Straw Tote

Straw Tote

The New Wedding Trend: Save the Date Cards

These days, more and more couples are choosing to have their weddings at destination locations, and therefore, save the date cards are becoming increasingly popular. A save the date card is a card that is mailed in advance of formal invitations, asking recipients to “save the date” on their calendar for your special event. A save the date card for any wedding, especially a one that requires your guests to do some heavy traveling, will ensure that they have adequate time to add you to their social calendars. This way, if they get another invitation for an event on the same date, they will be able to turn that down, knowing they already have plans.  For destination weddings, save the date cards are a must to enable your guests ample time to plan, prepare and book travel arrangements and accommodations.

Save the date cards follow a variety of formats and styles depending on the reason you are sending them out. For a destination wedding, it is best to send out the save the date cards at least six months in advance to allow your guests to book and plan for traveling and hotel accommodations. For other types of weddings it is best to send your save the date cards soon after you set your date and reserve the venue. This is usually four to six months prior to the wedding date.

It is very important to offer the right amount of appropriate information on your save the date cards. For vacation weddings, try not to go into too much detail about the specific elements of the wedding. For these save the date cards, the date of your wedding and the location will be important, but you will also want to add all of the necessary information concerning travel, the specific location you will be staying in on the island or country, flight information, resort information, airlines that fly to your destination, phone numbers, and any other pertinent travel information that can help your guests reach your wedding.

For all other wedding save the date cards, it is customary to simply announcing the date, the names of the bride and groom, and sometimes the broad location of the wedding, not the specific details of the wedding itself. At this stage, it is best to be generic and only include definite information since you might only have the date, and not even have your venue booked yet.

When sending out your save the date cards, you do not need to include reply cards. Instead, these will be sent out with your formal invitations.  The purpose of save the date cards are not to get a “yes” or “no” from your guests, but rather to just give your guests a heads up that they will be receiving an invitation to a very special wedding on this specific date, and that you would like them to join. You also do not want to include information about your wedding registry on your save the date cards. This can also be saved for your formal invitation. However, if you have a wedding website, it is acceptable for you to put this information on your save the date cards so your potential guests can look for any updates and information on there.

Save the date cards are generally more casual than your formal invite usually is. This is the perfect opportunity to allow some of your own personal style to shine through, or, if you are having a destination wedding, to include that theme in your card. If you are going to an island resort, for example, add some flair to your save the date card by sending it in a straw tote, a small bottle, as a pirate scroll or in a sea shell.

Another idea that is growing quite popular is to have your save the date card made into a refrigerator magnet. This allows your guests to keep your information safe, in one place, in a spot where they are sure to remember it and see it many times a day.  Save the date card magnets are also a wonderful keepsake for all your invitees, even if they are unable to attend your wedding. It is a special memory of your wonderful day.

Save the Date cards can also ensure that all of your friends and family that you want most at your wedding will have enough time to plan and attend. Planning a trip, especially to a destination location, takes time and money, and some of your friends and loved ones may have limited availability of both. Save the date cards take the pressure off your guests in their quest to join you for your special day by allowing them ample time to begin to save money and plan for the trip, even if it is just a little bit out of town.

Save the date cards are great for more than just destination weddings. Many people, especially those who live out of town, will have to make arrangements for time off work and other responsibilities, as well as make plans for their pets or children to be taken care of. These days, save the date cards are almost always a necessity, as they are a great tool to ensure that you have the wedding of your dreams with all the people you love in attendance.

About the Author

Suzanne Bradley is a freelance writer who writes about weddings, often focusing on one aspect of wedding such as save the date cards.