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.

Based upon quality of paper stock, lettering, color and design you select, recipients are likely to make a determination about formality or informality of event, thus how they should dress. The color of your invitations may suggest color scheme of your wedding. The quality of paper may indicate how elaborate or simple you wedding will be.

Choosing Invitations

Stationery Stores—Most brides still go to a stationery store to select invitations. Once there, you can look at brochures and browse through manufacturers’ catalogs. The catalogs include samples invitations so that you can feel paper stock, see true color of paper, and compare different print options. Knowledgeable clerks will be on hand to help you pick out desired color and weight of paper as well as ink, style of script, and wording for your invitations. The only thing remaining for you to do will be to provide particulars.

There are only a few large manufacturers and they dominate wedding invitation industry. As a result, whichever stationery house you go to you are likely to see exact same catalogs. Unlike private print shops, because these companies mass-produce their products they are able to offer you greater variety at a lower price.

Online Shopping—There is virtually nothing you can’t buy on Internet, including your gown (although I would not recommend an online purchase for your wedding dress, which must be properly sized and fitted).

The Internet offers a huge number of sites selling both traditional and unique invitations. If you are bargain shopping for invitations, Internet is definitely place to go.

Keep in mind that you are always taking a chance when you choose this method. There is nothing like being able to feel quality of paper or raised lettering to ensure that you will get exactly what you want. However, knowing how different weights of papers feel and about different methods of printing can help.

Private Printers—Because of availability of mass producers and tendency of many people to shop for bargains on Internet, private shops are now hard to find. If you have your heart set on truly personalized invitations, look around. You are almost sure to find one somewhere.

Different Printing Methods

There are essentially four common methods of invitation printing, each with its own benefits.

Handwritten—If you are planning a small wedding (meaning 50 people or fewer), it is perfectly acceptable to hand write your invitations. Of course, this will be hard work, but you will save a lot of money.

Engraved—This is ultimate in invitation printing. With engraving, printer stamps back of paper using metal plates. This raises print up off of paper so that you can actually feel lettering. For most brides, engraved invitations are much to costly.

Thermography—This is most common form of invitation printing. With this method, ink is heated to create a raised-letter effect that is nearly indistinguishable from engraving.