nobody needs a save the date anymore… or do they?

So, as you read this you’re battling that ugly little imposter feeling inside while maintaining the outer image of the cool, calm, and professional bride on the outside and wondering if anyone will catch on that you have no idea what a save the date is or more commonly, why anyone sends them. You keep reading because certainly someone will explain this phenomena called “Save the Date” RIGHT? Right! Save the date is exactly how it sounds but in a nutshell it’s a pre-invitation announcing a formal invitation to follow. It’s the start of your wedding “brand” letting guests know what to expect for you special day. It is a more formal way of doing things, especially if you opt for the paper version. There are lots of ways to do save the dates however, and paper is only one of them. You can create a website, which is pretty spectacular because you can design it however you wish to include lodging and dining options for guests and you’re not having to answer every single IG message one by one. Make it in to your own visitors guide to the area around the venue which will increase the likelihood of guests wanting to attend which also means they’ll bring a present or money and that’s the only reason we are doing all this madness am I right? JK… Kind of. You could do a paper save the date and include that website on it encouraging guests to visit that site for updates on pretty much everything, including where to shop for gifts. This will create a buzz with guests and the more likely they are to get excited about your wedding, because, wait for it… this is supposed to be a celebration! OR they’ll send a gift out of guilt for not being able to attend so it’s a win/win! Again, JK, kind of. You could save a little moolah on postage and printing and head on over to our frenemy FB and create a group page just for your guests also. This way you can delete that hateful friend Wanda the Winner whom you thought would behave herself just for one event and especially on your day, don’t worry we all have a Wanda. Even with a FB page a website is still recommended just to make things easy for the average user. For the standard venue wedding that’s local to most (not destination) the time frame for save the dates is 6-8 months in advance with the formal invitation to be sent around 8 weeks prior to the wedding date. Typical save the dates will include a photo of the engagement session or Lakeside wedding venue offers save the date options of a printed photo strip with photos of you as a couple that can be mailed or even emailed. Lakeside also offers a premium save the date option of a flipbook that takes a 7 second video and turns it into a little book. This is more expensive to mail but absolutely has the WOW factor to get your guests fired up about the big day.