Save-the-Dates

kmf218

Hello ladies, I'm having some trouble with save-the-dates. Preprinted ones do save time but the ones I found are so simple and I'd like to incorporate our Tropical Fall theme into them but I don't know how without seeming cheesy. The other day I was in Walmart and they had a bunch of postcards on sale for 5 cents so I was thinking of using them as my save-the-date because they have a gorgeous picture of Clearwater Beach at sunset, and Hibiscus (which is a big theme in my wedding). Considering that almost all of our guests are coming in from out of town I thought sending them a post card of Florida would be cool. Is there a save-the-date etiquette that needs to be followed? What exactly is the time line for them? My grandmother says anywhere between 5 to 6 months before the wedding but that seems really far away to me. Does it matter when they get sent as long as its before the actual invitations or does it not matter? Totally think I'm over thinking this but I had to ask! lol Do you think I should go outside the box with the post cards or stay traditional? All opinions welcome

PearlyGem

I love the postcards idea that's so cute!!! I think you're supposed to send them 3 - 6 months in advance depending when the wedding is (more time for holiday weekends and stuff or if everyone is coming form out of time)

stargazerlily82479

I think the postcards sound cute. We did business card size magnets on vistaprint - FI's honor attendant is a graphic artist so she designed them for us, and then we put them in an envelope with an info sheet with local airports, hotel block info, and our wedding website info on it. If you have a lot of out-of-towners I'd recommend at least having a wedding website where they can get that info if you don't have room on the postcard. Also, we sent ours out way in advance (11 months), but that's because we have a huge amount of out-of-towners, some of whom are traveling from outside the US, and some who I know need a lot of advance notice to request time off work if they would need to with that date. So I'd say base it on what you think your guests will need.

dre0611

I made magnets.  I ordered them through 123print.com.  They were technically business cards.  You can either upload your own picture or you can pick from their designs.    Or you can check out www.vistaprint.com

jen812

I also had the same idea w/ the postcards & ordered 100 of them through vistaprint. I only had to pay for shipping. The postcards were FREE!!!! I just sent mine out 6 months before the wedding. That will give people plenty of time to look for cheap flights & such.

jen812

Postcard stamps are also a lot cheaper

hmcmanaw

I made my own save-the-dates by using a photo alter program and putting magnets on them.  I made 80 of them for around $15, the stamps cost me more!  You can do anything you want that way.  I sent mine out 9 months in advance because everyone is coming from out of town.  If you want to see my save the date, shoot me an email and I will attach a copy.  hmcmanaway@hotmail.com

Skateswim

**butting in**Have you considered printing photo cards for your save the dates? They are a nice inexpensive way to send these out (usually print centers like Kodak, etc only charge 15cents/print!)I have some on my etsy site if you want to check them out:www.JulieHoogDesigns.etsy.com