4 reasons to send save the date cards.... and 4 reasons not to! - White Cherry Invitations

4 reasons to send save the date cards.... and 4 reasons not to!

4 reasons to send save the date cards.... and 4 reasons not to!

You're engaged! Congratulations! You have booked your venue on your chosen wedding date to be married and have finally finished compiling your guest list.

The next question you might ask yourself is, "do I need to send out save the date cards or just go straight ahead and send out my wedding invitations?"

See below 4 reasons why you should send save the date cards, and 4 reasons why you could probably skip them.  

4 reasons to send save the date cards to your guests

Your wedding is happening within 9 - 12 months time.
Your wedding date is far enough away that your guests will only need to know when to "save the date" for your wedding. This way you can relax and focus on the finer details of what to include on your wedding invitations such as the times for your ceremony and reception and fine tuning the invitation wording etiquette.

You are having a domestic or international destination wedding.
This will help your guests book the necessary travel and accommodation.

It will give your guests the time to plan.
For those that have children, they will have time to arrange for baby sitters and for those who have work commitments, they can schedule the time off.

To avoid date clashes.
Your guests will be able to "save the date" on their own personal calendars so they don't double book the weekend. 
Also you are able to secure your wedding date amongst your other engaged friends so your weddings don't clash.

Bonus - its a great way to get everyone excited (including yourself) for your big day! 

4 reasons NOT to send save the dates to your guests

Your wedding is taking place within 6 months.
At this point, you are close enough to your wedding date to go straight ahead and send out your wedding invitations. The best time to send your invitations is 4-5 months before your wedding date.

Your wedding venue or wedding date is uncertain or unknown.
You don't want to send any formal communication about your wedding until your details are certain. For your save the date cards, it is advised to at least have the date and reception venue confirmed, to avoid costly reprinting of new stationery if anything was to change.

Your guest list isn't ready
Everyone who is invited to your wedding should receive a save the date card, therefore it is very important to have your wedding guest list finalised.
You should not send a save the date card to any guest you may decide not to invite.
If you are unsure of inviting a particular guest at the time you send your save the date cards, a suggestion would be to refrain from sending them anything until you are sure.

Because you don't mind if people save the date for your wedding or not
You are happy to wait for your guests to find out about your wedding via the formal invitation only.

 

4 rules to follow

All wedding guests should receive a save the date
Including your bridal party, parents, siblings and any plus 1's.

Don't include RSVP details or gift registry information on your save the date.
Save all of this to be included in your invitations. All guests should still receive a wedding invitation, even if you have sent them a save the date and they verbally tell you that they are attending the wedding. They will still need all of the extra information such as times, addresses and RSVP cards to know everything you are planning

On your save the date card you must include
Your names, the wedding date, the reception venue or specific destination (i.e. Sydney may be too broad, narrow it down to Darling Harbour, Sydney if you don't want to include the reception venue name).
Also it is very important to note that a formal invitation will follow.

Think about what your guests need to know.
Do they need to book travel and/or accommodation, or get time off work, or are your guests parents who will need to arrange for child minders because you are having a child free wedding. Think of everything that could be relevant to your guests when you send your save the date cards so you can include enough information to clearly state your wishes.

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I hope this was helpful with knowing if you should send save the date cards to your guests for your wedding. If you have any further questions about this topic or anything else regarding your wedding stationery - please dont hesitate to drop me an email at hello@whitecherryinvitations.com.au as I am more than happy to help.

Bel x