The question has been popped and you’ve agreed to spend the rest of your life with your favorite person — what now? After securing your date at one of a Wedgewood Weddings venue, the next big step in wedding planning is making sure all of your closest family and friends mark their calendars for your big day with the all-important save the date.
Save the dates are typically sent out six months before your celebration (about four months before the formal invitations), and inform your guests of the date and location of your wedding. And, its best if you and your fiancé decide on a final guest list prior to dropping them in the mailbox, because save the dates are sent to everyone you plan on inviting to the wedding.
While beneficial for local guests, who will need time to request days off work and block out their calendar, save the dates are especially important when inviting out-of-town guests, who will need time to find and book travel accommodations and hotel rooms. For destination weddings, save the dates are not only a courtesy but a necessity for guest attendance, and should be sent out a month or two earlier than typical save the dates.
Typically, couples will include a line that says “Formal Invitation to Follow” on save the dates to indicate to guests that there is more stationery on the way, with more specific details about the wedding venue, times, directions and more.
Considering all of the planning you, your fiancé and your Wedgewood Weddings planner have in store to create the wedding of your dreams, you’ll want your closest family and friends to be able to be there to enjoy it — so save the dates are definitely not a part of the wedding budget to skimp on!
A simple, fun, and cost-effective option for save the dates? A postcard! You’ll save money by avoiding envelopes, and can add easily add photos from your engagement shoot for personal flair. Here’s some of our favorite postcard-inspired save the dates.
For more save the date ideas, check out our invitation site!