Planning a wedding requires good organizational skills, a large dose of creativity, a firm grasp of wedding traditions, and a strong sense of humor.
There are literally hundreds of decisions to be made regarding decorations, venue, food and drink, apparel, the honeymoon, transportation, and the ceremony.
Weddings are a major event for everyone involved.
From the bride and groom, to parents and siblings, and family and friends, everyone wants to be involved, which makes it especially important to ensure that everyone is able to attend.
As with any major event, creating the guest list is the first step.
This allows you to select the best date and location possible, based upon the needs, abilities, and schedules of your guests.
While it is never possible to please or accommodate everyone, save the date cards have become the best way to give guests advance notice of important events.
They provide guests with the time they need to make travel, house-sitting, pet-sitting, and other arrangements necessary to assure that they can attend and freely enjoy your special event.
Being a relatively new aspect of nuptial etiquette, there are several Do's and Don'ts that should be known ahead of time.
Using Save The Date Cards - Do Send Them Out In Time Save the date cards are used to notify guests well ahead of time of a formal event date and the location so that they may set aside that needed time and make any necessary travel arrangements.
They are sent out six to twelve months in advance, providing ample time to allow guests to make arrangements, hotel reservations, and other necessary adjustments to their normal schedule such as taking time off from work.
Very often, guests must travel significant distances to attend.
The notice provided by this correspondence is a courtesy that makes it far more likely that all of your guests will be able to attend your special day.
Creating Save The Date Cards -- Do Use A Personal Design Save the date cards either take the form of an actual card or a magnet, which provides the added convenience of being able to be placed on the refrigerator, where it will be seen as a reminder prior to the event.
They also serve as mementos of the event, so they are created using the same color schemes, themes, fonts and artwork as the invitations, thank you cards, and other correspondence.
Very often, they feature a photograph of the happy couple, the wedding destination, or some other meaningful image.
Creating unique correspondence and address labels is made fast, easy, fun, and affordable by using online resources where you can design your own correspondence and preprinted address labels from the convenience of home.
As anyone who has ever organized a wedding or other major social or business event knows, time is always at a premium and convenience is a valuable commodity that allows you to focus on details, dilemmas, and other decisions that require your attention.
Common Save The Date Card Mistakes To Avoid -- Don't Use Email And Other Tips While there may be a strong attraction to use email save the date information, these are formal affairs and email is simply not appropriate for this type of event.
Email is fine for casual gatherings and day-to-day correspondence.
(Though who doesn't enjoy receiving a custom designed photo card from someone they love?) Formal occasions deserve formal mannerisms, correspondence, and etiquette.
Sending your guests formal advance notice gives them a peek into what you have in store for them and sets the tone for the entire event.
Another common error that occurs is to include an RSVP.
A response request is only sent with the wedding invitation.
This advance notice is simply a courtesy to guests to help them make time for your event.
Including an RSVP in this advance notice can easily confuse guests when they are then asked for yet another response in the formal wedding invitation.
Finally, do not forget to send the actual wedding invitations.
Some individuals assume that save the date cards are adequate notice and they couldn't be further from the truth.
While save the date cards notify guests of the event, wedding invitations are what invite them to the wedding.
With so many details to juggle in planning a wedding, save the date cards, preprinted address labels and thank you cards, and the help of a few dear friends and family members can make all the difference.
This is a special day and the correspondence you select will play a major role in setting the tone, the look, and the feel of your wedding day.