Save the Dates

jackeyxo

What are people's opinions on magnets versus regular save the date cards? I like the idea of magnets but since so many people have stainless steel and don't use magnets anymore will they get ignored? Thoughts? Thank you!

Maggie0829

I have a stainless steel fridge but it is only stainless steel on the front, the sides are still magnetic.

I honestly pretty much ignore STDs.  I get them, look at them once and then they go in a pile of "to be filed" stuff on my desk (which never gets filed it just keeps growing).

The only time I feel STDs are necessary is if you are having a DW or are having a lot of OOT guests. Either way, if you do decide to go with them I would send them only to your VIP and OOT guests. Because once you send the STDs there is no going back and decreasing you guest list if crap happens and your budget gets cut.

jackeyxo

Thanks, Maggie!  We do want to do STD's because we just moved to a new state and our wedding is here next year and 90% of our guests are out of town.  Good point though, I will definitely avoid any maybes!

southernbelle0915

I have stainless steel and magnets only work on the sides. I think it boils down to preference. Both are great ways to do STDs. Personally, I would make my decision based on cost and save the difference or put it toward something else in the wedding.

doeydo

Mailing magnets might cost you more at the post office.  I have a magnetic fridge, but I would prefer to just write down the date on my calender and not have this thing on my fridge, possibly with the brides and groom's faces on it.

EverAfer

Maggie, are you saying it's ok to send STDs to some folks and not others, or sending them to others later? I don't want it to seem like B-lisitng.  But I am in the lots of OOT folks situation

Maggie0829

simplysrey said:

Maggie, are you saying it's ok to send STDs to some folks and not others, or sending them to others later? I don't want it to seem like B-lisitng.  But I am in the lots of OOT folks situation

It is perfectly fine to only send STDs to some of your guests list like VIPs or VIP OOT folks.  If you send them to all of your guest list (9-12 months out) then you have to invite those people. Many times brides do this and then something comes up where their budget is cut in half and they are still stuck inviting 200 people with half the original budget.  It is always better to be safe then sorry when it comes to STDs because once you send them your guest list is final and that is a big commitment to make so far out in the planning process, in my opinion.

And this in no way is considered b-listing.

EverAfer

Thanks, that saves some unneeded stress.

tammym1001

I sent out magnetic STD's. They were absolutely unnecessary, but they were cute so I sent them anyways. I did get charged extra postage and I had to have the hand cancelled so they didn't get caught up in the post office sorting machines. Some people have said they just dropped them in the mailbox, but you're risking losing some of them that way.

I will say that everyone we sent them to has them stuck to their refrigerators. Even people I thought wouldn't like FI's best man have them stuck on there. If I got one I would leave it on my fridge until the wedding happened. 

photokitty

I prefer STD non-magnetic postcards. Saves on postage, from regular mail and potential up-charges for the magnet weight. Also no worries of them getting stuck to post office equipment. I tend to tape photos on my fridge and would do the same with a photo STD. A non-photo STD I wouldn't stick on the fridge regardless of it were magnetic :-) GL!

rainbows0215

I am going t send STD magnets I have gotten them in the past and it helped me with remembering the date. I usually do not write things on a calendar and most likely  never will

melbelleup

photokitty said:

I prefer STD non-magnetic postcards. Saves on postage, from regular mail and potential up-charges for the magnet weight. Also no worries of them getting stuck to post office equipment. I tend to tape photos on my fridge and would do the same with a photo STD. A non-photo STD I wouldn't stick on the fridge regardless of it were magnetic :-) GL!

This is my opinion as well. I also just made my own STD with photo paper, one side is a photo of FI and I and the other says the date, place and where accommodations can be made. They're mainly going to fiance's family/friends as theyre OOT and then my immediate family and my SIL's dad (OOT)

huskypuppy14

I sent save the date magnets just the other day, and I was not charged extra postage. They were from magnet street, and they are the flexible kind, so I put a forever stamp on them and put the in the slot at the post office. they were under 1 oz.  People have gotten them, so it doesn't seem like there are any issues. 

atlastmrsg

I like paper save the dates.  I just received mine, ordered from Hello Lucky, and I'm really pleased.  They're simple, with high quality paper and printing.  There's just something special about receiving a handwritten envelope in the mail, then opening it to find something with high quality paper.  Granted, I think a lot of my out of town guests will open the pretty cards, put the date on the calendar in their iphone, and throw the card away, but I'm okay with that.  The paper save the date will also look very nice, more so than a magnet, in my wedding scrapbook.  All and all, I'm quite happy with it.

 

I do agree with the concern that magnets will get tossed because guests don't want to clutter up their refrigerator.  The reality--whether it's a magnet or paper, it'll probably get tossed.  Do what makes you happy, and if you're a sentimental person making a scrapbook of the time leading up to your wedding, what you think will look pretty as a momento.

MrsFabs83

i did save the date magnets and did not have to pay extra postage, we just used forever stamps and threw them in the mailbox. Everyone we sent them to had commented how cute they were and have them on their fridge. Personally whenever i've recieved post card save the dates they usually get tossed to the side, the magnets go right on the fridge.

Jen4948

Save-the-dates are entirely up to you.  The only rule about them is that whoever is sent one must also be sent an invitation.

Some people like Maggie will toss them no matter what, so I think if you're going to do them in any form, you need to not worry about whether or not your money is wasted or it is ignored.  There just is no way to know or control what happens to a save-the-date once it's received.

ashleyep

I love Save the Dates. I put them on my fridge. Magnets are nice because for that. But they are more expensive. I haven't debated yet if I will do magnets or paper ones. 

I know some people don't see the point of them, but I love having them on my fridge and knowing long before summer starts how many weddings and when they are over the summer. I prefer to know when it is rather than waiting until the invitation is sent out, even if I don't need to make significant travel plans.

kgd7357

I have a stainless steel fridge and all the magnet and post card save the dates go on the side of it. The card style ones are too heavy. I picked post cards because of cost. I got really nice ones (100 of them) on VistaPrint for $28 with shipping included. Post cards also cost 33 cents to send vice 46 cents for forever stamps or more. I think both are fine though, it's just a matter of how much you want to spend. People will probably treat them about the same. 

poke+lovey

I am planning on doing magnetic STD's as well.  We have several from weddings this year and they look better than an additonal magnet on the fridge, plus it's one of the things my fiance said "we have to do". 

 I am thinking that I will send out Christmas cards as well but as a postcard and seperately.  Hope this helps!

annathy03

We just ordered postcard save the dates because we wanted them to be bigger than magnets (and figure folks who really want to put it on their fridge will use another magnet to put it there). That said I like receiving magnet save the dates and put them on my desk file cabinet at work until the wedding rolls around.

orangeflame08

I just ordered Save the Dates from MagnetStreet and couldn't be happier! I had a 25% off coupon. For those who like to scrapbook, you can always take it to the local photo store (CVS, Walmart, etc.) and copy it onto photopaper to put into a scrapbook.

As for people actually putting the magnet on the fridge, I think it all depends on the person. I wouldn't hesitate to put one on my fridge if I received on. I say go for it if it's what you want!

vmj23

I'm skipping the save the dates.  We only have a few out of town guests, and they have verbally been made aware of the date.  Any of the most important people to me know the date already  I like the idea of save the dates, they are cute to have but I wanted to save on money.  I think magnets are good because they wont get lost.  Even with stainless, you can still put it on the side. another idea i have seen are stickers, that people can stick right on their calander on the day of the event. 

Jen4948

poke+lovey said:

I am planning on doing magnetic STD's as well.  We have several from weddings this year and they look better than an additonal magnet on the fridge, plus it's one of the things my fiance said "we have to do". 

 I am thinking that I will send out Christmas cards as well but as a postcard and seperately.  Hope this helps!

I would not combine any Christmas card and wedding mailings.  I realize that people want to save postage costs, but it's been my experience that Christmas cards and anything sent with them have a tendency to be thrown out after Christmas-or at least, the wedding enclosures are overlooked.

Give your wedding mailings their own prominence and keep them separate from any other communications.  That way the recipients are more likely to give them the attention they deserve.