SAVE THE DATE: WHEN AND HOW TO ANNOUNCE YOUR WEDDING

31^st December 2021

Here we are! You have found the perfect venue, chosen the place of the ceremony and set the date.

Once you have started planning your wedding, there are several ways to announce the happy event to relatives and friends. The Save the Date is an original and informal tool that future spouses use more and more often.

This is a trend originating from the Anglo-Saxon world, which consists in anticipating the wedding date. In other words, it is a "pre-invitation", which has the simple purpose of communicating to guests that they are committed for that day.

Although it is not mandatory, Save the Date becomes fundamental in cases of Destination Weddings or weddings celebrated in one's own country but miles away: guests who live far away, in another city or even abroad must be able to book flights and accommodation in advance.

This is why it is important to send or deliver the Save the Date between nine and six months prior to the wedding, only to the people you want to really invite; this will allow you to know in advance who is willing to move to celebrate your wedding and, for the guests, to organize themselves in the best possible way.

Furthermore, the fact of receiving the confirmations by your guests several months in advance, will allow you to make agreements with local accommodations and to take advantage of discounted rates, if you wish to option rooms where guests can stay for one or more nights. Another aspect that should not be underestimated is the optimization of the spaces in the venue where the reception will be held: knowing in advance how many people will take part is very useful in order to design a tailor-made set-up.

But what are the types of Save the Date? The most used are:

• Paper: the classic card or postcard format to be sent, generally in line with the style of the wedding;

• Digital: Whatsapp message or e-mail. It is perhaps the most comfortable type, if the guests live far away. To date it is possible to use various apps or free programs, already preset, to which you can add a high-resolution photo and text;

• Video: romantic and/or witty mini-stories, perfect for the more “techno-oriented” brides and grooms. Widespread are “homemade” videos (future spouses film themselves announcing the wedding date and then send the video, usually via smartphone or social media) and videos created by professional video-makers;

• In the form of gadgets to be sent by mail: magnets, balloons, stamps, corks, rustic cards, pencils, puzzles or any small object that your guests can keep over time as a souvenir of this special moment.

As an informal and creative invitation, the Save the Date must contain a few simple and direct information:

• Names of the future spouses;

• Date of the wedding;

• City and Country;

• "Formal invitation to follow": it is good to insert this sentence that makes it clear that, at a later time, more details will be provided. Small tip: aged guests are likely to be unfamiliar with the expression Save the Date, therefore, it is advisable to add a more explicit and clear sentence (for example: "We are getting married");

• Website dedicated to the wedding (not mandatory): it is useful to illustrate all the practical information to reach the venues or about the schedule of the day.

Now that you have learned when and how to go to the Save the Date, let's see together what are the mistakes to avoid:

• Revealing too much: in the Save the Date details such as the time or the name of the venue should not appear. This tool just has to inform the guests that you want them at your wedding so that they don't make any other commitments for that date. Further information will be on the formal invitation and, if foreseen, on the wedding website;

• Send it in the wrong period: if you choose the date and venue two years before the wedding, there is no need to proceed with sending the Save the Date immediately. As already said, between nine and six months before the wedding day, it is a suitable period of time to allow your guests to organize themselves in the best possible way. For couples who choose to get married in the summer, it is highly advisable to send the Save the Date before or immediately after the Christmas holidays. If you have planned to get married in the spring, however, avoid to send your Save the Date in those summer months when most of your guests will be on vacation;

• Send it to people you are not sure to invite: Save the Date must be delivered or sent only to those who will receive the formal wedding invitation. If you make a distinction between invitations just for the ceremony and invitation also for the reception, be careful not to address the Save the Date to those who will be invite only to the ceremony!

• Improvised graphics: the layout of the Save the Date must reflect the style and colors of the entire wedding stationery (mass booklets, tableau de mariage, place cards, menus, personalized tags, etc.). In this regard, it is essential that the creation of the Save the Date goes hand in hand with the design of the set-up: show to your graphic designer which theme, style and palette you have chosen so that the Save the Date will be in line with your wedding;

• Send only digital Save the Date via e-mail: the risk is that they end up in junk mail and, consequently, do not reach the attention of the recipients. It is also a format that aged guests are unfamiliar with. Also include Save the Date in paper and you will dispel any uncertainty!