The simple answer to this question is ‘no’, you do not have to send out a personalised save the date card when planning your wedding. However, there are lots of reasons why people do, so let’s have a look at the topic in more depth and see why they have become so popular.
What is a Save the Date Card?
Floral wedding save the date design
Originating over in the United States a save the date card is sent a lot earlier than the traditional wedding invitation. It contains very little in the way of details, except for a date and location and it is kind of a wedding announcement card. You are letting your friends and family know that you are planning to get married on a certain date and you want them to be there so by sending it out super early they have plenty of time to keep the date free so that they can attend.
What Are the Rules?
When it comes to sending a save the date card you need to be sure that you are actually going to invite this person to the wedding. Try and avoid any discomfort by making it clear to single people whether they are allowed a plus one nearer the time. You don’t need any detail at this point, but you are confirming how many seats you are offering them at the event.
It can be awkward to invite single people but having been put in a position of not knowing whether I was allowed to take a guest as I was single, I can tell you it can be quite embarrassing having to ask! You may find that you have some friends in your social circle who are going to be outsiders and not really know anyone else that you are inviting, so in those cases it’s generally fairer to allow them to bring someone with them. Couples attending obviously have each other so it’s less of an issue if they’re alone and don’t know anybody else. Be sure to keep your records tidy, as you cannot send a save the date card and then forget the wedding invite down the line because you changed your mind or simply overlooked the person.
Advanced Warning
Depending on the type of wedding you are having, a save the date card can be really important. For example, if you’re going to be asking people to travel abroad, or if you know that they live a long way away. People have busy lives but obviously want to attend if they possibly can. It can take longer than you think to sort travel arrangements, childcare if children are not invited, and other key day-to-day management tasks that need to happen if someone is away from home. If you are getting married in peak tourist season in an area that is known for a lot of visitors seasonally, you also want to make sure people have plenty of time to find accommodation if there isn’t any at the venue.
So, the bottom line is that save the date cards are certainly not compulsory by any means, but are useful to have in order to make sure your nearest and dearest can be with you on your special day.
WhatsApp Save the Date card for mobile
Fortunately, here at Utterly Printable we have a great range of affordable save the date card, so choosing to use one will have minimal impact on your budget. In fact, for those of you who are really trying to keep to a budget, you might be interested in our new range of save the date cards for WhatsApp. They are digital cards designed to look great on any smartphone screen. Style-wise, we love our collection of rustic save the dates…why not start there?
Happy designing!