Save the Date Announcements for Every Bride

Sending out "Save the Date" announcements to your wedding guests has become a must in today's busy society. Where a wedding invitation is bound by more tradition, save the date cards give brides and grooms a chance to have a little bit of fun! The purpose of a "save the date" is to let your wedding guests know what date to put on the calendar and that they should start making plans.

There is a lot of great information that can come from a save the date. Etiquette rules are a lot less strict since these are relatively new ideas. Here are some examples of things it is perfectly acceptable to tell your guests with a "save the date" announcement. You do not have to include ALL of these ideas, of course, but that's the great thing about them: make them what you want them to be.

• Date of the wedding
• Location of the wedding
• Hotel reservation information (phone numbers, website, prices)
  
• Directions and travel information
• Your wedding website
• The story of how he proposed or how you met and fell in love

A common question is whether or not to include information on your save the date announcements telling guests where you are registered. While there are not as many etiquette rules about these announcements, general wedding / registry etiquette says that the only acceptable place to list your registry is on shower invitations where guests are expected to bring gifts. Otherwise, you risk seeming greedy in many guests' eyes, and that is never your intention or desire. Stick to shower invitations and word of mouth to spread the word about where you are registered for gifts.

If you do have a wedding website, it is also acceptable to list the places where you are registered on a page the lists your upcoming events or details about the wedding. Be careful about listing wedding shower information on your website, however, since you might risk hurting people's feelings if they were not invited. Either way, be SURE to list your website address on your save the date announcements.

Save the Date's should go out typically 4 or 5 months ahead of the wedding date. That will give your guests plenty of time to mark your wedding date on their calendar and make hotel reservations. Destination weddings in places like the Caribbean, where guests will have to make international flight arrangements and possibly get their passports, require a bit more time. Send out Caribbean wedding invitations at least 6 months ahead of time and be very clear about the commitment involved in attending the wedding overseas.

Choosing the right "Save the Date" card for you is all about having fun with it. You can do the traditional, ritzy formal invitation later when you send out your official wedding invitations, but why not do something fun and unique with your Save the Dates! Here are my top 8 Favorite modern ideas for Save The Date Announcements.

1. Save the Date Cards - If you can't bring yourself to break out of the traditional idea of sending a card, make it fun and pick something that reflects your personality. Choose bold colors and paper patterns. Add elements to your card that let guests know something about your relationship, like this ferris wheel card from Weddingpaperdivas. If you met at a carnival or went to the State Fair on one of your best dates, this is a great way to express your relationship through your save the dates.
2. Magnets - A very popular idea is to put your wedding date and location on a nice sized magnet guests can place on their refrigerator or magnet board. Rather than a card that can be lost underneath a bunch of papers and junk mail, a magnet will surely find a place of honor somewhere in the house where guests will constantly be reminded of your wedding date. Put your favorite loving photo of the two of you on the front or a photo of where he proposed. Photo magnets can be more expensive and can take more time to process, so if you are on a budget or a time crunch, choose a fun design that gives guests a hint about your wedding theme.
3. Postcards - Save money and postage by sending a save the date postcard. Much in the same way you would design your regular cards, add bold colors and designs to your postcard. Personalize it with a great photo of you and your groom. Postcards not only save you from having to buy envelopes, they will also capture the attention of your guests as soon as they pull them out of the mailbox!
4. Save the Date Writing Pens - The ultimate in re-usability, a save the date pen is a great way to give a gift while telling guests your wedding date and location. You can even personalize pens with your photo, wedding date, and a catchy phrase or quote.You can be certain that guests will remember the date, because they will be using the pen for months to come!
5. Wine Bottles - A very unique idea that will have your guests oooh'ing and ahhh'ing, is a personalized wine bottle with a label that informs them of your wedding date and location. There are several wine label makers online who will make 50 personalized labels for around $25. You can also make up your own labels at home. Buy wine in bulk from a discount wine store, then affix your own personalized label and ship them out to surprise your guests with a very fancy and welcome save the date gift!
6. Save the Date Tickets - Another unique presentation is to send out save the date tickets. There are many variations on this theme. For example, create a mock-concert ticket that looks just like a ticket to go see your favorite band at a local amphitheater... only replace the band information with your own personalized wedding information. Plane tickets are also a cute way to announce the date, especially when most people will need to fly to arrive at your wedding destination! You know those raffle tickets we've seen a thousand times at various events? Make up some of those like the ones pictured here, only include your wedding date information instead of random numbers.
7. Save the Date Passport - My favorite fresh idea for a destination wedding save the date is to send out a mock-passport! Include a photo of the bride and groom in a small passport booklet. It is by far one of the most unique and definitely one of the cutest ways to let your guests know that your wedding will take place overseas. Whether you decide to make the passport yourself or send it off to a company that specializes in these things depends completely on your own budget and time constraints, but either choice can turn out fabulously. Also, since Destination weddings often require more information on a save the date, you will have plenty of room in a booklet to let guests know everything they need to know!
8. Whimsical Save the Dates - The fun thing about Save the Dates is that the only real purpose is to let guests know the date of your wedding so that they can set aside that particular weekend and make sure not to make other plans between now and then. How you do that can be as unique as the bride and groom. If you are a playful and daring couple, think of fun and whimsical ways to notify your guests. Send a container of bubbles with a personalized label. Create a CD of your favorite songs and put a label on the CD that tells guests the date of the wedding. Send a child's pinwheel toy. Getting married in NYC? Send everyone a small replica of the Statue of Liberty with your dates written across the folds of her dress! Is the town where you're getting married famous for their salsa? Buy packages or bottles of their salsa and print your own label for them. Be creative!!!

The bottom line is that Save the Date announcements are much more informal than the wedding invitations, so why not have a good time planning them together? Go all out or go handmade. Try something different and unique. Be bold and most importantly, be yourself!! Guests will smile when they see their Save the Date arrive in the mail, especially if it provides a little window into your personality as a couple.