Save the Dates

[zoebartlett]

My FI and I are disagreeing on whether or not to do STDs. I think it''s an unnecessary expense but he thinks that it would be a nice heads-up for our guests. I know the word will get out through friends, aunts, uncles, etc., and I KNOW most of our guests will hear (if they haven''t already) when and where the wedding is from us directly. This is awful to say maybe, but I also think that if we don''t send out STDs, it could mean a smaller guest list (if people have made other plans and can''t make it). We''re planning on inviting around 100-115 people. I''d love it to be smaller but I can''t see cutting anyone out of this latest round.

Did you choose to do STDs? Why or why not?

 

[neatfreak]

We did them because our guest list is tiny, everyone invited we really want there, and we wanted to give everyone a heads up that it was in CA instead of New England where most of our relatives are from.

We''re really hoping everyone will make it, so that''s why we sent them.

If the wedding is fairly local, I think you don''t need them. If there are certain people that are really important to you, I would call them directly and let them know. Otherwise they can fend for themselves.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

We did. We went them out a year in advance. The reason I really decided to do it is b/c 80% off the invites were OOT.

 

[So_happy]

If it helps, you can get really cute ones done on Vistaprint.com in one or two days.. We invited 100 but only need 60 invites so for the 60 it only cost us $30? And they were pretty and glossy and had a pic of us on it. I highly recommend it if you''re looking for a compromise between you two. At least it won''t be a huge expense. And it really will help folks start planning ahead for your day! I''ve had many guests tell me that they are glad they had my STD (tee hee....that sounds SO bad!!) or they would''ve committed to another wedding.

Granted, my wedding is in the summer when there are sure to be lots of other weddings but I would''ve been so bummed had some of these precious 100 people in our lives not been able to make it because they had already made plans that couldn''ve been avoided by sending the STD

 

[gailrmv]

I didn''t, b/c I don''t think they were as common when I got married but if I had known about them I would probably have done them. It helps the OOTers and also helps clear up whether you will be invited or not (say, if you are a distant cousin).

 

[Haven]

Traditionally, you need only send Save the Date cards if you:

-Have many out-of-town guests
-Are planning a destination wedding
-Are having a wedding on a holiday

If you are having a local wedding on a non-holiday weekend, and the majority of your guests are from the area, you can definitely skip the cards. If you have a few out-of-towners you can certainly send them lovely handwritten notes in lieu of Save the Dates, and I''m sure they''d appreciate the thought.

Good luck!

 

[zoebartlett]

Thanks for the responses! Our wedding will be in Maine on July 12, 2008. I''m not sure if technically it would be considered a destination wedding since my FI and I, both of our parents, and most of his family live within 60-90 minutes away in NH. I do have several out of town guests coming in from different parts of the country (some live in New England and others live elsewhere). I was thinking that spreading the word just in conversations we have on a regualar basis with OOT family and friends would be fine, but I''ll consider sending them save the dates. I''ll definitely skip them for our those who live within a 60-90 min. drive. Thanks again!