12 Months Before

*Buy a wedding planner and organizer (The only realistic alternative to not being well organized is hiring a wedding consultant to manage details for you.) *Talk with your fiance (and parents if they will be paying bill and adding to guest list) about size and a budget, possible date, and location for wedding. *Reserve ceremony and reception sites. (If wedding will take place in a large city, don’t dilly dally on this one. Wedding venues can be booked up solid for a year.) *Begin shopping for your dress. (You could be looking for that perfect gown for months, and most shops need at least four months to fill an order. Look for styles appropriate for wedding venue and time of day.) *Shop for or begin making save-the-date cards. *Send your engagement announcement to newspapers.

10 Months Before

*Make an appointment to meet with your clergyman. (At time you make your appointment, let him know your wedding date. You and your fiance should arrange to meet with him as soon as possible, especially if you live in a large city or are planning to write your own wedding vows.) *Begin scouting around for a baker, caterer, florist, musicians, and photographers. (Once you have found them, ask about and review price options.)

8 Months Before

*Research honeymoon destinations and prices. *Begin guest list. (Generally, half of invited guests are bride’s and half are groom’s.) *Order your dress. *Book vendors and musicians or a dj. *Choose bridal registries and gifts you would like to receive. *Reserve a block of rooms for out-of-town guests.

6 Months Before

You should send save-the-date cards to all of your intended guests when either of these circumstances fit your situation. Even friends and family members who you already know will attend should be sent a card.

On other hand, if you are not sure whether a particular person or couple will be invited to wedding, don’t send them a save-the-date card. And there is really no reason, and it’s a waste of your precious money, to buy and send these notices when all of your guests live relatively nearby or wedding will not occur during a busy time of year.

Planning and Sending

Once you know all of basic details about your wedding plans, place your order with your stationer. As with invitations, having these cards printed can take up to several weeks, so give your stationer plenty of time. You can mail these cards out up to six months before wedding date.

Save-the-date cards can be designed to match rest of your wedding stationery and ordered at same time, or they can have a completely different look.

Getting your guests’ attention

Some brides-to-be really want these cards to be eye catching so that they truly standout and serve as a visual notice. If this is what you have in mind, look for something unusual, such as scratch-off cards or magnets (that can be posted on your guests refrigerators). Maybe you will want to make your own cards, incorporating one or more of your wedding colors, a graphic design, or a photo.