So, you recently got engaged. Congratulations! Now the wedding planning journey begins. This means that there are hundreds of Pinterest boards, wedding cake taste tests and lots of planning ahead. 

But there are so many to-do lists and procedures to be done, it can feel overwhelming! One of the very first things you have to do is determine if you’re sending out Save The Day cards. These guys are just fun and practical ways to let your friends and family know that you’re having a wedding sometime in the near future.

The trick here is that there is not one set of rules on how to create the perfect Save The Date cards. Since they’re fairly recent, we haven’t all agreed on what it has to say, how it has to say it and when it should say it. As a Pittsburgh wedding photographer, I have been part of countless weddings, so I have first hand knowledge of the do’s and don’t of this stationary craft. Which is why I’m listing the general Save The Date etiquette that you should stick to in order to have an awesome wedding:

Do you need to send out Save The Day cards?

It’s absolutely not mandatory, but it should be used when it would actually be helpful. So, since families have been getting more dispersed throughout the country, it might be useful to let those that live far away know that you’re having a wedding so they have time to put it in their calendar 6 months to a year in advance. 

What does it need to say? 

The beauty of Save The Dates is that they’re fairly simple in content. They just have to say both your and your partner’s name, the fact that you’re getting married, and when and where it’s happening. If you don’t have a specific location in mind, you can be as broad as you need to!

When do you send them?

It should be 6 months in advance, minimum. Usually, I see couples sending them out around the 10 month mark, when they have a specific date and location set.

Who do you send them to?

Only those that you are one hundred percent sure will make the guest list. That includes close family and friends who you want to be there!