Now that the holiday rush is dying down, it's time to send save-the-dates for your 2016 wedding!
Normally, Save-the-Date cards or emails are sent about six months before the wedding, although they can go as early as one year in advance. This means you should design and order them about seven or eight months before the wedding to give you time to print, address, and send. Invitations are sent eight to twelve weeks before the wedding, so order four to six months out.
Do you have to send save-the-dates? No, there is no etiquette requirement for these, but they are highly recommended if you have more than 30 guests coming (where you couldn't just get the news out by word of mouth), and if there are a lot of out-of-towners who will travel in order to attend. This way they can get a heads-up on the date, so they can make arrangements to request time off work, to make travel plans, and in many cases, save up for the trip!
What goes into a Save-the-Date? The only required items are your names, the date, and city of the wedding. If you know your venue, and if you have a wedding website, it's a good idea go ahead and list that too, even if every last detail isn't fleshed out yet. Sure it's great if you know your overall design, but the save-the-date doesn't have to match exactly to what you decide to do down the road with the print invitation — it's OK for it to just be in the same general design family or color. Remember, it's just a save-the-date to give folks a heads-up – not all planning needs to be completed, so try not to stress!
Here are some great ideas in several styles:
#1 can be personalized to your specific location. We love the laser cut design of #2! And #3 is a coaster and super catchy and lighthearted – would be great for a casual or semi-formal wedding in the outdoors. All examples above come from Wedding Paper Divas.
Save the dates can also be sent over email as well. Make sure to include all the same information – name, date, city location, and your wedding website.
Our friends at Wedding Paper Divas are offering a 25% sale off your save-the-dates if you use our coupon code WEDO2016. Just click this link and it'll take you right to the sale.
Looking for great local sources for your save-the-dates and invitations? Try Puddle Jumpin' Cards, The Card Bar, or The Wedding Cottage.
Happy save-the-date hunting, and Happy New Year 2016!
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