How To Word Wedding Save The Dates
Save the date wording should be short and sweet, and communicate the basic information guests need to know: who is getting married, where the wedding is taking place, and when. Typically you can just name the city in which youre getting marriedat this stage, guests only need to know if travel is required.
If you have a wedding website, which we highly recommend you set up as soon as youve secured your wedding date and location, include the link so guests can read more details about your wedding online for themselves. Then save other details for the invitations youve promised themand do be sure to promise them invitations to follow!
Save The Date Or Invitation First
The save the date is sent first!
Now that you know the difference between a save the date vs invitation, one of the biggest things to remember is the timeline of when they are mailed.
The save the date vs invitation timing is quite different:
Save the date cards are sent approximately 4 to 6 months before the wedding
Invitations are sent 6 to 8 weeks before the wedding.
Big difference!
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What Should I Include On My Save The Dates
Save the dates provide guests with the most basic information: who is getting married, when, and where. An engagement photo of you and your partner from your engagement shoot is also a great addition. You can also include a link to your wedding website if its set up so that invited guests can check for updates in real time. See below for more information about how to word save the dates.
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Save The Date Vs Invitation
First of all, great question, Ashleigh! It really isnt a question of if you should send a save the date OR an invitation, but rather if you should send a save the date AND an invitation. You always send an invitation a save the date is optional, but highly encouraged. Think of your save the date as an informal greeting to reveal, weve set a date, heres where the wedding will be. On the other hand, your invitation will tell guests more pertinent information such as the time, the actual names of venues, choice of dinner entree, etc. I always love to receive a save the date, and I know many others who enjoy them, too. A save the date not only gears your guests up for the fun ahead, but it also provides them ample time to save the date on the calendar and arrange travel arrangements . A save the date is also helpful for a Friday evening wedding, as many guests like to take time off of work to attend the ceremony mid-afternoon.
When to Send
Now that you know the difference between a save the date vs invitation, one of the biggest things to remember is the timeline of when they are mailed. Save the date cards are sent approximately 4 to 6 MONTHS before the wedding invitations are sent 6 to 8 WEEKS before the wedding. Big difference!
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When Do We Send Them
As a general rule of thumb, it’s a good idea to mail your save-the-dates four to six months before the weddingor even earlier if you’re planning a destination wedding that may require more extensive travel arrangements. In general, giving your guests an advance head’s up increases the likelihood that they’ll be able to attend.
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When Do You Send Out Save The Dates
As a rule of thumb, save the dates should generally be ordered, designed, and sent six to nine months before the wedding date. Your guests will appreciate your consideration of their time as they request off work and make travel plans. For destination weddings or dates that fall near holidays, itâs thoughtful to send save the dates even farther in advance.
When To Send Save The Dates
Would you believe us if we told you that save the dates were one of the more contemporary pieces of wedding stationery we made? Go ahead: ask your parents. Thereâs a real chance that they didnât send wedding save-the-dates and didnât have friends that used them, either. When they were getting married, there werenât many uses of invitation to follow. Couples just sent wedding invitations. While you might find earlier ones, they are mostly a 21st century phenomenon: the era of destination weddings and of generational migration away from hometown weddings. Accordingly, we are all learning the whyâs and howâs of them together. We think they are a courteous gesture and a brilliant way to start your ceremony planning with a bit of personal style.
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Where Should I Shop For Save The Dates
We might be a little biased, but Zola has an incredible selection of save the dates and related wedding stationery. Designed to coordinate with our free wedding websites and matching paper invitations, our stunning array of save the dates means theres a design for every style and type of wedding. Customize the wording to make it feel 100 percent personal to you.
Save The Date Vs Invitation: What Is The Difference
The simple answer to this question is that a Save the Date conveys minimal information about the date and city in which you plan to get married. By contrast, a wedding invitation offers detailed information about the venues, times and expected attire for both the wedding ceremony and reception. The difference between a Save the Date vs invitation can best be illustrated by the weight and size of a single Save the Date postcard compared with the average mailed wedding invitation. The wedding invite is heavier and contains more information in comparison to a simple and light Save the Date.
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When Should You Send Save The Dates Or Invitations
Theres a big difference between save the date vs invitation timing.
A save the date is well-ahead of time, not long after youre engaged and have selected a date and venue. As a rule of thumb, the main purpose of a save the date is to give your guests advance notice to keep the date locked in their calendar, plan for travel arrangement, accommodations with work if necessary, etc. to attend your wedding. This is especially important to send if you are planning a destination wedding).
Guests love to have a heads up in the event of busy summer wedding weekends, if your wedding falls on a long holiday weekend, if the wedding takes place on a Friday, and more. In fact, most guests appreciate receiving a save the date before the invitation as a way to prepare for the exciting event ahead.
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How Far In Advance Should Bridal Shower Invites Be Sent Out
If many guests will be local, aim to send the invites four to six weeks before the event. A bridal shower involving many out-of-towners, on the other hand, requires more advanced notice. Six or eight weeks should be sufficient time for long-distance guests to make transportation and lodging arrangements.
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Do Save The Dates Need To Match Invitations
They can and should, however, follow a similar style and tone or theme. But many times, a couples theme or motif, color palette, or style even the formality of the wedding is still a bit undecided when it is time to mail out save the dates.
Perhaps your color palette has changed, you decided on a different theme, a new motif, or you just changed your mind completely about the tone of your wedding. And thats OK!
For instance, you can go fun with it and choose informal cards like these with save the dates, then go completely formal with your invitations later. Thats totally up to you!
Thats why save the dates do not need to match invites.
However, if youre thinking save the dates should match wedding invitations and you want everything else to coordinate, too, thats great! When you know what you want, picking out everything at once for a perfect match is a great way to take the reigns and plan a completely cohesive and coordinated stationery suite.
Save The Date Party Invites And Other Non
Even though we talk about weddings throughout this article, not all save the date cards are for weddings. Any event that is being planned a long time ahead or that requires people to travel or make arrangements ahead of time should have a save the date. Save the date party invitations are popular, especially for people planning an 18th, 21st or sweet 16 and vying for free weekends with their friends of the same age. If you have a special birthday party coming up such as a 21st birthday party, or a 30th a save the date card for a birthday to go with your birthday invitations can be crucial to fit in with everyones busy lives. People need to know to save a date for you as soon as possible so they can plan accordingly.
You might send baby shower save the dates, bridal shower save the dates, birthday save the dates, engagement save the dates, corporate event save the dates, or anything else. Similar principles will apply regardless of what the event is that you are asking people to save a date for.
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How Much Do Save The Date Cards Cost
With weddings costing an average of nearly $34,000, the cost of your Save the Date cards is unlikely to make a major dent in your overall wedding budget.
Paperless Save the Dates are considerably less expensive than comparable printed versions. These types of Save the Date notifications may not have the same tangible appeal as printed cards that can be saved in a planner or taped to the refrigerator. Consider the reaction of your invited guests before deciding on paperless or printed Save the Dates for your upcoming wedding celebration.
What About Invitations For International Guests
If youre inviting just a few overseas guests, send their invitations along with the ones for your other guests, but make a point to give them a heads-up. Give them a call or send them an email with the details, as well as information about booking hotel rooms, so they can start to arrange their travel with time to spare.
Does half of your family live abroad? You might want to consider bumping up the timeline for them and the rest of your guests. Start designing your invitations a few weeks early and plan to send them out a minimum of 12 weeks in advance.
Be sure to follow up promptly with anyone you havent heard from to make sure they have plenty of time to book their flights.
You will also want to have all of the information available on your wedding website as soon as save-the-dates are in the mail. Sure, it means youll have to start ironing out the hotel room block and transportation information sooner than youd expected, but youll be happier in the long run. Those overseas guests will have all the information at their fingertips, and youll have even more crossed off of your to-do list.
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You Prefer All Your Stationery Matches
The best reason to go with matching save the dates and wedding invitations is because you prefer it that way. Some people just like it when all their wedding stationery syncs up. Maybe you want to create a wedding scrapbook or shadow box later on and think itll look better if every paper item has the same motif. Maybe too many differing colors or contrasting design elements makes you anxious.
Whatever the reason, just remember that while save the dates and wedding invitations dont have to match, they certainly can. The ball is in your court.
Finally, remember that the average guest is unlikely to notice or even care whether your save the dates and wedding invitations match. Theyve had your save-the-date magnet on their fridge for months, and getting your invitation in the mail is new and exciting. Theyre ripping open the envelope to read up on your venue choice and whether theyll get chicken or fish, not racing to the fridge to hold up the two pieces of stationery side by side to see if theyre a perfect match.
Make this decision one of the few related to your wedding thats completely stress free. Go with your gut, switch lanes whenever it feels right, and enjoy falling in love not only with your future spouse but potentially with two different designs that both do a stellar job representing you, your sweetheart, and all that lies ahead.
Browse the largest collection of Save the Dates and Wedding Invitations online today.
When To Send Save The Dates For Your Wedding
One of the first wedding-planning tasks you must take on is sending save the dates. But, many questions come to mind when tackling this project. Specifically, youre probably wondering when to send save-the-date cards. This particular announcement will be your initial segue into the world of wedding stationery suites, so weve done all the research to get you prepared.
Read on to get answers to all your questions about etiquette concerning the first piece of wedding stationery youll send out.
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Examples Of Wording For Save The Date Wedding Cards:
Save the date and wedding invitations follow a lot of the rules weve talking about before for wording your wedding invitation. The key is to:
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Maintain a tone thats consistent with the kind of wedding that youre planning.
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Name who is getting married
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Include where and when the wedding is occurring, and specific details that might affect what guests will have to plan, and
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Inform guests that more information is to follow soon so that you dont have a flood of calls coming in asking what this save the date thing is all about.
The best wedding save the date cards are simple, which means keeping to the basic who, what, when and where.
When Do You Send The Invitations If You Cant Afford Express Postage
Allow yourself an extra week if you are using a regular mail service rather than express postage, and consider the delays that may occur for international guests, particularly if youre sending any invitations to developing countries. Its extremely common to use standard mail to keep your costs low, so dont feel you have to spring for the express postage! Just make sure you know how long you need to allow for postage times when you make your plans.
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Wedding Invitationsand The Best Time To Send Them
In addition to the traditional wedding invitation, there are other invites that are sent out in conjunction with the wedding. Save-the-date cards and RSVPs are also essential in assisting the newlyweds and their guests in planning for the big day. The process of sending out invites should begin immediately after you have created a guest list. Save the date cards are the first to be sent out to your guests in order to inform them of your wedding date. These are followed by the actualwedding invitation, which contains all of the wedding day information.
Finally, you can take a deep breath and begin counting down the days before your nuptials, with all of your guests confirmed.
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Kick Off The Wedding Countdown With Custom Save The Dates
Congratulations on picking a location and date for your wedding! Save the date invitations can help you share the happy news with family and friends, and to make sure they mark their calendars. Weâll help you create wedding save the dates that feel fun, fresh and full of love. Our collection includes designs for all styles and tastes â from vintage to modern, with everything in between. Each save the date template is fully customizable to include all the details, and many have space for a photo or two. As you browse the gallery, you can filter designs by color, style and more. Once youâve found a design you love, make it yours in our online studio â add names, date, wedding website URL and more. Then, place your order and weâll take care of the rest. Your save the dates will be professionally printed, packaged and sent to you â ready for use and to delight each recipient.
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Recipients And Guest Lists
In most cases, couples have a wedding invite A List and B List. The A List includes all the family, friends, and loved ones who will definitely be invited to your wedding. The B List covers all guests who youd like to attend, but its uncertain if accommodations can fit them.
A quick answerSave the Dates are for the A-List only.
Save the Dates directly imply that a wedding invitation will follow. If unsure whether youre officially inviting a guest, then do not send them a Save the Date. Doing so is forgetful at best, and incredibly rude at worst.
On the other hand, you can spare sending individual Save the Dates to guests who live under one household. Unlike wedding invitations, you dont have to send multiple cards to people who are married, under the same family household, or living together.
