Sending save-the-dates is so exciting – it makes the whole wedding feel so real when you share the details with your loved ones. But there are some big decisions to be made before you get too excited about addressing envelopes! You’ll obviously want to make sure your date and venue are locked in before putting those details down on paper, but the biggest task will be creating your guest list. This can be incredibly challenging, especially as you keep in mind the size of your venue, your budget, and your soon-to-be mother-in-law’s enormous family! But there are no take-backsies with save-the-dates! Once they are in the mail, that person is officially invited to your wedding. So take your time to be thoughtful as you pull together your guest list. If you have guests that you add on after save-the-dates go out, that’s perfectly fine. Just drop one in the mail to them as soon as possible.

Save-the-dates are typically sent 4 to 6 months in advance of the wedding. If most of your guests are local, you can send them on the later end of that window, but if a lot of your guests would be traveling in or your wedding date is near a holiday, you should err on the side of caution and give them more advance notice. The more notice you give, the more likely people will be able to attend your celebration!

If you’ll be including photos from your engagement session on your save-the-dates, we’ll want to schedule that session for at least three weeks before your planned send date. This will give you plenty of time to select your favorite photo and order your first piece of wedding stationery!