Save the Date Cards, Magnets, Emails, WHAT?!

Is this Really Necessary?!

Let me vent a bit on WHY oh FREAKIN WHY do Save the Date cards, magnets, etc exist?! Is this a step created by the wedding market masters to get more of our $$$? WTH! Why do I need to send out Save the Date cards at the beginning of my "wedding planning time line" & then send out OFFICIAL wedding invites closer to the wedding? WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE? Why not send out your invites early to get a jump on the guest list, and then send out REMINDERS via email or what not closer to the wedding? SO STUPID!!!

*Breathing in....breathing out...* 

OK...so after I vented a bit on facebook and Google+ I got some decent answers. Here are a few that helped to calm me down, as well as help me understand this strange and foreign concept to me. 


"We skipped save the dates entirely, but we also made everyone aware of the wedding well in advance and that it was a distance away. Basically a word-of-mouth save the date."

"Save the dates are for months or even a year or more before the wedding, as soon as you confirm a date, so that people whose attendance is really important to you don't plan vacations or other stuff for your wedding day. Then the invitation is for 6-8 weeks out when you have exact times, locations, details, etc. and need to get a head count."

"Save the date... before all the details are worked out...it's kind of like, we know the date, we know we are doing this, but what the details are "we have Freaking no clue!"  What's the look, feel and taste of the  wedding going to be like... not sure yet!  JUST PLEASE save that date and don't go to Europe, make work plans or get jailed during that time/date! LOL!"

"If your wedding is not till 6months or more away or it's a destination wedding, it's important to have the save the date cards before the actual invitation so your guests can plan ahead."

"It is the "Do you want fries with that" of the printing business"

"I tend to think of Save The Date cards as more of an announcement than a wedding invitation. And there are a lot more than just cards, there are magnets, key chains, coasters... all sorts of gimmicky stuff to announce to your family and friends that there will be a wedding. Think of a way to make it geeky! ;) These are definitely not something you have to do, especially not for everyone. But for the people who are traveling from far away and who may need to make arrangements well in advance, this is helpful for them rather than relying on family to spread the word (or having to call all these people yourself). Invitations usually take a long time to pick out/create/order and are sent no more than 2 months before the wedding. Save the dates can be simple and sent as soon as a location and date are booked so that people know to save some vacation time and start thinking about travel arrangements!"

And one that I liked very much....

"You don't have to do save the dates. Totally unnecessary, especially for a social media diva such as yourself."  

Tee hee! <3

Anyway, thank you to everyone who partook in this and basically helped me to understand this stupid practice. And yes, it now makes - a little - sense to me.

I like that I don't need to send this out to EVERYONE on my possible guest list. Sending these too people who are far far away and/or will need to take off work for the wedding makes much more sense. :) Plus I do like the magnet idea (which I've seen before and thought was clever), it's just figuring out what should/can be a part of our budget and what shouldn't/can't. 

Cute magnet ideas (VIA)

Love the QR code (VIA)

So here's my take & ADVICE on the whole Save the Date invites /cards/whatever: Find a "tool" that will best work with your budget & wedding. Whether they are DIY cards, mass printed out cards from Kinkos, magnets with your smiling mugs on them, an eblast, a post on facebook, etc. just be sure that it reaches the people YOU FOR SURE WANT at your wedding - especially those who will be traveling from far away lands. Your Save the Date "tool" should be sent out in a timely fashion for those who will need time to plan to attend your fab event. The "official" invitations can be sent out closer to the event with more fleshed out details. TIP: If you want to BE GREEN & save trees RSVPs can be done via a wedding website or online tracking tool. (which is what we're doing)

Now enjoy some tips & ideas on this topic from the female MacGyver: 

marthastewartweddings.com

Thank you again to everyone who shared their knowledge, thoughts, and comments with me! HUGS!

<3 Lani

P.S. You can always add more comments to this topic below. :) TY!