Sending out Save the Dates to your friends and family is an important step in the wedding planning process. Not only do Save the Dates announce your wedding date, they also give your guests an early heads up to make sure they can attend. There’s nothing worse than finding out Grandma’s already booked her all expenses paid trip to the Bahamas on the same day of your wedding…yikes.
While you can always purchase Save the Dates, making your own can be a fun and affordable option. The good news is, you don’t have to spend a crazy amount of money on them. In fact, you don’t have to spend any money if you don’t want to.
Tips for Creating your Save the Dates
1. Start Early
The first step is to be sure you’re giving yourself plenty of time to create and send your Save the Dates. You want to leave room for playing around with your design or gather any personal pictures you’d like to use.
2. Find Your Style
Choose your vibe. Don’t stress over this! A lot of brides feel like the Save the Dates are guest’s first sneak peak of their big day, and technically they are, but that doesn’t mean they have to perfectly align with the overall theme of your wedding. Especially since you probably don’t have all of the details ironed out just yet.
You can browse templates online or you can create your own design using platforms like Canva or Zazzle . Take your time and have fun with it! Let your and your fiancé’s personalities shine through in any way you’d like. You can use your own photos or graphics to make it more personal, too. Engagement photo shoot? Sign me up.
Looking for some ideas? Check out some of my free downloadable templates below!
3. Customize Your Design
Once you’ve chosen your design, it’s time to make it truly yours! Add your own text, play around with different fonts, and adjust the layout to make it look more you. My personal recommendation is to keep these fairly simple. There’s no need to overcomplicate.
Include the date of your wedding and your names. You may also want to add a personal message to your guests, if that’s your thing.
Time to Print
After you’ve customized your design, it’s time to print your Save the Dates. You can print them at home on your own printer, or you can have them printed at a local print shop. If you’re printing them at home, make sure you have high-quality paper and ink. If you’re having them printed at a print shop, make sure you provide them with the correct file format and specifications.
Send ‘Em Out
Once your save the dates are printed, it’s time to address and send them to your guests. A good rule of thumb is to send out your Save the Dates at least 6 months before your wedding day. If you’re having a destination wedding, good to send them out 8-10 months in advance.
Pro Tip: Save the RSVPs for the actual invitation. While it may sound great to get a head start on your head count, giving guests the opportunity to RSVP too early could end up having the opposite effect later down the road.