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« Free Tickets to the NYC Wedding Salon on April 12th | Main | Invitation Showcase #2 : Marit Hanson Weddings »
9:45AM

5 Tips for Save the Date Etiquette

Guest Blogging with The Good Life Event Specialists

Today I'm joined by Aleah and Nick of The Good Life Event Specialists who will be sharing with you the skinny on Save the Dates. Many often wonder if you still send out your invitations 6-8 weeks prior and what do you include on them. Well, here's Aleah and Nick with their top 5 tips:

above Save the Dates from Marit Hanson Weddings

1. Save the dates can come in the form of a postcard or an invitation-sized announcement. Save the dates simply lets guests know that you have set a wedding date well in advance so that they can....well, save the date. For destination events, we recommend mailing them out about 10-12 months in advance if possible. For in-town events, 6-8 months should suffice.

2. Many clients make their save the dates super fun and different from their more formal invitation. It's a time when you can have fun with it. Use a silly engagement shot and ham it up.

3. If you have a wedding website, it is acceptable to put your link on the save the date. This should be how your guests are privvy to lodging information and other wedding details and updates that you will not include on your invitation or insert (like registry information).

4. You do not need to address Save the Dates formally and send one to each and every invited guest. You can keep these simple. There's no need to formally address and mail one to each invited guest. Rather, mail one to each household or family as opposed to each member of the Smith family who might be invited but not live at home.

5. If a guest indicates they can't attend after received their save the date, you should still send them an invitation. Since the Save the Date is not a formal invitation, you will need to send a formal invitation to each and every guest whom you'd like to attend {even if they have casually mentioned they might not be able to make it}.

About The Good Life Event Specialists: Known as the dynamic duo, husband and wife Nick and Aleah Valley plan and design weddings and events along the West Coast, nationwide, and abroad. With a company in Seattle and one in San Diego, they've been bringing their strengths and resources together since 2003 to create truly amazing events. Visit Aleah and Nick online here: The Good Life Special Events in Southern California and Fine Line Management & Events in Seattle.

Reader Comments (6)

Thank you so much for featuring this today! We are always happy to provide tips to your readers! Aleah + Nick

April 7, 2010 | Unregistered CommenterAleah + Nick Valley

Great advice, as always! Nick & Aleah are an amazing planning duo!

April 8, 2010 | Unregistered Commenterjenny

Thanks for the info! We have been trying to decide what to do with our Save the Dates and I "think" we are going to go with giveacaricature.com. We wanted to do something different than what we have seen and make it fun and personal. We may also use them for our groomsmen gifts as well. Have you seen any caricature save the dates that stood out (in a good way:))?

April 8, 2010 | Unregistered CommenterCher

I am not engaged currently but I have always wondered about save the dates. Why do you need them? Doesn't it essentially do the same thing as the invitation? Do you only use them if you are planning a wedding more than a year out or a destination wedding? I really enjoy your blog and I have always wondered about this so I would love to hear what your experts have to say!

April 13, 2010 | Unregistered CommenterKelly

Recently I've seen a lot of couples using postcards with engagement pictures on them. I thought that was a great idea.

April 16, 2010 | Unregistered Commenterwedding registry

Great tips! Although I think it's kind of silly that you're expected to send save the date cards and formal invitations. It seems like there is a lot of red tape to cut through before you say "I do."

April 17, 2010 | Unregistered CommenterMichelle

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