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How To
Get Your Wedding Guests to Save That Special Date
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by:
Lauren Franklin
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You are engaged - congratulations!
Undoubtedly, immediately after your friends and family squeal with
delight over your news, the first question they will ask is, "So when
is the date?" It can be somewhat annoying, especially if you are very
recently engaged, but really all your loved ones are asking so they can
mentally save the date.
So begins your wedding planning. Obviously the first thing you need to
do is start viewing places for your ceremony and reception, because
without those there is no wedding.
Once you have nailed down your wedding's place and date - then its time
to get the word out. This is especially important if you are having
your wedding during peak wedding season (usually the spring, early
summer) or over any holiday weekend. Keep in mind, that while surely
your guests are looking forward to celebrating with you, they can have
conflicts. Wedding season unfortunately conflicts with graduation
season, and long weekends are usually booked up with vacation plans way
in advance.
If possible, you want to send your save the date cards out 6-9 months
in advance. Lean toward the longer end of that spectrum if you have
guests coming long distance or if you have a popular wedding date
booked.
Now comes the fun part.
What should they look like? Do they have to match? Who should I send
them to? What should my save the dates say? How much information do I
need to include? The answer to all those questions is easy. Its
entirely up to you and your fiancee. As long as the most important
information is on there - your names and your date all the rest is
gravy. However, to help guide you through the decision making we offer
these words of advice.
What should they look like?
Save the dates are your opportunity to get the word out about your
approaching wedding in fun, expressive way. Save the date announcements
can be more casual than your more formal wedding invitation. However,
keep in mind this is your chance to create a first impression. Your
guests will receive your save the date and start forming impressions on
what kind of event it will be. So we suggest you be unique, but use
high quality materials. Nothing sends the wrong message like flimsy
materials.
Some suggestions for unique save the dates can be found here:
http://www.allthepieces.com/Productdesc.aspx?pID=146&cID=514
http://www.allthepieces.com/Productdesc.aspx?pID=141&cID=483
http://www.allthepieces.com/Productdesc.aspx?pID=142&cID=490
http://www.allthepieces.com/Productdesc.aspx?pID=234&cID=986
Do they have to match?
Nope. They don't have to match the rest of your wedding, but they can.
If you are the kind of person who has been dreaming of what your
wedding would look like even before you were engaged then perhaps you
have some ideas already for color themes, design styles, etc. If that's
the case, great! Work with it! However, often times those types of
wedding decisions are not solidified so early in the game so don't
sweat it. The priority is to get those save the dates in the mail so
you get on your guests' calendars. Another consideration, if you are
the type A personality with your wedding plans all mapped out, you are
going to be seeing a lot of those colors or design decisions over the
upcoming months. So much so that you might get a little sick of your
chosen colors (gasp! Say it isn't so!) The save the date offers the
opportunity to use your second choice color ideas, just to mix it up a
bit. The point is, if you see something completely unrelated to your
wedding ideas that you absolutely love - go for it!
Who do I send them to?
Lose the notion that the save the date has to be sent to everyone on
your list - because it doesn't. In fact, (and you didn't hear this from
us) if there are people on your list that are what we like to call
"obligatory invites" = people you really have to invite due to family
ties, or professional connections, this would be a good time to hold
off. We aren't saying to disinvite them, but if they only receive the
formal invitation then no harm done. The reality is if you are inviting
your boss to the wedding simply because it's the politically correct
thing to do, then you are probably secretly hoping he/she doesn't come.
Having said all this, we do recommend you make sure you send your save
the date to people who might interact with eachother. Say you have a
distant Great Aunt Matilda who you are inviting purely out of family
obligation. Normally you would not send her a save the date. However,
if your Great Aunt Matilda has dinner over your cousin Amy's house and
sees your save
the date hanging on her refrigerator there might be feelings hurt.
What should my save the dates say? How much information do I need to
include? The way to think of save the dates is almost like directions.
You are instructing your guests to save the date, and beyond that you
are giving them all the most important information in order to make
arrangements to attend. For a local wedding with not many long distance
guests you could get away with just your names, the date of your
wedding and the town where you will be holding the event. However, that
is rarely the case. Usually planning couples have information they
would like to communicate. Here are the various ways to do so and
things you can include:
The date:
Obviously!
Your names:
You can keep it casual and just use your first names or if you are
concerned this might confuse your guests you can use both of your full
names. However, the point can be made if your guests don't know you by
your first names, why are they being invited?
The place:
You really don't need to give them the exact GPS location of you
wedding but just a general region would be a good idea. For example,
"New York City."
Everything beyond those first three elements is optional.
Hotel information:
Chances are you are going to reserving some hotel blocks for your
guests. If you know that information it would very helpful to your
guests to have it early with your save the date. However if haven't
gotten to your blocks yet, don't worry. You can include that
information with your formal invitation. If you aren't doing blocks for
your guests, its still not a bad idea to recommend places to stay to
your guests.
Website URL:
Wedding websites are a great idea. It gives you a place to communicate
all the information you have unlimited. It also can be updated as
decisions are made - which should be a great comfort to you.
Airport information:
If a lot of your guests are flying to your wedding, then you might want
to include how far your ceremony and reception location is from the
airport. Also to note, several of the major airlines will offer a
discount that you can pass onto your guests. You simply need to call
the airlines in advance and explain that you are planning a large event.
Car rental information:
Car rental company will do the same. They will offer a discount that
you can pass onto your guests. Again, call the car rental companies in
advance and explain that you are planning a large event.
Things to do/Places to eat:
This type of information is totally optional but can be a nice touch
for your guests especially if they are coming long distance to attend
your wedding. It could convince your guests to make an extended weekend
of your wedding if you suggest some fun activities for everyone before
and after your wedding. Also, if you have favorite restaurant
recommendations that can be a nice personal touch for your guests to
enjoy.
Lastly, be sure to include the text "Formal Invitation to Follow"
If you don't you will be surprised at how many people will call you
thinking your save the date is your wedding invitation. Your great Aunt
Matilda (assuming you sent her that save the date after all) is going
to ask, "Where is the rsvp card?"
-written by Lauren Franklin
www.allthepieces.com
About the author:
All The Pieces (www.allthepieces.com) strives to be the authority on
custom wedding invitations, save the date cards, menus, wine tags,
place cards, table cards, wedding programs, wedding favors, thank you
cards, bridal shower invitations, baby shower invitations, party
invitations, birth announcements, bar mitzvah invitations, bat mitzvah
invitations, quinceanera invitations, stationery, moving cards,
greeting cards, event websites and more!
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