Hi all!
I'm getting married August 2018 and was wondering when is a good time to start collecting addresses. I am planning on only sending Save the Dates to out of staters and family members, since most of our friends know the date already. My plan was to create a Facebook group (which could also be used as an informal save the date) with a link to put their address in, as well as put our wedding website in this group. I'm just not sure when is the right time to start doing this since we are still a 10 months out. I think I might be overthinking this whole process, but any suggestions and advice is welcome!
Thank you!
Re: When to collect addresses
If you plan to use FB to get addresses, just DM the people for whom you need addresses and then make an excel spreadsheet. We still use our excel spreadsheet from our wedding 4 years ago for Christmas cards, birthday parties, baby announcements, etc. And now we just add people to it who we've become friends with and such.
So the only addresses you need yet are for persons to whom you are sending save-the-dates. If you are sending holiday cards, save any addresses for people who will receive invitations. But unless anyone is being invited to wedding-related events between now and the wedding (which should be hosted by others), you aren't going to need addresses for invitations until about six to eight weeks before invitations go out. During the month before invitations are sent, I'd start collecting any addresses you don't already have.
I second @southernbelle0915's advice not to use Facebook to do it. If you do, though, I'd ask for the addresses in private messages and not in posts on your page or private groups.
I agree with this. Sending them a link to a form essentially says that you could probably have gone about this in other ways, but you prefer that everyone earn an invite to your wedding by doing the work for you.
I find it's very rare to get a payment request. For almost every person on our 275+ guest list I was able to find an address online. In the few years since our wedding, I've done this plenty of times for holiday cards, etc. Don't' know why you wouldn't at least try and then reach out if you can't find it.
Last week I wanted to talk to my cousin, but didn't have her phone number or address. I had to call her sister to get it!