6 Tips for Creating and Sending
“Save the Dates” for Your Wedding Day
What to Include, When to Send, How You Can Save and More.
You’re engaged! Congratulations!
After you have taken some time to just enjoy being engaged, it’s time to start wedding planning.
Because I live in my Portland wedding photographer world, my calendar can go out as far as two years. My friends know if they want me at a special event, giving me the date as early as possible is the best way to make it happen. Your friends and family may not live that far out, but with the busy lives we lead today, it never hurts to give people as much notice as you can. Enter…..“Save the Dates”!!!
1. Use Your Engagement Photos!
One great reason to hire an engagement photographer, like me, is to use the photos for your save the dates. Photos can be included as part of the card design and printed directly on the save the date. Or they can be printed separately and be included in the envelope along with the save the date.
2. When Should I Start Creating My Save The Dates?
If you are planning a couples engagement photography session with me to use in your save the dates, I would recommend taking the photos 6-8 weeks before you would like to put them in the mail. Without an engagement session, about a month before you want to mail them should be sufficient.
3. What Should I Include in my Save the Dates?
Your wedding guests don’t need to have all the details just yet, that is where the wedding invitation comes in. For now, in your save the date cards, just include the following:
Your Names
Wedding Date
Wedding Location (Venue, City, State)
The Words “Invitation to Follow”
Wedding Website URL (if you have one)
Your Guests Names*
*Why should you include your guests names on the save the date?
Including their name on the front of the envelope or on the save the date itself, helps that wedding guest know who exactly is invited. Be that just them, them and their family or them and a guest. This can be especially helpful for families with children.
For example, “John Smith”, “John Smith and Guest”, or “John Smith and Family / Smith Family”.
4. Who Should I Send Save The Dates To?
Save the dates should be sent to anyone you are certain will be invited to the wedding. As far as invites go, a save the date, is the same as inviting them to the wedding.
5. When Should I Mail My Save The Dates?
Save the date cards, allow your wedding guests to get your day reserved on their calendars so you want to give them ample notice before their calendars fill up. 12-6 months before the wedding is a great time to send them. However, for destination weddings, guests will need extra to save, plan and make reservations for travel, so in that case 12-8 months is best.
Wedding invitations can be sent out 2-3 months in advance.
6. Ways To Save On Postage
Don’t over order, don’t forget it’s one per household, not one person. With that said though, it’s always a good idea to order a couple extra in case of additional guests or mistakes.
Go with cards vs magnets. While magnets are cute, they about double your postage costs. Don’t worry, guests will put your cards on their fridge too, they will just use their own magnet.
Avoid non-standard sizes, like squares, the post office considers those “irregular” and will up-charge the postage.
Make it a postcard! Save on envelopes and postcards have less expensive postage.
Contact me now, to schedule your engagement session and get your save the dates started!
Ready to create your save the dates?
Contact me to now to schedule your engagement session!