Save-the-dates… What is the purpose of them and why do we need them? In today’s society we often times get mail and ignore it or maybe not even get paper mail with the whole trend of going paperless happening. Many would questions the functionality of utilizing a save the date. Many would question why not just wait and send an invite? Despite all the concern, here is the low-down on all things save the date!
What Is the Purpose of a Save-The-Date?
The purpose of a save the date is to allow your guests to know that you are planning a wedding and plan to have it on this day and maybe a time. It is very general information, it is just meant to let your guests’ be aware that they will need to plan around your big day. Save-the-dates are good for holiday weekends, people usually have a lot going on when it comes to the holidays. This is just a way to be mindful of that!
When Should You Send Out Your Save-The-Dates?
Local
Six months seems as if it would be enough time to notify everyone. If you’re getting married locally or within driving distance, you want to give your guests time to mark their calendar, plan their time off if they need to take a few days off. If your family, friends, and rest of the guest list are local to your venue, they’ll have plenty of time to make arrangements!
Out of Town Weddings
If you’ve got a venue that requires you to travel via plane or any sort of distance, you’ll need to give your guests a little more notice than six months. Give them time to save up, book a plane ticket, and accommodations; Eight months should be plenty of time to sort out their schedule.
Who
Any one and everyone! You’re getting married!!!!! Shout it from the roof tops! Just kidding, only send out to those who you want to have at the wedding. Your big day is about how you want it to go and who you want to share your day with. If you’ve planned a budget, make sure you stick to a budget and only invite those that you absolutely need and want there!
What, When, Where…
What do you include on your save-the-date? Usually you include both of your names, the date of your wedding, and sometimes even where you will have your ceremony and maybe even your reception. The location doesn’t necessarily need to be placed on the Save-the-date, but it’s courteous to include that information if you have a lot of guests coming from out of town.
If you don’t feel comfortable putting the venue (in case something falls through or it isn’t set in stone), then just place the date that you have both decided on and your names or maybe a general location of where you are having the wedding; This at least lets your guests be aware that they are invited, they can plan accommodations if necessary, and should plan to attend.
Alternatives
Now that you have the 411 on save-the-dates, it doesn’t mean that you have to send out save-the-dates. If you’re trying to cut costs, try sending out electronic save-the-dates. And I don’t mean an email, find a template that you like, and use it! Sending out electronic save-the-dates are actually kind of genius if you ask me. Think about it, most of us use our phones to coordinate our lives anyway, why not just kill two birds with one stone and give them a visual on their phone to place right into their calendar!
There is nothing saying you have to send out save-the-dates and there is nothing saying that you have to be traditional in how you plan and execute your big day. Think outside the box and do what works best for you and your fiance. Have the time of your life planning and don’t stress about anything, especially not your save-the-dates!