Save-the-dates are growing in popularity and are a great way to announce your wedding day. They are a really fun way to set the tone for your upcoming wedding and generate excitement among your potential guests, and they have really become a €must-have’ for couples planning to tie the knot somewhere far away, perhaps on a warm, sunny island somewhere! Or if your wedding date falls near a major holiday, save-the-date announcements are especially important. You’re out of town guests will really appreciate the advance notice, which will give them plenty of time to save money and make travel their travel and accommodation arrangements.
A save the date is a notice or card sent to friends and family advising of the future date of a special event. They would generally be sent to those likely to be interested or invited to the event and simply state the planned date of the wedding so that potential guests can keep that date free.
€Save the Date’s’ are generally sent out somewhere in the range of six to twelve months before the actual wedding date, and would subsequently be followed by the formal wedding invitation sent 6-8 weeks before the date. Be sure to include €Formal invitation to follow€ at the bottom of your wedding save-the-date card and guests will know there’s more to come.
Save-the-date cards can be anything as simple as a postcard, can take the form of a fridge magnet or even be as elaborate as a fridge magnetic puzzle! The postcard option can be a recent €couple’ picture, perhaps taken shortly after your engagement. Another popular idea is save-the-date stickers that are small enough to be stuck onto calendars or into diaries. The design of your save-the-date can be a great way to set the tone of your wedding with a theme that can be incorporated into everything from your cake to your invitations.
One of my favourite ideas is for the bridal couple to create a funny face photo strip of 4 photos, and in each of the four pictures they hold up a sign saying. €1) We’re getting married. 2) Save the Date. 3) June 30th. 4) Be there/ Stay tuned!€
The wording of a save-the-date card or note doesn’t have to be anything formal, all you really need is something as simple as: €Save the Date: [bride’s and groom’s names] are tying the knot on [your wedding date] in [the city where you’ll marry]€. Your guests will know what to expect, and they can get in touch with you if they have questions. You might like to add a short poem or rhyme or quote€¦ use your own imagination!
A few tips and suggestions for you:
€ Make sure that every one you send a €save the date’ to will definitely be on your final wedding guest list. Once you tell someone to save your wedding date, there’s no turning back!
€Donot ask for RSVP’s – the cushion time is just too long and it can just create difficulties.
€If you have a large number of out of town guests, you may want to consider including more specific wedding details on your €save the date’, and less in the actual invitations. This will give the out of town guests advance info on local hotels and other travel details.
€If you have a wedding website, you may like to include a link to your wedding website on your €save the date’, giving the guests more in-depth information on your wedding day.
