Save the Date Cards: What You Need to Know

Your proposal was all you dreamed it what be. You took some time to celebrate this wonderful day in your life. Now, you want to spread your exciting news with your friends and family.  Where to start: the Wedding Save the Date card.  This will make them aware of the news and that you want them to officially be a part of your wedding. Let’s discuss the basic aspects of a Wedding Save the Date card and any potential unexpected issues that could pop up. Wedding Save the Date Cards are typically sent to all the guests you wish to invite to your wedding. A small wedding consists of about 50 guests, medium 75 to 150, and a large wedding is 200 plus. The difference between small, medium, and large does not only affect the total cost but also the wedding ceremony and receptions size you are able to book and the expected quality of the food and refreshments served. Sit down and talk over with your significant other about the three types of guests you want to invite:  Essential Guests to be Invited, Those Who Should Be Invited, Those Who Should Invited If Possible. The first category (Essential Guests) consists of close relatives and other important people you consider to be family. The second category is those that should be invited, which consists of more distant relatives and close friends. The third category is for those who have a bigger budget and/or want to have a large wedding. Use the aforementioned number guidelines to make the best decisions on the amount of people you want to invite based upon your wanted size and budget. After you made your list and checked it twice, you will want to send the save the date cards out about six months before your wedding date. The purpose of that is to allow the guests plenty of time to setup logistics on how they are getting to the wedding, requesting time off from work, and how to work around their potentially busy schedule. Given that more and more weddings are becoming three day affairs and/or are destination weddings, sending out a save-the-date card will substantially increase their likelihood of attendance. After all, isn’t that what you wanted in the first place by making them aware of your situation? The two biggest issues that tend to pop up with Wedding Save the Date cards: who is invited and what if the venue details change? Our recommendations for the former issue: clearly indicate who is invited on the card with their official names and also whether you want to include “and guest” or not. For the latter issue: don’t send out cards without researching the wedding ceremony and reception venue(s) first, make a selection, and get a confirmed reservation of the venue(s). Follow these recommendations and the other advice on putting together a Wedding Save the Date card and you will be right on track.