All about Wedding Save the Date cards

We Said Yes Save the Date Cards

SAVE THE DATE CARDS

What are they? Do you really need them? Who do you send them to? When do you send them? If you’re unsure then this blog post is just for you!

✨WHAT ARE SAVE THE DATE CARDS?✨

Well they announce your wedding date to your guests and request them to reserve the date. It's a way of saying, "Save the date for our wedding," with more details to follow. It's a great idea, but you might have questions.

Do we really need them? Can we send invitations earlier instead? Do they go to all guests or just the day ones? What information should be included? Stay tuned for the lowdown!

 

 ✨ARE THEY REALLY NECESSARY? I HEAR YOU ASK...✨

Probably the biggest and most important question, especially when on a tight budget. The simple answer is no, they are not necessary. Yes, I know, I create wedding stationery, so I should be promoting them! Let me explain.
 
While not absolutely necessary, they can be very helpful for weddings during certain times of the year. So, if you’re planning your big day during peak summer wedding season, Christmas, Easter and other school or bank holiday times it is useful to give people a bit of notice in case they are booking holidays etc. Also think about whether your guests need to book time off work, sometimes they need to do this a long time in advance. the sooner you inform your guests the better.
 
They can be especially useful if your planning a destination wedding where your guests may need to book more time off work, flight & accommodation etc.
 
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✨WHY NOT SEND OUR INVITATIONS OUT RIGHT AWAY?✨
Good question. Yes, you could if you have all the details in place. Do you have timings finalised? Do your guests need to pre-order a menu choice & have you decided what that will be? Have you decided on your final guest list (bearing in mind your wedding could still be 18 months to 2 years away)? If you don’t have all these things set in stone then you probably aren’t ready to have formal invitations printed just yet.
 
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✨WHEN SHOULD YOU SEND WEDDING SAVE THE DATES?✨
To maximize the impact of your save the date cards, send them out as early as possible. Once you have secured your wedding date and venue, you're all set. The most common timing to send them is roughly 12 to 18 months before your big day, but the choice is yours. You can even send them up to 2 years in advance to give guests ample time to plan and prepare, especially if it's a destination wedding.
 
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✨WHAT INFORMATION DO YOU PUT ON THEM?✨
The good thing about save the date cards is that they need very little information. Just your names, date and event venue if you want to mention it (especially handy if a destination wedding). It’s a way of putting a marker in the calendar with the invitation to follow, containing the all important details. If your thinking of having a wedding website this is also a good way to include a link for your guests to keep them up to date throughout your wedding planning.
 
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✨WHO DO WE SEND THEM TO?✨

As I’ve already mentioned that at the time of sending your save the date cards, you may not yet have finalised your guest list. So how do you know who to send them to?

  Here’s my advice, send your wedding save the dates only to those guests on your ‘A list’. your friends and family that you 100% want to be there on your big day and wouldn’t want to be missing from your big day. The guests on the ‘well maybe’ list? I wouldn’t send a save the date to them, as there would be nothing worse than receiving a save the date card for a wedding which you don’t then receive an invitation to and you and your partner then feel stressed trying to back track on what you’ve already done (invited someone you now don't want to be there).

Just remember you do not need to send every single person one, one per couple, family or household is more than enough!

 

✨DO WE SEND THEM TO ONLY DAY GUESTS, NIGHT GUESTS OR ALL?✨

Generally, you don’t need to send a save the date to your evening guests. Most likely your guest list for the evening reception will be a lot more undecided anyway. 

That being said if you are super set on sending them to everyone, I have made ‘save the evening’ cards for couples before, so it can be done. I would simply advise, if you decide to do this, that you make it super clear it is a pre-invite to the evening reception only. You don’t want any guests confused as to which part of your day they are invited to!

 

✨DO YOU PUT RSVP ON YOUR SAVE THE DATE CARDS?✨

You wouldn’t normally ask your guests to reply to a save the date card. The RSVP request will be in your formal wedding invitations. However, you may find that when they receive your save the date if a guest already knows that they can’t make it they will let you know. This can help with planning your guest list and managing guest numbers.

If you like, you can include a ‘regrets only’ RSVP instruction. 

There are occasions however where an RSVP to your save the dates may be more beneficial such as if your having a destination wedding or have a venue that can only hold very limited guest numbers.

 

✨WHAT IF I HAVEN'T DECIDED ON MY COLOUR SCHEME YET?✨

Wedding save the date cards can be a great way to give your guests their very first glimpse of the style and theme of what's to come. Don’t worry too much about colours at this stage, think more about setting the right tone and style as well as reflecting your personalities.

For example, if you are planning a formal black tie style wedding then a crisp white card with elegant black writing would be the perfect choice. For a destination wedding perhaps a luggage tag style or something more colourful with images would be more suited.

Classic neutral save the cards are very popular for this reason. Colours can be introduced later, on your formal wedding invitations.

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✨THE KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER ARE...✨

  • Save the date cards are not a necessity but they are a great way to give your guests plenty of notice of your upcoming wedding.
  • Sending them well in advance (up to 2 years) allows your friends and family to prepare, arrange time off work and more importantly not double book themselves.
  • You should send them to those who are most important to you that you don’t want to be without on your big day.
  • You don’t need to include an RSVP but you can if you’d like.
  • And lastly remember you only need to send one per couple, family or household.

 

CLICK HERE to view some of the save the dates I have to offer, I design and create save the date cards and wedding stationery in many different styles and shapes. From simple flat cards to fancy shapes, layered, calendar style and more! And don’t forget I also offer a free design service if you have a different idea or style in mind.

If you have any questions about wedding save the date cards, invitations & on the day stationery or anything at all wedding related then please do get in touch and I will be happy to assist.

 

✨ABOUT ME THE AUTHOR✨

Laura Firtina - I’m passionate about design and helping others achieve their dream wedding through my love for stationery design. If like me you are a perfectionist and always want things to be as perfect as they possibly can then you're in the right place.

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