Destination Weddings Discussions

When do I start?

Hi, I just got engaged back in November and we are planning a semi-DW.  It will be local for FI's family and most of his guests, but international for my family and some guests.

We don't plan on getting married until July 2011 so I feel like I have A LOT of time.  I'm not really worried about the venue booking up or anything like that.  I just want to make sure that I give my family enough time to save money and make travel plans if they would like to attend.

So I guess I'm wondering, when would you suggest sending out save the dates?  Would it be okay to send them earlier to people who will need to travel.  And then either waiting or skipping them for the guests who are local?  Or maybe I should just give them the travel information ahead of time?

Any other tips would be appreciated too!

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Re: When do I start?

  • I woudl not send out STD's until you have booked your venue & your officiant.  We made that mistake, sent out STD's and then had to tell everyone "Oops, there has been a change in plans."  - That was a real pain to do, and embarassing as well.  If you're worried about people being able to save the $$, you can always wait until they ask about your plans.  Then you can tell them "We're doing a DW in (place) in the summer of 2011 but we don't have any details nailed down yet."  This will give them the heads up if they want to start saving.  But as for actual STD's I would wait until everything is set in stone.
  • Right, I guess what I meant to say is should I book the venue really early so that I CAN send out save the dates well ahead of time? 

    Or just give them the travel information so they can get a general idea of how much the trip would cost?
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  • If you're absolutely sure on what venue you want, I would book it as soon as you can. A lot of venues won't book more than a year out though, so be prepared for that. But I agree with Lisa, I wouldn't send out STDs until you have a venue booked. Also, when you go to send out your STDs, send them to ALL of your guests, not just the ones who are traveling.
  • I think with wedding planning, booking earlier is always better.  You definitely want to have your venue booked before sending STD's.  That said, some venues won't reserve dates more than a year in advance because their prices change.

    I would contact the venues you're interested in and see if they will let you book a date and lock in a price.  If you can do that, then send your STD's.  If not, I would just try and let everyone know by word-of-mouth that you'll be having a DW, but the location is TBD.

    Hope that helped!
    Anniversary
  • We have checked with the venue already and they will accept a deposit for 2011 whenever we are ready.  I just wasn't sure if it was necessary to do it this early.  But I guess the more time people have to plan, the better!

    Thank you!
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  • I agree with the above.  If you are booked, the earlier the better!! 

    -Jamie
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  • Book it now if you can, then.  You can make payments on it and have it pretty much paid off by the time you have to start making cake, floral, photography payments, etc. - which are paid a lot closer to the wedding date.

    And yes, send the STD to everyone you plan on inviting.  People might try to make a vacation out of it if they know extended family will be in town so they'll need to get time off work, make sure they don't plan their own vacation, etc.  You can never give too much notice.
  • edited January 2010
    Congrats on your engagement!!

    Once you have decided on the date and have the funds, place your deposit.  Your wedding is in July 2011 a little over 1.5 years out but let me tell you... time flies.  We had about the same time to plan our wedding and now we are a few months away!  Set the date and send out the STD's at least one year in advance.  Guests need time to save and get time off.

    Good Luck!
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