The Latest Trends in Save-the-Dates
4 April 2017Save-the-Dates are great for the main reason being, they’re not your actual invitations, so you can let your imagination run wild and be a little bolder in design. The experts at UKbride have a few ideas and trends in mind to get you started on your wedding stationery …
Fridge Magnets – This idea is fab! Most wedding stationery will be found on your guests’ fridges, so why not make it easier for them and create sticker fridge magnets? What’s great about this is that it can still be as pretty or as bold or as wacky as you like, just with a magnet behind it.
Watercolour Calligraphy – If you’re looking for ‘pretty in pink,’ this idea is absolutely perfect. Watercolours on stationery is beautiful enough, but watercolour calligraphy is so elegantly simple and so beautiful. I’m seeing a lot of ombre style calligraphy with a pastel pink fading into maybe a pastel green colour. If you want more colour, a big cloudy splodge of watercolour to your chosen colour theme with text over the top works just as well. This style ticks all of the boxes if you’re going for pretty!
Smile for the Photo – You can be really creative if you capture your save-the-date in one photo. Some ideas are simple like holding a card with your husband-to-be saying ‘save-the-date’ on. Others are a little more thought out. The best I’ve seen is a couple standing in front of a theatre. Where the lettering usually spells out a movie or a show, it spells out ‘save-the-date’ or the couple’s names with the date underneath and ‘coming soon’ across the top. If you’re wanting to hint at a theme or show your personality in your save-the-date this is a super way to go about it.
Your Story – A common question you’ll get asked on your wedding day is ‘so how did you two meet?’ You’ll repeat the story so many times, you’ll feel like rounding your guests up and just announcing it. A good way to avoid this, and something for your guests to smile at, is a timeline of your lives together on your wedding stationery right up to ‘save-the-date.’
Be Funny Make them giggle! There’s a reason you have a ‘save-the-date’ and a formal invitation. Be relaxed about it and try to make your guests smile and show others. One of the best examples I’ve seen is a couple close up face-to-face with ‘save-the-date’ written on the bride-to-be’s forehead in pretty writing, and ‘or we wrote on our faces for nothing!’ written on the groom-to-be’s head. Such a fun idea!
The Credit’s in the Card Sometimes the best part about save-the-dates is the card. If you want to make your save-the-dates absolutely beautiful, bold and not just a white card with writing on, try crazy colours. I love boldly coloured high quality cards with calligraphy. A good colour scheme is emerald green card, depending on your colour scheme, with golden calligraphy. This would be good for a Scottish wedding or a winter wedding. Another idea is black card or just brown card with gold, white or silver calligraphy over the top. If you don’t want to reveal too much about the wedding, even its colour scheme, this is a simple idea.
When do I send my save-the-dates? Believe it or not, the most common question I get asked is when to send save-the-dates out to guests. Here is your answer! Save-the-dates should be sent 4-6 months before the wedding and if it’s a destination wedding, 6-8 months in advance. Your formal invitations should be sent out roughly eight weeks before the big day. You don’t have to send one of course. It’s just an expected courtesy if you’re marrying during high-travel times and it gives guests a heads up. We consider it as something fun to do to kick off your wedding planning!