As you glance over your wedding checklist, it may feel overwhelming. You have the big costs, like the venue, catering, attire, flowers, and drinks. But then you have decor, favors, transportation… and then there’s stationery, which can really feel like so much paper.
Since invitations are 100% required, you may be wondering if save the dates are worth the cost.
If you and your partner wonder the point of save the dates, I’ll explain everything you need to know in this blog post. We’ll tackle if save the dates are worth it, the pros, and the cons, and some easy ways to cut costs and make this trend more budget-friendly. Let’s get started!
Are Save the Dates Worth It?
What is the point of a save the date anyway? It’s tough to justify the cost of something when you don’t know its usefulness, so here’s a definition.
The basic idea around a save the date card is to inform your guests of your wedding date ahead of time so they can put it on their calendar. This ensures you have as many guests attend as possible.
This is the most important reason: to inform guests of the date.
They’re also a great way to share your wedding website address with your guests and “kick-off” the celebration fun! Receiving a save the date in the mail is exciting and builds anticipation for the festivities to come.
These are the two main reasons to send them, but here are a few more.
Wedding = Held During a Busy Time of Year
It is essential to send save the dates when yours falls on a busy time of year, i.e. a long holiday weekend, or in the peak of summer when everyone and their cousin is planning a vacation, a graduation party, and you guessed it, a wedding.
Travel Accommodations
It is also vital to send save the dates when the wedding requires travel of any kind, whether that be an hour away or across the globe on a tropical island paradise. Guests deserve a little advance notice so they can make travel arrangements and, let’s face it, costs can add up when you get closer to the big date. Save the dates are worth it to avoid these hefty fees on travel and to allow more guests to be able to attend.
Ensure More Guests Can Attend
Save the dates are also helpful for local weddings simply so you have as many guests in attendance. If they know your date months ahead of time, they can circle it on the calendar and plan on attending.
Now, what if NONE of these apply?
Perhaps your wedding will be held in the middle of February, so competing with Valentine’s Day isn’t much of a concern. And since it is “off-season”, guests likely won’t have many other weddings scheduled during the same months. You may have a guest list with family and friends who live nearby, so travel isn’t going to be a problem. In addition, perhaps your wedding is held at a time when many guests are available, so you may wonder if you should send save the date cards at all.
Here’s the thing: sending save the date cards is worth it, in my opinion. I like a heads-up! I think sending them is fun! But I also don’t think you have to spend a lot of money to make it exciting for your guests. Let’s discuss cost savings in this next section.
How To Make Save the Dates Worth It Budget-Wise
If you’re on the fence about sending save the dates, due to budget constraints, there are some ways to make it affordable. Here are some ways to save money to make save the dates worth it from a budget standpoint.
Choose petite or postcard-sized save the dates
If you opt for a smaller-sized card, like Minted’s petite size, you’ll spend less simply due to less surface area for printing. These cards may be a bit smaller in size, but they’ll still make a nice impact.
Moreover, a postcard save the date will save you some money because postage on a postcard is less than a standard stamp ($0.51 for a postcard stamp vs. $0.66 for a regular stamp, per USPS postage rates and prices at time of publication). Plus, no envelopes means cheaper costs!
Here’s the back:
Shop for cheap save the dates
Many retailers offer low-cost or affordable save the date cards at a discount – or have sales happening! Here are the best places for cheap save the dates.
Opt for digital save the dates
Not a fan of printed cards? No problem. You can send digital save the date cards which are sent via email or text to your guests. Zola offers free digital save-the-dates so you don’t have to spend a penny. You just edit your details, include a photo, and send it out to your guests.
Send fewer cards in the mail
Although it is ideal to send one to every household on your list, you do NOT have to send a save the date to everyone. This very fact may make save the dates worth it in terms of budget!
If cost is an issue, consider sending save the dates to a smaller subset group of guests. For example, mail them out to immediate family including parents, siblings, grandparents, and just a few close friends.
Print them yourself
If you’re feeling a bit crafty, you can go to Zazzle to edit a template and print your own save the date cards. This can bring the cost down while giving you the ability to choose the type of paper, envelope, ink, and cost.
Last but not least, if you are still stuck on the point of save the dates and it doesn’t feel like a good fit for you, don’t worry. Save the date cards are not mandatory unless the wedding is a destination wedding. (And this is because you send invitations 6 to 8 weeks before the wedding, which is way too late for travel accommodations.)
And before you send invitations super early instead of save the dates, I highly encourage you to read this first.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it’s important to weigh the pros and cons of every wedding cost, particularly when you’re not sure it’s a good fit for your budget. As we explained in this blog post, the point of save the dates is to inform guests of the date which can be a huge plus, since more guests will be able to attend with advance notice. If you like the concept of save the dates, you should send them out 6 to 9 months before the date of a local wedding (and 9 to 12 months ahead of a destination wedding). By doing so, you’ll see as many smiling faces at your wedding as possible.
If you decide save the dates are NOT worth it to you, that’s your choice! It’s your wedding so you get to make all the decisions on anything you see fit. :) I hope this advice helps you and, as always, if you have any questions or comments, please share them in the box below.
ON TO YOU: If you’re ready to send yours out to your guests, browse this collection at Minted or these cards over at Zazzle. They both offer many different styles and themes to suit any budget.
Happy Planning!
xo
Emma
