Although you may have heard of a save the date card, or even received one, you may not know exactly know what they are or when to use them. Save the date cards are a new idea within the world of wedding planning, so there are few set rules regarding the practice. In recent years, save the date cards have become increasingly popular and helpful in the wedding planning process.

Busy Lives

Today, people's lives are getting busier and busier. It is likely that every time you speak to your friends and family they are telling you just how busy they are with work, school, the kids, and life in general. This is exactly why save the date cards should be sent to your wedding guests. The purpose of sending such cards is to make sure that the people you want at your wedding know the date and location of the event. Save the date cards can help them clear their busy schedule and attend your wedding.

Types of Weddings Requiring Save the Dates

Save the date cards are not a required part of the wedding process, but they are very popular. Save the date cards are ideal for any wedding in which guests are invited. However, there are some types of weddings where save the date cards are especially useful. If the wedding is scheduled to take place on or around a holiday, you should consider sending save the date cards. Other times that save the date cards are greatly appreciated are when the wedding takes place at a faraway location or when most of the guests must travel to attend.

When to Send Save the Date Cards

It is a good idea to send save the date cards about four to six months before the wedding. This provides most guests with ample time to request time off from work, get a babysitter, and make any other arrangements needed to attend the wedding. If you are planning a destination wedding, be sure to send the save the date cards out as early as possible. In fact, a year or more is ideal especially when your friends and family may need to schedule vacation time or pay for expensive travel arrangements.

Types of Save the Date Cards

There are so many options when it comes to save the date card styles and designs. Couples can take the reigns and have a lot of fun with them. Some popular styles of save the date cards include magnets, calendars, and simple announcement cards. Some creative couples are moving into more memorable and fun styles and designs such as scratch-off cards (yes, just like those lottery tickets you can pick up at your local convenience store) and posters. Your save the date cards can be as simple, fun, or elaborate as you would like. This variety of save the date cards provides you with the freedom to be as creative as you would like or you can choose a style that is already designed and ready to send. One thing to keep in mind when choosing these cards is to find something that matches the theme and design of your wedding invitations.

What to Say

The basic idea of the save the date card is very simple ? it is intended to inform your guests when and where the wedding is taking place. Therefore, there is very little information to include, especially since you know that invitations are being sent out shortly thereafter. Just be sure to include your names, the date of the wedding, and the city and state in which it is going to take place. Be sure to include the text ?Invitation to follow? at the very bottom, so that guests know that this is not the invitation itself.

One major rule of etiquette when dealing with save the date cards is to only send these announcements to those people who are going to be invited to the wedding. You do not want to send a save the date card to somebody that is not going to be invited only to have them show up thinking that the save the date was actually the invitation.

Save the date cards, though unheard of only a few decades ago, are fast becoming an essential part of the wedding planning process. Because we are all so busy these days and so much goes into making a wedding happen, save the date cards can relieve some of that pressure. Guests know when to expect the wedding and that allows them to plan for travel, gift buying, and any other important events. The save the date cards also help the bride and groom relax a little knowing that they have informed everyone of the main details of the wedding.