Proper Wedding Etiquette And Save The Dates

Save The Date Cards are an informal way to announce your engagement and upcoming wedding. They are meant to inform your guests about your wedding date and encourage them to keep the date open so they can attend your wedding. These cards can be as fun as you want them to be, there really aren't any rules for proper wording as this is not your actual formal invitation. However, if you send someone a Save The Date, it is proper etiquette to follow up with a formal invitation to your wedding.

Save The Dates are usually sent out about 4-6 months before your wedding. If you are having a wedding during a particularly busy holiday (think something like July 4th) or you are having a destination wedding you may want to send out these cards 12 or more months prior to your wedding date. The more busy the time, or exotic the location the more notice your guests will need. Consider things such as whether or not your guests will need to plan for time off of work, or saving money for a plane ticket.

Although there are no formal rules for the wording of your Save The Date Card, you should understand these cards are a fairly new trend. If your guests have not been to a wedding in a while they may mistake this card for your formal wedding invitation. To avoid this mistake you should try to include wording like "invitation to follow" somewhere on your card. You should also try to include any information you may already know about the wedding. If you have your location reserved, hotel blocks made, or a wedding website, include this information on the card.

Remember that whoever gets a Save The Date must get a formal invitation to your wedding so if you are unsure on your guest list do not send a card to everyone on the list. You will not commit an etiquette faux pas if you send an invitation to someone who did not get a Save The Date. Congratulations on your engagement and enjoy planning your wedding!