Are Save the Dates Really Necessary?
Yay or Nay?
A save the date isn’t just a pretty way to say you’re getting married, it’s main purpose is to be mindful of your guests but it’s not necessary in every wedding situation. You and your fiancé should take the time to assess the scale of your wedding, what it will require for your guests, and decide if it’s necessary to send out save the dates. Here are some scenarios to help you decide yay or nay on save the dates:
YAY to save the dates if your wedding is:
- a year+ out because your guests will appreciate the notice.
- requires travel for some of your guests and definitely send a save the date if it’s a destination wedding and that means travel for all of your guests.
- on a Friday, or any weekday, that requires time off work.
- during a popular wedding season like summer or fall. You may be competing with other weddings so it gives your guests time to consider which one they want to attend (hopefully yours)
If you find yourself saying “yes” to every one of these boxes then check out these save the date ideas
NAY to save the dates if your wedding is:
- less than a year out. A wedding within a year is considered “soon” so an invitation will do in this situation. The only thing to consider is, if you can, sending your invitation out 5-months out from your wedding vs. the standard 3-months.
- intimate. Save the money and effort of the save the date because word-of-mouth does the trick in a tight-knit group.
- informal because formal is just not your thing. If your idea of a wedding is a 5-minute ceremony, your favorite food truck, a dance floor, and your guests just showing up then skip the save the date because you aren’t asking too much of your guests. If you’re planning an event that’s more casual but still have a big guest list and it’s a year out then consider a digital save the date.
- on a budget. We’ve all heard it, we’ve said it ourselves; weddings are expensive. If you’re ranking what’s a must to spend money on for a wedding, a save the date isn’t on that list. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t send one, especially if everything in the YAY section applies to you, it just means you shouldn’t send mail save the dates- go digital. There was a time people considered any digital invite or save the date tacky but we’re in the future now and that’s a very dated way of thinking. Sending a digital save the date is modern, there are beautiful templates out there, it’s efficient, can directly link to your wedding website, and cheap. It sounds like a win-win.