Did you know that, not counting today’s post, there are only 16 “Emily Plans a Wedding” posts between now and, well, when Emily Gets Married? That may seem like a lot to some, but yikes!! Our big day is going to sneak up faster than we can believe, I just know it.
It only makes sense to chat about dates in today’s post introduction, because this week’s post is all about our save the date! For those who might not know, a save the date is typically a simple card that gives your guests a heads up on the date and location of your wedding. They can be sent six to twelve months in advance, unlike a formal invitation, which is traditionally sent just six to eight weeks before the wedding. Save the dates are by no means necessary, but they’re definitely useful if your wedding is on a holiday weekend or you know the majority of your guests will be traveling. Of course, they also serve to get guests excited about the upcoming celebration, too! For instance, I’d be pretty excited if I got this lovely in the mail:
One of my favorite save the date designs, a collaboration between Love*Jenna and Swiss Cottage Designs
As many of you probably know, I am an inveterate paper lover. I attend the National Stationery Show every year, and almost nothing makes me happier than collaborating with designers and calligraphers to develop stationery suites for editorial shoots. Great paper details are usually one of my favorite things about wedding submissions, too. So of course I was excited about the first paper-related detail of our wedding!
Knowing my love for paper and my general craftiness, I think some of my friends and family members were surprised I didn’t DIY our save the date. It certainly was a possibility that crossed my mind, but I pretty quickly decided that with my busy schedule and busy Etsy shop (where I design things for other brides – ha!), this was one wedding project that I didn’t need to take on. I am a little sad about not having gone “all out,” but I’ve come to terms with it :)
My decision was made much easier by the abundance of chic save the date designs available today. My personal favorite source? That would be Minted, and I know I’m not alone in this. Their crowd-sourced designs are the cream of the crop, and their prices are quite reasonable for the quality and customer service you receive in return. Plus, they often offer 10-15% off discount codes, so sign up for their emails and be ready to pounce once you’ve picked your preferred design!
Once I had decided we were going with Minted, it was time to pick. John and I considered several options, including these below:
Sources: 1) Fireflies save the date ($1.58 each), 2) Winter Flourish save the date ($1.58 each), 3) Float + Spring Shades save the date ($1.58 each), 4) Midnight Vineyard save the date ($1.58 each), 5) Fling save the date ($1.36 each), 6) Charming Go Lightly save the date ($1.58 each)
We did a little crowd-sourcing on my blog, and happily, public opinion seemed to line up with what we were already thinking: Midnight Vineyard was the winner. To make it our own, however, I knew I wanted to make a few modifications to the standard design. Happily, Minted is totally fine with that! We changed the font, the arrangement of the text, and the color of the text with no difficulty. We also added a solid colored backer, and a fun striped envelope liner. Literally about a week later, we had these beauties in our hands!
It’s a bit hard to tell, but the back is a solid pale blue.
I hand addressed each one with my best script, then stamped on the return address (I made the design in Illustrator, and then we ordered it through Rubberstamps.net.) The stamp was about $16 with shipping, and since I didn’t include our last names, we’ll be able to use it long after the wedding! I also very carefully chose our postage — the Edward Hopper Forever stamp is perfect for our ocean-side reception spot! (Is it weird to feel as strongly about a stamp as I feel about this one? Because I’m slightly obsessed with this design…)
The envelopes, front and back:
And with the pretty striped liner:
Many thanks to Nancy Ray for snapping these lovely photos! Now, ladies, tell me: Did you send save the dates? What did they look like?
In case you missed a post…
The main characters
Where we’re getting married
I go dress shopping
We choose a photographer
I ponder bridesmaid style
Mini food!
The music
We’re renting a tent!
We discuss bouquets + boutonnieres
Gorgeous! That was instantly the one I picked for y’all before I saw which one you picked! Love the liners and your calligraphy and stamp choice!
We designed our own save the date, but were DEF inspired by etsy and other sources. We did postcards on 80# metallic linen finish bright white paper – so PRETTY! They were digital printed and had our own custom logo on the front and some bright yellow chevron on the front w/ lovely rounded corners! We also picked some USPS stamps that had our wedding colors in them! We were so pleased!
Yay for color coded stamps! Your save the dates were gorgeous!
Love these! They were my extremely close second choice to the ones I ended up with! How exciting!
Thank you, Mary! Which design did you end up choosing?!
Save the dates are a must! I made my own online and used our engagement photos for the cards. On the back of the cards (I used a postcard template) I left space to write in the addresses and then included some smaller pictures with the date and our wedding website. Still waiting to get the cards mailed to me, but I’ve seen the proofs online and they are fantastic!
They sound fabulous, Julie! I’m sure your guests will love them!
[…] with the SW readers. Yesterday she gave our watercolor save the date {a colab with Love, Jenna} a little shout out- very exciting! Thanks […]
I had big plans for our Save the Date! My mom was repainting the big barn on the farm before the wedding anyhow, so we painted “Save the Date, June 9, 2012” REALLY big in John Deere green paint (cue the Joe Diffie song) and posted ourselves in front of it for our Save the Date picture. SO. MUCH. FUN. and a lot of work…. :)
Which stamp did you order on their website? Can you send me the link? I seriously need one of these with 200+ invitations to mail out. haha :)
Hi Emily! We ordered the 3 inches wide by 1.5 inches tall rubber stamp (http://www.rubberstamps.net/art-stamps.aspx). I uploaded a custom design, which was pretty easy. Hope that helps!
[…] style Mini food! The music We’re renting a tent! We discuss bouquets + boutonnieres We send out our save the dates I gather hair and makeup inspiration We talk cake and sweets I introduce you to our videographer We […]