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Save the Date Etiquette
In years past, brides and
grooms to be announced the happy news of their engagement to
their family and friends by either having an engagement party,
or by mailing out engagement announcements. The date of their
upcoming wedding wasn't announced formally until wedding
invitations were mailed out approximately 6 weeks before.
In order to prevent guests from potentially missing attending
because of lack of information, and also due to the fact that
couples are setting their wedding dates so far off in the
distant future because of the high cost of weddings, the wedding
industry created the "save the date magnet". From
initially thought of as being somewhat of a fad, save the dates
have become a wedding staple for many couples.
Being that's the case, the
question of save the date etiquette has come up. We've
come up with a list of questions and answers that we've been
asked over the years, to help guide you during this magical
time:
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Question |
Answer |
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1. |
When should I
send my save the date's out? |
Typically,
they're sent out between 4-9 months before the
wedding date. If you're having out of town
guests that need to make travel arrangements or a
destination wedding, you can send them out as early
as 1 year or more before your date. |
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2. |
Should my
design match my wedding theme and/or color scheme? |
Not only can
you give your guests a sneak peek into what's in
store on your special day, your save the date might
be the first time your guests get to see what your
groom looks like!
Whether you
choose to use your color scheme or not, your save
the date design is a reflection of your personal
taste, so have fun with it! |
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3. |
I'm having a
formal wedding, should my save the date reflect
that? |
I've had brides
that were having very formal affairs use informal
designs for their save the dates and left the
invitation to set the tone for the event, it's up to
you. |
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4. |
Should every
guest receive a save the date? |
If you're on a
budget and need to keep your guest list to a
minimum, make a list of close family and friends
whom you want to make sure will be able to attend
and mail them a save the date, you do not need to
send them to everyone you're inviting but, every
guest that receives one, must also receive an
invitation.
Of course the
benefit of sending a Save the Date card to every
person you are hoping will attend is that you are
increasing the likelihood that they will reserve
that date and will, in fact, be able to attend your
special day. If you plan on not sending
out save the dates to every guest, make sure that
you send them to everyone who talks to each other
from time to time. For instance, that way when
two relatives mention the save the date, the other
won't feel slighted. |
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5. |
Could I
abbreviate details or words on my save the date? |
We recommend
that you try your best not to abbreviate information
on save the dates or invitations (such as the state
if you're including a location in your design),
although abbreviating dates by using numbers in is
acceptable. |
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6. |
Should I offer
additional information on my save the dates? |
We recommend
providing your guests with as much additional
information to help facilitate their planning such
as airline, car rental, hotel, information on things
to see and do in the area and surrounding areas,
special events, theatrical shows etc. Go the extra
mile and acquire group discounts by calling specific
companies and seeing if they offer group discounts.
If you don't have room on your save the date for the
information, either have us create you our insert
cards or print your own and place them along in the
envelopes. |
Finish off your design with
"invitation to follow", that way, your guests will know that a
formal invite is to arrive with more information about your
event.
Have fun with planning your
save the dates and please contact us
with any other questions or concerns you might have!
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