Planning a wedding is stressful. If it isn’t one thing driving you nuts by being over budget, out of budget, or unavailable, it is another. Take for example, save the dates. Save the dates have recently become popular especially for weddings that are out of town (destination weddings for example) or where there will be a large number of people invited who will have to travel. So save the dates are sent anywhere from six months to one year ahead of time to alert people to the upcoming wedding so they can start deciding and making travel plans.
So save the dates are a good idea. The only problem is that they can be as elaborate as an actual invitation and run over budget very quickly if you are not careful. The most common problem is that you could end up with an unusual size or weight which increases your postage costs. With postage going up every few months it seems, this could be a small, but noticeable, budget buster. So what can you do? You want people to know about your upcoming wedding and actually come. No one appreciates a surprise especially when it is wedding related.
Well, I am personally doing two things to spread the word. I have sent out an evite to close friends who are technically savvy and then I have sent Save the Date postcards to the remaining guest list. Postcards are great because you can make them as elaborate or simple as you would like. They are also smaller and standard in shape and size so you can mail them at the standard postcard rates. I actually used some similar to these from VistaPrint. I can’t find the actual design I used on their site at the moment but this is close. 
They were perfect as they were simple and elegant and they were a great deal. I received 100 save the date postcards for $30. I priced similar cards on the wedding invitation website I ordered from and they wanted to charge $1.50 per save the date. At 75 save the dates needed, you can see where that price was going. I am very pleased and encourage you to give the thought of save the date postcards from VistaPrint consideration to help with your wedding budget.
Tags: invitations, save the date, Wedding, Wedding Budget, Wedding Planning
April 11th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
I was very interested reading your blog! I also think a cheap way to make save the dates is to actually make tehm yourself. You can just buy paper from hobby lobby and some glue and put them together with some nice bows. There are some stores that sell crafts like archivers but that could get expensive! you can also make your own menus …. invites for rehearsal dinner ….
I have really enjoyed reading your blog and all your tips!!! I love saving money …. would you know anything about dog shampoo and conditioner?
Thanks!
April 12th, 2009 at 3:54 pm
Save the Date cards are very important now. People are so busy in their everyday lives. Give them ample time to plan will allow them the opportunity to be at your wedding. Early planning is the best way to go!
April 13th, 2009 at 12:35 pm
No tips on dog shampoo and conditioner. I do know if you have an infestation of fleas in your pet’s fur you can use dawn dish washing liquid to bath them and it will kill them. My mom use to use that on our cats when there was a flea problem.
April 14th, 2009 at 10:00 am
Thats a good tip. We got my aunty to hand make them as our wedding present!
My tip for your wedding, be organised and stay calm… you can’t control everything, but you can cover most things with good planning