This post originally appeared as "Save the Date!" on our old blog, Born to be a Bride.
When Josh and I sat down to discuss paper goods for the wedding, we were admittedly stressed. The options! The paper thicknesses! The additional fees for added colors! The… Calligrapher? I could tell my groom was checking out, and to be honest, I just wasn’t ready for all these details. Doing it all without a planner is tough. Paper goods… they need to wait. But they can’t wait too long!
Most bridal magazines and wedding planners recommend sending out save-the-dates six to eight months before the big day. But since we are planning end-of-summer nuptials in the Hamptons, our personal rule with the planning and booking of everything for this wedding has been: the sooner, the better.
Rather than dive in with the crazy stress of an appointment at Kate’s Papers in the city and a $$ spaz session, we got creative and came up with a different plan. We definitely have some more work to do on the actual invites (which will be lovely. And expensive), but for the moment we found an easy way out on the save-the-dates. We are having a beachside wedding, so I think we can get away with doing this part in a casual and affordable way. As for Josh, he’s just relieved to have one less major decision to make for the minute!
We are going with some great beach-themed post card style save the dates from Etsy, and we will personalize them with a stamp featuring one of our engagement shots. Much more to come on the invites themselves, but for now here are some more ideas for how you can save money and reflect your taste with save the dates that are not quite so formal as your invites will be!
Shutterfly: This go-to site for all things photo-related is a great option for your save the dates. And, starting at less than $1 each, it’s damn affordable too. I recently made Josh a Shutterfly hard-bound photo book to celebrate our engagement; we marveled at the quality. Check these out and you are bound to find a style that works for you!
Wedding Paper Divas: A bit modern but with plenty of formal options if you’re so inclined, the selection at Wedding Paper Divas is great. They have lots of options for paper thickness, matte vs. glossy, etc. I love that you can incorporate a photo of you and your betrothed in so many creative ways with this service. These also start at around $1 apiece.
Zazzle: Zazzle has some super-creative options like these cute Bingo cards for less formal weddings. I like all their customization options, and they have an extensive reviewer base that gives you a great idea of the quality and satisfaction level of each piece. Again, many of these styles are about $1 per card.
Comments