Save the Dates - A Guest's First Taste of the Wedding

Once Nick and I had the venue and the date settled we had to start planning everything else.  While we were on the hunt for a photographer, band, florist and loads of other things, we were also trying to figure out what to do for the Save the Dates, which are traditionally sent out about 6 months before the date of the wedding.  Seeing as our wedding was a busy holiday weekend, we knew had to stick to that timeline.

Original Cards

Picking out Save the Dates was a lot of pressure in my opinion - its the first taste of the wedding you give your guests.  That, and the first major decision you make that guests see!  My friends have had some good save the dates: magnets, vintage postcards, riddles and the like.  Not wanting to copy them we tried to go a different route.  Then we felt like we were walking into into a kitschy trap.

So after coming up with a few ideas, Nick and I decided to take a trip down Charles Street to Rugg Road to see what, if any, ideas they had to offer.  While looking around we happened upon some really fun Boston themed notecards.  When we asked the store clerks if they made these note-cards into postcards, they said the best thing to do would be to contact the company - they were local and great to work with.

Holly, Nick and I driving

Nick emailed J and J Graphics to see if they would make us a Save the Date postcard.  Not only did they say they would do it, they actually had just finished customizing a postcard for another couple's wedding and were willing to do the same for us.  The next thing we knew, we had a post card with images of Nick, Holly and I were actually driving the Swan Boats - I mean, how much fun!!  Most people "got it," but some needed a bit of help catching on that it was us!  They did the work so quickly and made a couple of edits when we asked.  They could not have been better to work with and made such a personalized, fun Save the Date for us.  I would highly recommend seeking them out if you ever need any Boston (Massachusetts) related note-cards.

One thing about post card Save the Dates I will note:  we included our wedding website at the bottom on the note card.  However, the post office actually placed the sticker bar code over the address so most people could not see it!  So if you are doing a post card, and there is some info you want your guests to see, make sure you give yourself a good, wide margin at the bottom of the card.