Ever since Tony & I got engaged, I’ve gotten a ton of questions and requests for wedding related blog posts. One of the top questions I’ve gotten asked is when we’re sending save the dates. More specifically, a lot of questions asking wtf a save the date is, why you need to send them, who gets them, when to send them, etc. 

Now that we’re engaged and have picked a wedding venue, it’s time to get our guests in the loop! We’ve decided to have a really small wedding in Cabo, with just our close family and a couple of our oldest friends. Most of them know all of the details on the wedding, but it’s still helpful to send out a little pre-invitation excitement. Not only does it give guests the wedding date, a “save the date” card lets them know to clear their calendars. 

What Exactly is a Save the Date?

Literally… it’s a card you send that tells your guests to “SAVE THE DATE” of your wedding! Here are a few questions you guys asked (with answers, according to me and my late night googling).

Do you have to send a save the date?

We’re having a destination wedding, so I’m going to say that’s a yes. It’s pretty standard to send them out when you’re having a destination wedding because you’re giving guests a heads up that if they want to attend, they’re going to have to travel. From making travel arrangements, coordinating schedules and saving money into consideration, sending a save the date will make it easier for guests to attend your wedding.

When Should I send a Save the Date?

For most weddings, the general rule is to send them about six months before the ceremony. But eight to twelve months for a destination wedding or if you’re getting married on a holiday weekend (think peak travel times). This gives everyone enough time to book travel, save a little cash and make arrangements.

Who should get a save the date?

You should send a save the date to anyone you want at their wedding. Even if they’ve told you they want to go, make sure you still send them! Just remember, only send them to people you 100% want to attend or know are on your final guest list.

What Info Should I Put on a Save the Date

It’s ok if you haven’t finalized all of the details for your wedding yet. That’s what the actual invitation is for. You’ll want to include you and your fiancé’s names, the wedding date and location.

Who do I address a save the date to?

This is where it get’s a little awkward for some. You need to be clear about who is being invited to the wedding. So include actual names of every guest on the envelope. That way, people are less likely to invite their random boyfriend or assume all of their kids are invited.

Can I send an electronic save the date?

I recommend sending physical copies as save the dates. An email invitation is great for informal events like your bachelorette party or bridal shower. Old school stationary is “proper etiquette” for formal events.

Picking Save the Dates

We opted to get our save the dates from Minted. I did a ton of research and found some really cool options, but loved everything Minted had to offer. A few things I love about their site:

• You can pick everything out online, on their website. It’s really convenient being able to browse their site, look at inspiration and take your time.
• They’ll send you a free curated sample kit. Which is awesome – because you get to see the paper, designs & quality in person before placing an order. You can actually order samples of anything on their site, so you know exactly what you’re getting.
• They print free custom envelopes, addressed to your guests. You can store all of your contacts in their online address book, making it easy to send anything wedding related out. They even make custom stamps!
• Not sure what you want? You can text them your favorite photo and they’ll style 5 unique designs with it!
• They also have free wedding websites! Yes, you read that right. FREE WEDDING WEBSITES! You can even pick a “wedding suite” that has matching save the dates, invitations & website.
• Jumping back to what I just said, you can literally order all of your wedding suite (aka all of the printed stuff) from them. So once you find a design you like, you can have matching invitations, RSVPs, etc!
• They also have a section of their site for custom designs and custom websites. So if you want something specific, you can have them customize it! And it’s actually really affordable.
• It’s easy to search for products by style, color & format. Since we knew we wanted something that reflected our destination wedding, we were able to search by theme & our color palette.

I swear, this isn’t even sponsored. I just loved the process & end result. It’s also important to mention you can become a member of their site for $38 and get 20% off on all products with free shipping on every order. Because… who doesn’t love a good deal? Especially when you’re budgeting for a wedding!

All the Details on Our Save the Dates

Before we ordered save the dates, I made a Pinterest board and pinned a ton of ideas. We decided to look for something somewhat tropical looking – even though Mexico isn’t “tropical” we knew we wanted the invitations to scream “vacation”. But in a luxe, non-crowded kids pool way.

We went with the “Our Paradise” save the dates. We were able to customize them too! We went with a dark green “fern” color theme and black foil. You can customize the paper weight, envelope color and lining, print size, font, etc too!

I’m so happy with how they turned out! They look so good and were literally so easy to have printed. And actually really reasonably priced!

Next up… putting together our wedding website & sending out invitations!

A few of my favorite Save the dates