Wedding save the date cards have become fashionable in recent years. Many modern couples are choosing to send save the date announcements and their popularity continues to grow. But should you consider sending save the date cards for your wedding? Here are the top seven reasons that save the date cards might be the right choice for you.

1. You're planning to invite a lot of guests from out of town. If you have friends and loved ones spread out across the country or even the world, a save the date card gives them extra time to make travel arrangements. By sending out save the date announcements 6 - 12 months before the wedding, those far away guests will have the opportunity to book flights and hotels at better rates.

2. You're having a destination wedding. There is a growing trend to choose fun and exotic locales for a wedding, such as Hawaii, the Caribbean or Las Vegas. If you've decided on a destination wedding and are hoping your invited guests will be able to come along, it's a good idea to give them as much time as possible to plan. Sending save the date cards will give them the chance to schedule vacation time and make travel arrangements.

3. You've set your wedding date around the holidays or typical peak summer vacation time. If the date you've selected is around Christmas, New Year's Eve, Thanksgiving, Memorial Day, even Columbus Day weekend, your guests may make other plans unless you alert them well in advance with a save the date card. Let people know your wedding date before they make vacation plans, and you have a better chance they will attend.

4. You're seriously hoping that most of the people you invite to your wedding will attend. Even if your wedding will be in your hometown, with mostly local people invited, on a day that shouldn't conflict with holidays or vacations, save the date cards can help you achieve more positive RSVPs to your wedding invitation. People have increasingly busy lives and are always making plans. Since your actual wedding invitation will only go out 6 - 12 weeks before the big day, your potential guests may have already made plans by the time they receive it. If they know in advance the date for your wedding, they won't schedule anything else that day.

5. You're just so excited that you've set the date that you can't keep the news to yourself. Save the date cards can double as engagement announcements, letting people know that you're engaged and have set the date for your wedding.

6. You want to show off your fiance' to all your friends and relatives who have never met him. You can send photo save the date cards and everyone can see the love and happiness on your faces. In fact, the latest trend in photo cards is to include multiple photos on your save the dates, so you don't have to settle on just one picture.

7. They're fun! There are no rules and no etiquette, so your save the date cards can be unique and imaginative. They can reflect your personalities, hobbies, time of year you plan to get married, wedding destination, bold colors or just about anything you like. There are scratch-off save the date cards and save the date magnets. It's your chance to grab everyone's attention.

So with all these great reasons to send wedding save the date cards, is there any reason you shouldn't? Well, because save the date cards are an optional gesture, you don't have to send them if your budget is extremely tight. This is not an absolutely necessary expense, if you're strapped for cash. No one will get mad at you or feel slighted if you decide you can't afford to send them.

But for everyone else, save the date wedding cards are a fun way to share your happy news. If you want to guarantee that your guests will mark their calendars and save the date for your wedding, nothing works as well as save the date cards.