Save the dates are something that you would think about generally when you start to get into the planning of your wedding and when you have had your ideal date confirmed by your venue.
They are a way of telling your guests that will be invited, the date and location of your wedding, so they can plan and book any time off work if needed.
They don't have to be reflective of your colour scheme and wedding flowers, or even of your general theme, so don't worry if you may haven't decided any of these yet.
You might not even want to send out save the dates at all! It's all down to personal preferences. The only time I would definitely recommend them as being essential is if you are having a destination wedding as your guests would need annual leave and have to book flights and accomodation.
A few good reasons for sending save the dates are...
- Save the dates are a good way of letting your guests plan ahead, especially if you are planning a destination wedding or getting married at time of year when people may be making other plans such as shcool and bank holidays.
- They are a good way of making sure you get your guests "booked in", if they know the date of your wedding in advance they can decline if they get other invitations in the mean time.
- It's great way of getting everyone excited for your big day!
Some questions you might have about save the dates include...
- Do I need to send out save the dates to my evening guests?
Again it's personal preference but typically save the dates are just sent to guests who will recieve an invitation as well. You can send out 'save the nights' and also send evening versions of your main invitations if you wanted to.
- Is it ok to send save the dates via email?
Of course! You can still create a special design to send via email, or an engagement photo can work really well too. E-vites are also great if you're wanting to save a bit of monmey you'd rather spend on your main invitations, or if you want try to be a little more eco-friendly by reducing the amount of paper involved.
If you do choose to send out save the dates for your wedding, I woulc recommend at least 12 months in advance if you're having a destination wedding..
You don't have to include all of the information you would on a details card. A date and location would be enough, a venue location is also useful so the guests know how close to be when looking at hotels! You could include recommended flights and hotels on the reverse or alongside if you know these details already.
Otherwise around 8 months is generally enough notice, sometimes 12 months can be too much time if there is no major travel, accomodation or time off to organise!
For a local wedding you would usually include just the date and location, typically with a note saying 'formal invitation to follow', just to make sure your guests don't think this is their only invitation!