Save the Dates
Hello lovely readers!
Congratulations on your engagement!!! You and your special someone are in the mix of planning, have selected a date and venue, and are ready to tell everyone to hold a weekend on their calendar. What is the best way to do this? A save the date card! A save the date is considered to be a pre-invitation that officially announces your wedding date and lets guests know that they will be invited at some point in the near future!
I've previously shared some tips regarding invitation etiquette, which you can read about here. Now I'm sharing etiquette and answers to common questions about save the dates.
What do I include on my save the date cards?
There are really only a few details that must be included on your save the date card: The date, your names, and the location (city/state) in which you are getting married. That’s it! If you have created a wedding website – this is the perfect place to include it! This card will guide guests directly to your website to make hotel reservations, read some fun details about you and your wedding party, as well as lead them to your wedding registry.
Save the Dates designed by Rebecca Rose Creative | Photography by Sara Logan Photography
Do you have to send save the dates to everyone?
You can send these cards to anyone you will be inviting to the wedding – but make sure that you only send them to those people you definitely want to attend. This is the first “sneak peek” your guests will have into your wedding, and will make them so excited for your special weekend!
Do we have to send save the date cards at all?
We almost always suggest to our clients to send save the date cards. This will help prepare your guests in case they need to make travel arrangements, take time off of work, or just to block off a weekend on their calendar to save for you! Of course, you don’t have to send save the dates if you don’t want to, but your guests will likely appreciate the heads up. The one exception - if your wedding is less than a few months away, you can probably skip the save the dates because you'll be sending invitations soon.
How early can I send them?
Save the Date & Invitation Suite by Rebecca Rose Creative | Photography by Sara Logan Photography
Typically, save the date cards are sent out to your guests 6-8 months prior to the wedding – we suggest staying as close to 8 months as possible. This will give your guests plenty of time to book travel and make any other necessary arrangements. If you send these cards any earlier than 8 months, they might get lost in the mix. Sending them after 6 months isn't really giving your guests much of a heads up, so you'll be missing the point.
Now that you are completely in the know, you are set and ready to send your save the date cards!! Happy planning!
XO
Nicole