Save the Date Quick Guide

Here is a quick and easy Save the Date guide to help answer the most basic questions. What you need to know with easy to understand explanations or just skim our 5 simple steps if you need answers quickly.

Decide if you want to send one (they are not absolutely necessary but can be helpful)
Include four things:
1. names of the bride and groom
2. date of the wedding
3. location of the wedding
4. wedding website address (if applicable)
Create your guest list
Mail out 6 to 9 months before the wedding
Remember the invitation is still the star of the wedding stationery show. The invitation contains much more information and guests are accustomed to replying about their attendance. If you can only send one, send the invitation

Are Save the Dates Really Necessary?

Whenever I have a consultation with couples they are surprised by my answer. After all I do create Save the Date cards for couples are part of my stationery business. However, the truth is they are not absolutely necessary but in certain situations they are helpful. Save the Dates are a very recent addition to wedding stationery when you think about it. Your parents probably didn’t have a Save the Date card and people have been getting married for thousands of years without one. That being said, there are circumstances where Save the Dates are good idea. If you are having a destination wedding, or a number of out of town guests that need to make travel arrangements a Save the Date gives them time to prepare. This is why so many Save the Dates feature the location of the wedding like my Chicago designs. Also, if you are getting married on a holiday weekend you may want to send a Save the Date to prevent guests from making other plans. However, if you have a tight budget skip the Save the Date because the invitation is the star of the show.

What Should the Save the Date Include?

This is the easy part of my Save the Date Quick Guide because they do not contain a lot of information. The names of the bride and groom, the date, the location, and if you have a wedding website, the web address. The wedding website can be updated with information as time goes on but should at least have basic hotel and accommodation information for guests who want to start making plans.

Who Should I Send the Save the Dates to?

Save the Dates may be fun to do but they force you to work on your guest list earlier than those couples who chose not to send them. They should be sent to all the guests on your A List if you are doing an A and B List. If you are not doing an A and B List then they should be sent to all guests. This includes your family and wedding party that probably already know the date. Remember that the Save the Date is also a keepsake of your wedding.

How Should I Address the Save the Dates?

Address them the same way you would address the invitations. Which means singles that will be allowed to bring a guest should have theirs addressed as “and guest”. Children under 18 that are invited should have “and family” added to their parent’s invitation. This allows guests to clearly know who will be invited. You can be slightly less formal on the Save the Dates than the wedding invitation by listing the first names of couples instead of the traditional “Mr. & Mrs. Harold Smith”. However, I advise keeping the addressing formal. You cannot go wrong with formality. It is also easier to use the same list or spreadsheet for both the Save the Dates and the Invitation instead of having to make adjustments.

When Should I Mail the Save the Dates?

If you look on the internet you will see various answers to the question of when Save the Dates should be mailed. Earlier I mentioned that Save the Dates are a fairly recent thing in the world of weddings. They were not included in the early books of etiquette. Since the invitation will be mailed 6 to 8 weeks before the wedding, mailing them too close to the invitation seems rather pointless. The Save the Date should be sent out 6 to 9 months before the wedding. If you are having a destination wedding you can send them out a bit sooner. Read more about Destination Wedding Save the Dates here.

Do I Still Need to Send Out an Invitation?

The invitation should still be mailed out 6 to 8 weeks before the wedding. Guests are familiar with the wedding invitation and will send back a reply regarding their attendance. This is not customary with the Save the Dates. The invitation includes more details about the time of the ceremony and reception, addresses, accommodations, and possibly directions or maps. If you can only send one, send the invitation.

Testimonials

Wonderful Invitation Design

Initially I was not very certain about what I wanted; I knew my color scheme and I saw things that I liked. However, I really did not know how to bring everything together and describe exactly what I envisioned. Diane showed me a variety of samples of her work and offered ideas and from there I was able to narrow it down to a wonderful invitation design! Diane was patient with me the entire time and made sure I was shown multiple options before selecting the final product. Diane brought the “inspiration” and creativity that I did not have! Thank you, Diane! I am forever grateful for your hard work. I am still getting compliments on how beautiful my invitations, programs and menus were.

Jenny Linsenmeyer

Thank You

I just wanted to say a heartfelt thank you to for all your help with our wedding invitations, thank you cards and table cards. I am so glad I found you before I tried to do it all myself. I never could have dreamed of a lovelier invitation to set the tone for an elegant, intimate wedding. You saved me so much time with your suggestions and creative ideas! All our guests were commenting on how beautiful the invitations were! I am sending you a photo of Frank and I on our big day so you can see the smiles you helped put on our faces. Thank you again for going the extra mile to make our wedding absolutely perfect.

Nancy Regan

Enjoyed working with Diane

My husband and I enjoyed working with Diane. She was very patient and listened to all out needs. We gave her our color theme and told her that we wanted orchids incorporated into our invitations and she did the rest. Diane knew I wanted simple yet pretty and Starglow did that times 10. She made it incredibly easy for us to send them out. Everything turned out beautifully and I couldn’t be happier. From the time the invitations were sent out to the actual wedding, I received so many compliments on them. People were still complimenting them to me on the wedding day.

Katie London

Starglow was the best in quality

After checking around I felt that Starglow was the best in quality, design and style of the all the invitations I had found. Diane gave me advice which saved me lots of time. The theme she helped create not only added a personal touch for me, but was a huge hit with my guests. They raved about the invitation, the programs and the menus. I would refer Starglow to any bride.

Michele Chodorski

Works of Art

Starglow Studios created my wedding invitations, programs, favors and menus. Diane custom made a special heart design for us. It was beautiful and unique- which is just what I wanted my wedding to be. I received so many compliments on the invitations. People actually wrote comments about them on the response cards and even mentioned them to me in the receiving line! I was so pleased with her work I used Starglow for the birth announcements of all three of my sons. Each time I wanted something different and each time I was more than pleased with how creative and special they were. Since then, I have used Starglow Studios for baptisms and other events. They have all been works of art!

Lisa Keough