #{@merge_request.assignee_name}
 
+- if @merge_request.assignee_id.present?
+  %p
+    Assignee: #{@merge_request.author_name} → #{@merge_request.assignee_name}
+
+-if @merge_request.description
+  = markdown(@merge_request.description)
diff --git a/spec/mailers/notify_spec.rb b/spec/mailers/notify_spec.rb
index 6b8d7a6f047765846a43c88b769f91264ad50271..bc375622b32c7cf34d4d3dcbe8be0f497135285d 100644
--- a/spec/mailers/notify_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/mailers/notify_spec.rb
@@ -146,7 +146,8 @@ describe Notify do
       end
 
       context 'for issues' do
-        let(:issue) { create(:issue, author: current_user, assignee: assignee, project: project ) }
+        let(:issue) { create(:issue, author: current_user, assignee: assignee, project: project) }
+        let(:issue_with_description) { create(:issue, author: current_user, assignee: assignee, project: project, description: Faker::Lorem.sentence) }
 
         describe 'that are new' do
           subject { Notify.new_issue_email(issue.assignee_id, issue.id) }
@@ -162,6 +163,14 @@ describe Notify do
           end
         end
 
+        describe 'that are new with a description' do
+          subject { Notify.new_issue_email(issue_with_description.assignee_id, issue_with_description.id) }
+
+          it 'contains the description' do
+            should have_body_text /#{issue_with_description.description}/
+          end
+        end
+
         describe 'that have been reassigned' do
           subject { Notify.reassigned_issue_email(recipient.id, issue.id, previous_assignee.id, current_user) }
 
@@ -221,6 +230,7 @@ describe Notify do
 
       context 'for merge requests' do
         let(:merge_request) { create(:merge_request, author: current_user, assignee: assignee, source_project: project, target_project: project) }
+        let(:merge_request_with_description) { create(:merge_request, author: current_user, assignee: assignee, source_project: project, target_project: project, description: Faker::Lorem.sentence) }
 
         describe 'that are new' do
           subject { Notify.new_merge_request_email(merge_request.assignee_id, merge_request.id) }
@@ -244,6 +254,14 @@ describe Notify do
           end
         end
 
+        describe 'that are new with a description' do
+          subject { Notify.new_merge_request_email(merge_request_with_description.assignee_id, merge_request_with_description.id) }
+
+          it 'contains the description' do
+            should have_body_text /#{merge_request_with_description.description}/
+          end
+        end
+
         describe 'that are reassigned' do
           subject { Notify.reassigned_merge_request_email(recipient.id, merge_request.id, previous_assignee.id, current_user.id) }