A Look at our Wedding "Save the Dates"

I’m excited to share a sneak peek of our wedding save-the-dates! To create our paper suite, I’ve had the pleasure of working directly with Scriptura, a top stationer and letterpress design studio based in New Orleans. (If you follow me on Instagram, you may recall a behind the scenes look at their in-house design studio and antique presses, dating back to 1906!). Scriptura has a wonderful team, including illustrators and designers. The focal point of our save-the-date is a crest incorporating our initials and a fleur de lis, flanked in natural foliage — which I think is a nice nod to our wedding venue in the Garden District. The design is clean and elegant, with dove gray ink on white Arturo paper. Our names were beautifully written in script by esteemed calligrapher, Maria Helena, who is also based in New Orleans and has earned ranking as one the best calligraphers across the country. It’s so special to be working with talented, local artists and see details come to life. “Save the Dates” often give guests a first impression of the occasion — and I’m so happy how ours have come together! Browse below to see more, along with a Q&A session addressing common questions about wedding paper etiquette and timeline…

As a new bride-to-be, I turned to expert Margaret Jones at Scriptura, who kindly guided my questions regarding wedding paper etiquette and timeline. Continue reading for a helpful Q&A session with Margaret covering common questions, like when to send save-the-dates and how to properly communicate details of your wedding.

Q: WHEN SHOULD WE MAIL SAVE THE DATE CARDS?
A: Save the dates are issued six months before the wedding. They inform family and friends of your plans and allow them to take your wedding into consideration when making their own plans. Save the dates are sent when out of town guests are invited and when the wedding will be taking place in a destination other than the bride or groom’s hometown. Many weddings are held in a resort area, and some guests might like to plan a vacation around your wedding. Save the dates may be sent to all guests, but it is especially important for out of town guests to receive them, as they will have to make travel arrangements.

Q: WHEN SHOULD WE MAIL WEDDING INVITATIONS?

A: Wedding invitations should be mailed six to eight weeks before the wedding; overseas invitations may be mailed twelve weeks in advance.

Q: WHERE DO WE INCLUDE INFORMATION ABOUT OUR WEDDING WEBSITE?
A: Wedding website information is most commonly included on the save the date. A small wedding website insert may also be included in the wedding invitation to ensure guests can access additional information about accommodations and weekend itinerary.

Q: CAN WE INCLUDE OUR REGISTRY INFORMATION ON OUR INVITATIONS OR SAVE-THE-DATES?
A: The best way to let guests know where you are registered is by word of mouth. Putting in writing where you are registered on the save the date or wedding invitation is considered to be in poor taste, as it suggests you are asking for a gift. The best place to include registry is on the wedding website.

Q: WE’RE HAVING AN ADULTS-ONLY WEDDING. HOW CAN WE COMMUNICATE THIS CLEARLY (AND POLITELY) TO OUR GUESTS?
A: The traditional method of letting guests know children are not invited is to leave their names off the inner envelope. For example, when “Mr. And Mrs. Phillips” is written on the inside envelope, it means that only Mr. And Mrs. Phillips are invited, not their children. When children are not invited to the wedding reception, the last line of the invitation may also state adult reception to follow instead of the more typical wording – reception to follow. The preferred solution is to talk to your family members and friends with children and let them know that, although you would really love to invite their children, circumstances prevent you from doing so.

Q: WHEN SHOULD WE SET A DEADLINE FOR RSVP’S?
A: Reply cards are typically dated two to three weeks before the wedding.

Thank you, Margaret, and Scriptura!