When do you send STD for a DW wedding???

Fosmoh

We picked the date July 11th, 2016 in Orlando Florida
We're from Toronto, Ontario and pretty much most people we're inviting is also from Toronto or the GTA.

When should we send out STD??
Also, STD is JUST letting them know the date and i guess give them a heads up they're invited to the wedding.  No other information is really required right?  anything regarding venue and time etc will be on the invitation right?

Thanks!

ShesSoCold

Fosmoh said:

We picked the date July 11th, 2016 in Orlando Florida
We're from Toronto, Ontario and pretty much most people we're inviting is also from Toronto or the GTA.

When should we send out STD??
Also, STD is JUST letting them know the date and i guess give them a heads up they're invited to the wedding.  No other information is really required right?  anything regarding venue and time etc will be on the invitation right?

Thanks!

I sent the STD for my DW about a year before. 

Yes, typically a STD has the date and location and that's it. You don't even have to put the venue itself, just the city. I included our wedding website and a little extra about lodging but that's not necessary. 

WinstonsGirl

  

Fosmoh said:

We picked the date July 11th, 2016 in Orlando Florida
We're from Toronto, Ontario and pretty much most people we're inviting is also from Toronto or the GTA.

When should we send out STD??
Also, STD is JUST letting them know the date and i guess give them a heads up they're invited to the wedding.  No other information is really required right?  anything regarding venue and time etc will be on the invitation right?

Thanks!

We sent ours (e-mail notes actually) about 13 months out, as we wanted people to have as much time as possible to save up if they ere coming to Hawaii.  And yes, all you need is the date and location (city) as everything else will be on the invite.  

Just a reminder that STD = invite, however, if someone doesn't get a STD, you can still send them an invite later.  We only sent the STD to our VIP's and those we knew would need the time to save/really wanted there.  We invited more that those who received the STD.

princessleia22

STD for DW typically go out 8-12 months in advance.  We sent ours about 10 months prior. That gives people time to start saving money and plan for the trip.

Like others said, you just need to put date & city.  That way they can start booking flights or whatever before invites come if they want.

KnottieBoots

I'd send them out a year or so in advance max. I don't think a year in advance is too much, because: many people with kids have to plan around kids' vacations, camps, find baby sitters, etc.; and also because some people's jobs make it tough to get approval for vacation leave unless it's way in advance. So it's more of a courtesy to give all of your guests a "head's up" as far in advance as possible. There's no reason why you can't give them that extra planning time.

Fosmoh

awesome thanks guys!

I knew they would typically go out earlier than a local wedding but i wasn't sure exactly what the time frame usually would be.

I guess we should look into doing that this month.
We know we want it in Florida but we haven't even picked a city yet.  we were thinking Orlando but we're going to look at other areas as well.  
Would it be ok for the STD to have the state, wedding website info and basic stuff like that?

Fosmoh

Fosmoh said:

awesome thanks guys!

I knew they would typically go out earlier than a local wedding but i wasn't sure exactly what the time frame usually would be.

I guess we should look into doing that this month.
We know we want it in Florida but we haven't even picked a city yet.  we were thinking Orlando but we're going to look at other areas as well.  
Would it be ok for the STD to have the state, wedding website info and basic stuff like that?

To clarify, since we don't have the city yet just saying it'll be in Florida.
we're hoping to keep the guest list really small and people immediately in our lives.  so people we see on the regular anyway you know?  so we can always talk and communicate details as we see people 

ShesSoCold

Fosmoh said:

awesome thanks guys!

I knew they would typically go out earlier than a local wedding but i wasn't sure exactly what the time frame usually would be.

I guess we should look into doing that this month.
We know we want it in Florida but we haven't even picked a city yet.  we were thinking Orlando but we're going to look at other areas as well.  
Would it be ok for the STD to have the state, wedding website info and basic stuff like that?

Fosmoh said:

Fosmoh said:

awesome thanks guys!

I knew they would typically go out earlier than a local wedding but i wasn't sure exactly what the time frame usually would be.

I guess we should look into doing that this month.
We know we want it in Florida but we haven't even picked a city yet.  we were thinking Orlando but we're going to look at other areas as well.  
Would it be ok for the STD to have the state, wedding website info and basic stuff like that?

To clarify, since we don't have the city yet just saying it'll be in Florida.
we're hoping to keep the guest list really small and people immediately in our lives.  so people we see on the regular anyway you know?  so we can always talk and communicate details as we see people 

I would definitely not send anything out until you have a venue booked and a deposit down. What if none of the places you like have your date available? I also feel like a DW STD is to help people start planning. No one can plan if they don't know where they're going, ya know?

Your first step, ASAP is to find a venue (or venues) for the ceremony and reception.

[Deleted User]

I would work on finding a venue immediately & then send out STD. This way guests can look up to see what flights will cost, what they will need to save up for a hotel where the reception will be (they will ask you about that) or a hotel in the area, and if it is orlando & they have kids, do they want to extend their trips to make a family vacation out if it. Even if kids aren't invited, doesn't mean they can't bring a friend/family member for the trip to be a babysitter while they are at your wedding so then they can do a family vacation.

If I got a STD with just a date & state, you would be getting a call/email from me asking for details so that way I can figure out my costs to attend & start planning for that. So to limit your phone calls, have your venue booked first. And what if you don't find a venue that's available in your price range for the date you picked and you have to pick out another date? Then everyone has to change their plans.

CharmedPam

Mine was 15 months prior.  I'm in the same boat too, a lot of Canadians have to plan for an American wedding.  FI has to book his vacation for 2016 in December of 2015. I mean, he can book it later, but guaranteed vacation slots are booked in December!  Yeah, he's a special case, not all companies are like that, but we wanted them to go out ASAP so people knew well in advance.  

emh009

I agree 110% with previous posters. Definitely don't send out a save the date until you have a venue booked. You may fall in love with a venue only to find that your date is booked, but a week later they are available. You can certainly design your save the dates now and get them ready to go, but don't order them or send them out until your plans are set. You can always spread the word to your families that you're thinking somewhere in Florida in July, but let them know that nothing is set in stone yet. 

As for timing, we sent ours 7 months out, but we only booked our venue 8 months out. I think you're doing just fine time wise. 

princessleia22

Fosmoh said:

awesome thanks guys!

I knew they would typically go out earlier than a local wedding but i wasn't sure exactly what the time frame usually would be.

I guess we should look into doing that this month.
We know we want it in Florida but we haven't even picked a city yet.  we were thinking Orlando but we're going to look at other areas as well.  
Would it be ok for the STD to have the state, wedding website info and basic stuff like that?

Like others said, don't send STD until you have a venue booked.  We got married a week earlier than we had initially planned, because that was what was available at our venue. Until you have a venue booked, you don't know for sure what date will work. 

Plus, people will use the STD to start making travel plans... they can't do that unless they know city and date. And you certainly don't want people booking non-refundable airline tickets if you don't have the date & location for sure set. 

So don't rush with STD.  You still have time for those.  If you are only inviting people really close to you, just go ahead and tell those people (in person, phone, whatever) that you are thinking of getting married in Florida in early July 2016.  Then send the official STD's when you have a date & location nailed down (meaning venue is booked).