Save our wedding date!
Gone are the days when brides and their mothers relied on relatives to get the news out about upcoming nuptials and dear ones lived near enough to RSVP without much hesitation. Modern brides and event planners get the jump on competing time conflicts by mailing save-the-date cards before the formal invitations are even at the printers. Save-the-date cards are now considered a must-have courtesy and are mailed out six months (eight months for a destination wedding) prior to the event and are followed up by a formal invitation
While save-the-date cards are standard fare in wedding planning, wise party-planners schedule a save the date mailing to any event to maximize attendance. These include Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, academic and family reunions, graduation parties and anniversary celebrations. With families routinely juggling commitments to business travel, vacations, sports teams and just plain living, save-the-dates cards have emerged as the “save-your-guest-from-disappointment” solution.
Do keep it simple by including just the facts needed to block out the date and plan travel and child care: date, city, time (event locations are not yet needed) and a statement that a formal invitation will follow. The url or link to your wedding or event website is appreciated by younger guests. Do follow up with a formal invitation including all the details six weeks prior to your event.
Save yourself a headache and be certain to address your save-the-date mailing carefully – especially for weddings - as anyone who receives a save-the date card should receive a formal invitation. Use the address to clarify whether the entire family or just adults are invited to your event. Trust us, this can get tricky; so be clear from the outset who you meant to invite.
Remember to have some fun with your save-the-date cards. This is a perfect opportunity to set the tone by debuting your wedding or event theme colors and motifs – the combination of personalized colors, photos, and fonts is virtually endless. Remember that “well begun is well ended” and in this case “well begun is well attended”.