Save the Dates
The story of your life together may begin with your first date, but the story of your wedding day begins with your Save the Dates. Typically sent out eight months before your wedding, these announcements inform your family and friends that they may expect an invitation and should mark their calendars accordingly.
These may arrive as a simple postcard, a card in an envelope and the ever popular magnet for guests to leave on the fridge for the next few months, as a reminder. But if you love clever the way I love clever, feel free to think outside the box and mail guests a card that looks like a ticket and says “FREE DRINK” along with pertinent info about your day. Or a cute calendar of the month of your wedding with just your date highlighted shown in the photo above from www.stonehillpaperie.com. A great stationery designer has their eye on all kinds of fun alternatives and clever ideas! It’s what they do best and they love creating something just for their clients who want something personal and unique and on good paper!
Save the Dates are a great place to share your engagement photos, which may show off your favorite pet, introduce family to your fun hobby, the location of your first date, where you graduated from or simply your love for each other. Showing your sense of humor can be a lot of fun using punny sayings about the two of you, or a run down of how you met and your dating history. The point is make sure it reflects not just the two of you, but also what kind of wedding you plan to have so they can get excited about the prospect of RSVP’ing YES!
If it is formal affair in a grand ballroom, you should probably stay away from casual, rustic farm vibes. And if it is to be held someplace that is super casual, don’t mislead your guests with glitz, glam and glitter. This is the beginning of the communication you will have with your guests so you don’t want it to be confusing, no matter how much you love certain trends.
The information on your Save the Date should at least have your full names, your wedding date and general location of the event. But if you are really thoughtful, you will take a moment to create your wedding website with one of the great platforms like the Knot, Zola or Minted to house all the information guests will be referring to throughout the engagement period. They have great graphics that can include your wedding colors, flowers or general “feel” of the event. You can even order matching paper goods that can continue the theme from start to finish. They are easy to set up and can include information about your formality, photos of the two of you, and so much more.
Pop back here for the my blog post which will address the contents of your website in a little more depth, but for now…get those SAVE the DATES ideas ready!