YOU’RE ENGAGED! What an amazing, exciting, crazy, and lots of things to do time! You have posted your ring selfie and gotten tons of likes, messages, and responses.. so what next?
Save The Dates are next!
Right, so what is a Save The Date. Its the time where you loop in the friends and family you intend on inviting to your wedding! The very first official wedding step. This is a pre- invitation that announces your wedding date.
O.k., great!
So, when do you need to send this Save The Date card? Traditionally, you’ll want to send them 6-8 months prior to the date you have selected. It should include both of your names (last names do not have to be included). Does it include to include the location? If you wedding is local, not at this point. If you are having a destination wedding you will want to include the location and send them no later than 1 year prior to the date. This will give your guests time to arrange travel if needed and to make sure they are indeed available. This is especially crucial if you are marrying during a peak wedding season like Fall. October can be a very busy wedding month.
Alright, so let’s break this down. Your Save The Date is you asking that the person(s) you invite reserve the date for your wedding to not schedule anything else for that date. This card you are sending is indeed for your guests! It’s time for them to get involved. This will be your guests first impression of your wedding. Fun? Formal? Creative? Bold?
Your Save The Date is also a great way to start introducing your wedding theme! Will it be champagne and skylines or beach and flip flops or rustic barn and outdoor bonfire. Pick a theme and design that speaks to the both of you. This is a sneak peek into what your wedding day will be like for you and your guests.
Oh, but wait! The engagement session! If you are in Atlanta, you can hire an amazingly fun Atlanta Wedding Photographer like myself or if you are outside of Georgia you can still hire me (I travel). You’ll want to schedule this 1-2 months into your engagement. If you aren’t an engagement photo kind of couple, that is OK too! You don’t have to have engagement photos on your Save The Dates especially if you are doing something outside the box.
Aside from theme this is a great way to share your engagement photos! You’ll of course want to hire an amazing wedding photographer (like me) and surprise everyone with a lovely photo of the two of you! It will help introduce your unique love. It’s also a great chance to introduce friends and family who haven’t had a chance to meet your now fiance. See what I did there, your FIANCE!
Now you have an idea of what the Save The Date actually is, have fun with it! You can make it a magnet so your friends and family get to see is always, it can be a card that you write a formal note to each guest, it can be a mini bottle of champagne, it can be in the form of a fortune cookie, it can be anything you want it to be! Remember this is your time to announce your couple style to the world.
Alright you have your engagement photos taken, you have your theme, you designed your Save The Date, you have your guest list.. but how do we address these you ask? How you address really depends on your wedding.
Single Female
Sarah Smith or Ms. Sarah Smith or Miss Sarah Smith
Single Female plus-one
Sarah Smith and Guest or Ms. Sarah Smith and Guest or Miss Sarah Smith and Guest
Single Male
John Jones or Mr. John Jones
Single Male plus-one
John Jones and Guest or Mr. John Jones and Guest
Married Couple
Alice and Mark Sims or Mr. and Mrs. Mark Sims or Mr. Mark Sims and Mrs. Alice Sims
Dating Couples or Couples With Different Last Names
James Evans and Beth Cooper or Mr. James Evans and Ms. Beth Cooper
Families
The Scotts or The Scott Family, Tim, Emily, and Kim Scott or Mr. Tim, Ms. Emily, and Miss Kim Scott
Alright, now how do we get all those properly addressed addresses on the envelope or card? There are multiple ways depending on your theme! You can go with clear printed labels, your own handwriting (if its legible), calligraphy, or print right on the envelope or card. Remember! You still have invitations to send out, so you may want to opt for a less expensive route on the Save The Dates versus your official invites.
All this work you did on your Save The Dates allowed you to get all the addresses and names you needed for your guest list so, now you are almost ready to start designing your invitations! Don’t freak out - you don’t have to get those in the mail until 6-8 weeks prior for local weddings and 3 months for destinations weddings.
With that.. I hope this has helped cleared up some of your questions. I can’t wait to see what you come up with and don’t forget.. I know an amazing wedding photographer should you need one.