Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! From the engagement to the planning, it’s such an exciting – and busy – time. Once you you have the date and the venue nailed down, it’s time to start thinking about sending your save the date cards. These are note cards that you send out before your formal invitations to ask people to reserve the date of the wedding in their calendar.
Read on for tips on when to send your save the dates.
Before you get started on your save the date cards, you’ll need to have a few things set in stone:
- Your date. This may seem like a no-brainer but in order for your guests to save the date, you have to save the date.
- Your venue. Guests will need to know if it’s a local or destination wedding, so they can plan – and save.
- Your theme. Knowing your general theme or colours allows you to match your save the date with your overall look.
- Your website. Adding your URL to your save the date gets your guests excited – and gives them important details.
So now that you have some ideas on what to include on your save the date, let’s go over when to send it based on what type of wedding you’re having.
When to send save the dates for a local wedding – 6 to 8 months.
Even though your wedding is close to home, it’s still important to give your guests ample notice of your big day. We recommend sending your save the date cards six to eight months before your wedding.
When to send save the dates for a destination wedding – 9 months.
Going bon voyage? How exciting. This wedding typically involves longer stays, air fare and child care. It’s important to give guests a little more notice, so we recommend sending your save the date cards nine months in advance.
When to send save the dates for a postponed wedding – as soon as you can.
Change of plans? Whether you have a new date set or not, let guests know your plans immediately. Send out a “change the date” card if you don’t have your date or a new save the date if you do.
Now you know when you should send out save the date cards, read our tips on save the date quotes to get your invitees excited.
