Wedding Save the Date Cards--Best
Ideas and Wording
What you need to know and things you should avoid.
The sole purpose of save-the-date cards is to give
the people you intend to invite to your wedding plenty
of advance notice. If, for example, you are planning
to marry during the holiday season or a holiday weekend,
you'll want your guests to reserve you wedding date
on their calendars months in advance. If you will be
inviting guest from out of town who will need to fly
in for the wedding, they will need time to make the
necessary travel arrangements.
You should send save-the-date cards to all of your
intended guests when either of these circumstances fit
your situation. Even friends and family members who
you already know will attend should be sent a card.
On the other hand, if you are not sure whether a particular
person or couple will be invited to the wedding, don't
send them a save-the-date card. And there is really
no reason, and it's a waste of your precious money,
to buy and send these notices when all of your guests
live relatively nearby or the wedding will not occur
during a busy time of the year.
Planning and Sending
Once you know all of the basic details about your
wedding plans, place your order with your stationer.
As with invitations, having these cards printed can
take up to several weeks, so give your stationer plenty
of time. You can mail these cards out up to six months
before the wedding date.
Save-the-date cards can be designed to match the rest
of your wedding stationery and ordered at the same time,
or they can have a completely different look.
Getting your guests' attention
Some brides-to-be really want these cards to be eye
catching so that they truly standout and serve as a
visual notice. If this is what you have in mind, look
for something unusual, such as scratch-off cards or
magnets (that can be posted on your guests refrigerators).
Maybe you will want to make your own cards, incorporating
one or more of your wedding colors, a graphic design,
or a photo.
You can buy save-the-date cards through most wedding
stationery manufacturers and retailers. If you want
to create your own cards or save money, look for a card-design
software program. Michael's arts and crafts stores sells
a good software program called "Wedding Invitation Kit"
that costs under $25. The program is designed mainly
for making your own wedding invitations, but it does
include note cards.
What you should do
Since this will be your first written contact with
most of your guests, it's important that they make a
good first impression. Make sure that you spell each
guest's name correctly. If you are unsure about the
spelling of someone's name, look it up or contact someone
reliable.
In your save-the-date, include the date, time, and
place of the ceremony along with any other information
that your guests will need.
Here is a sample of how your notice might read:
"Please save the date of Saturday, June 25, 2005, 2
PM, for the wedding of Karen Hinkley and Brian Nelson
in Minneapolis, MN. Invitation and directions to follow."
Always follow up with the expected wedding invitation,
which should be mailed about six weeks before your wedding
date.
A nice touch that can truly be helpful to your guests
is to list your web site address--assuming you will
be updating it with more details.
What you should not do
Keep in mind the purpose of these cards. Don't include
unnecessary or inappropriate information such as directions,
the rehearsal dinner location and time, or registry
information. (Incidentally, if you do list your name
with a bridal registry, the only place that information
can be included is in a shower invitation. Generally,
good etiquette demands that you rely upon friends and
relatives to circulate such details by word of mouth
and only if asked.)
Since you are not trying to elicit a response, do
not include a reply card. And last but not least, you
should not e-mail your save-the-date information. Of
course, there is always an exception to every rule,
but try not to break this one.
© 2005 Bachcroft Publishing. All Rights Reserved.
About the Author
Jean Bachcroft is a former public relations director,
founder of Bachcroft Labels, and the publisher and editor-in-chief
of Town and Country Shopping Bargains Magazine.
For designer wedding, holiday, and year-round mailing
and return address labels, visit Bachcroft
Mailing and Return Address Labels.
|
