Something that has been around for a long time but hasn’t really been as popular as it is today are the “Save The Date” announcements.  Fondly referred to in the wedding world as STDs.  Don’t worry, these are the fun kind of STDs and besides, the p.c. term for the other kind is STIs.  Did I really just put that in a wedding blog?  I digress…

[a personal fave from MarthaStewart.com]

Save the dates are a great way to show off your engagement pictures or show off your crafty side and clue family in about the exact date of the wedding.  Don’t worry, even after they’re sent you’ll still get a lot of “do you have a date yet?” and “when is the wedding?!”  At that point you can kindly refer them to the beautiful piece of graphic art that should be prominently displayed on their fridge.  People have done everything from a postcard with either a picture or monogram on it, to magnets, photobooth strips, and even fake plane tickets for destination weddings.

[faux plane ticket Save the Dates found at Brides.com]

What is the point of an STD?  They are meant to announce the date of your wedding and give guests accommodation information.  Simply sending a picture of yourselves with a date stamped on it isn’t enough.  The pros suggest you add the following to your announcement: 

[ ArisingImages.com]

 My favorite kind of save the dates are ones that use the unique photos your photographer took from the engagement session.  Remember they don’t necessarily have to show your face as long as your names are stated on the announcement.  Sometimes those pictures have the most impact!

[magnet save the date from MagnetStreet.com]

When making a magnet or something that doesn’t allow all the pertinent information to be on the same item, make a flat or folded card with all the right information and attach the magnet or picture to it. 

If you’re trying to go green ( and by green I mean environmentally and monetarily cutting back) you can always do save the dates via email.  This works great in a tech savvy world, but just know that some traditionalists don’t like it.  You could skip the tree products and the expense of stamps to easily design something like the last two pictures shown above and attach in an email with all the information or you could try to send them out from some of the following websites:

Have fun making them and if you have any fun ideas or designs you’d like to share with the world, send them my way and I’ll post them here!