Save the date cards

Save the Date cards have become quite an essential part of planning a wedding, everyone can become preoccupied with their busy lives and forget important dates. It is a great way to ensure all your guests can plan ahead for your special day.  Unlike wedding invitations, there is no need to be formal; you can have some fun with them. You can choose to match them to your stationary planned for the wedding, however some people haven’t made concrete decisions at the time of saving the date. Some people know from the very beginning what theme they want and match the save the date card accordingly, others choose to have some fun creating their save the date card and leave the formalities to the invitation.

Some lovely ideas are to photograph yourselves together when you got engaged or to do a ‘photo booth’ style save the date card, you can include different text at the bottom of each of the shots – printed or you may decide to have both you and your partner holding up little signs. You can go all out and have fortune cookies made up with the date printed inside, or you could create custom magnets or matchbooks. If you are having a destination wedding it could be an idea to have a boarding pass style save the date card in theme with the ceremony.

Save the date cards can be such a great way to try something different that you and your partner can relate too – one of my friends had a fantastic comic book themed save the date, with Spiderman. Her husband to be LOVES Spiderman, it was not a continuing theme for the initiations, however I think there will have to be a sneaky appearance from Spiderman at some point during the ceremony – stay tuned for the blog post!

Thanks again to Untamed Images for the photos on this weeks blog. Pop over to their website and have a look at some of their other lovely photos.

RSVP’s

One thing that many couples often have problems with is guests replying to their invitations. I happened to me when I sent out my invitations and to most couples I have spoken with. There are some preventative measures that you can take.

1. Send a response card, accompanying your invitations.    

Sending a response card is a great way to try and get people to reply and to find out certain dietary requirements. One invitation I received asked the guests what song they would like to hear at the reception, a good way to get a response. I remember thinking long and hard about the answer, it’s one RSVP card that definitely got sent back. Sending the response card back is a good gesture, especially when the bride and groom have gone to the trouble to include it with the invitation. It is a good idea to include an email address and/or phone number with the invitation too, so that people have the choice to RSVP through alternative means.

2. Give yourself time between the RSVP date and the date your venue needs guest numbers.

This not only allows time for the post, which can sometimes be slow, but also for people who forget and send it back at a later date. This also leaves time if you need to call people who have failed to respond, alternatively you can have your Mum or  Maid/Matron of Honour to call and ask if they will be attending.

3. Make things clear.

As odd as it may seem, some people may not know what RSVP means, you can use another phrase such as: please respond by (date) or the favour of a reply is requested by (date). This will make your intent for a response from all guests crystal clear.

4. Send your invites at the appropriate time. 

Send your invites 6-8 weeks prior to your wedding, most couples send out a save the date card at an earlier time. Don’t send the invitation too early, as people will forget to reply – with the exception of a destination wedding; you will need to give your guests much more time to make travel and accommodation arrangements. This will give your guests a long enough period to arrange time off work. You should also leave a longer time between RSVP and wedding dates, as more plans in regards to venues for the ceremony and reception need to be made in advance.

Do you have any tips to help ensure that people respond to a wedding invitation?

Thank-you to Vision House Photography for the photos on this blog. Check out there website here. Or have a look here at their blog it has lots of other great photos too.

Gifts and your wedding

I recently had a discussion about wedding gifts with a friend of mine with an upcoming wedding. She is quite determined not to receive any gifts from their guests; she feels that her loved ones travelling to celebrate her matrimony is a gift more precious than any object.

Gift giving at a ceremony can be delicate, as some couples can be very specific – often the bride and groom may even be hurt if no gifts are given, even if it is requested of the guests not to bring any presents. More and more, couples are having a wishing well wedding or a honeymoon registry, having lived together and in no need for another toaster or kettle. Some couples feel uncomfortable with the idea of setting up a registry.  The registry can be a balancing act, you need to choose a range of gifts varying in price so that the guests do not feel pressured to spend outside of their price range and there are enough options to choose from. However do you risk getting four new kettles?

If you do choose to have a wishing well at your ceremony you need to be aware that some guests may not be totally comfortable with giving cash, and some may not be in the best financial situation. If you decide on a wishing well, make sure you are wary of the way your word it on the invitation. Some I have come across in the past have not been worded carefully and could even been interpreted as greedy.

If you, like my friend, don’t feel like exploring any of these options, I suggest that you ask those who really insist on giving a gift if they might like to donate to a charity in your and your partners name. You made decide to select a few charities and let the guests decide which to donate to. Alternatively you could leave it to your guests to donate to a charity that means a lot to them, you may learn something new about your loved ones and this way it keeps both you and your guests inclined to giving gifts happy.

Genevieve and Leon

Genevieve and Leon were wed on a lovely Saturday in November. I met them about 7 months before, and since have had a wonderful time preparing their ceremony. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know them and looking over the questionnaires they answered about their relationship.

They chose to have their wedding at Heide Museum of Modern Art; it was a stunning venue and thankfully the weather held out. The previous day brought horrible weather and the possibility of the ceremony having to be moved indoors, however on the special day the picturesque setting was just perfect.

Genevieve looked absolutely amazing and the dress she wore was simply stunning, her dad, sister, niece and nephew accompanied her to the ceremony. Harvey (Genevieve’s nephew) was a fantastic ring bearer although briefly he did have some trouble getting the box out of his suit pocket.

It was a stunning, peaceful wedding and truly a joy to be a part of. Check out the website for Heide here.