subject: Save The Date Cards: Proper Etiquette [print this page] It used to be that before some special occasion or event that the only things that were sent to guests were the invitations; now, however, save the date cards have come along to preceed those invites. What are these new cards and why do people send them? If you have something important coming up, do you need to purchase and send save the date cards out too? For the most part, these cards have now become the first step in informing your guests of your big event. The main purpose is to give guests plenty of notice to mark their calendars to clear the day so that they are able to attend, even though particular times and places may not have been set up yet.
Even though these little pre invitations are certainly not a requirement for weddings, graduations, baptisms and other important events, they certainly are often greatly appreciated. There is no need to stress about adding the little cards to your list of things to do, and you do not have to be a professional event organizer to get the cards together to send to people, either. However, if you are going to be inviting quite a few people who live far away, it would be ideal to send out save the date cards to give them as much notice as possible so that they have extra time to make travel plans to attend. If your special event is going to take place on or around some holiday, it is also a good idea to send them out, also to allow people extra time for planning. Also, if you are planning your big event in another country or it is going to occur in another city even, the cards are also a very good idea.
So who do you send these save the date cards to? This is really the only question that you have to think about very, very carefully. You need to only send the cards to guests you plan to invite to your special event. Think about it: you can not send a guest a card letting them know that you would like them to reserve a particular date and then never end up sending them a formal invitation! Be absolutely sure that you have a list that is made out of people you are going to invite, and make sure that you follow that list precisely for both your save the date cards and when you send out your formal invitations to your event.
