While save the date cards are a regular part of wedding preparations today, that wasn’t always the case! They have grown increasingly popular, as save the date cards are a tremendous way to ensure that your closest friends and family will be free to attend your wedding. This is especially important if you’re planning to tie the knot on a holiday or have an exotic destination wedding which will require your guests to make their travel arrangements far in advance. If your guests don’t live in Southern California, they’ll need to make plans for accommodations near your final choice of wedding venues in Orange County. In addition, these cards are now available in almost every imaginable shape, size and style – allowing you to set the tone for your wedding before it even begins! Yet, you might not be sure if save the date announcements are right for you, and are wondering if they are a good fit for your celebration. To help you discover whether you need them or can do without, let’s cover save the dates in more detail below.
Are They Necessary?
You may ascribe to the traditional wedding plan, and assume that the invitations themselves will be sufficient. Also, if you are going to create a wedding website you will be able to keep your guests updated about your wedding plans. However, you may need to give your guests more advanced warning – especially for holiday or destination weddings. Why is this the case? They may need to ask for time off of work, save up for airline tickets or alert family that their holiday plans will be altered this year. All of this takes time to accomplish, and the more forewarning you provide, the greater chance that all of your special guests will be able to make it to your big day!
Keep in mind that even save the date cards won’t do much good, if you plan your wedding on a day with another popular event. For example, a close friend decided to get married on the day of a major SEC football game which featured two popular rivals. Needless to say, quite a few of the people on her guest list chose to go to the game that day and miss her wedding. Not only that, but many of the guests that did attend, were watching the game at the reception rather than focusing on the beautiful bride!
What’s the upshot? Know your audience, and if there is going to be a major conflict of schedules on your chosen date, you might want to pick a more convenient day.
Eye-Catching Designs
Another consideration when thinking about save the date cards, is their custom style. They can be a great way to announce the tone of your wedding from the beginning, and you can continue the same theme throughout. How so? You can opt for more subdued cards, pick out postcards, or even chose stickers or magnets. For a truly distinctive save the date announcement, you can even have an artist draw popular destination or landmarks in your hometown. Even the church where you’re getting married or your reception location could be a great backdrop on your save the date cards. Some couples even include pictures of where they had their first date, first kiss or where the proposal occurred.
If you truly want to think outside of the box, you could even mail out save the date CD’s with your favorite music! Add a personal photo montage which is set to the music, to give your guests a truly personal invitation. You might even send out the message in the form of a picture with no other writing, showing a photo of you and your fiancé literally tying a knot. You are only limited by your imagination, and you can see how the style and theme of your wedding can be well-represented in your save the date announcements.
Only you can decide if save the date announcements are right for you, but they are certainly a fun and flexible way to announce your upcoming Orange County nuptial celebration.
by Kerry Johnson – Follow Kerry on G+!
