Are Save The Dates And Wedding Invitations The Same

The answer to are save the dates and wedding invitations the same is no. We will compare them in a more detailed discussion, including how to send them and the components inside wedding invitations and save the dates. 

You must understand wedding stationery and how they differ to inform your guests accordingly. And when building an invitation suite, you should also know what is an enclosure card for wedding invitations

are save the dates and wedding invitations the same

 

Are Save The Dates And Wedding Invitations The Same?

The quick difference between an invitation and save the date is the former is formal, while the latter is only meant to notify the guest of the wedding. Some would also consider the save the date as a part of the wedding invitation as it’s sent first before the invite. 

Save the dates are used to inform guests about your wedding date so that they can clear their schedule. However, you’ll still formally send wedding invitations to invite the guests to the event. 

Another important reason you need to send two is after notifying the guests with the save the dates, the invitation will provide them with more details as you’ve likely completed all the necessary wedding information and enough time for the guests to RSVP. 

 

When to send

The wedding save-the-date cards are sent before the invitations, usually nine months before the wedding. They can even be sent 10 to 12 months before the wedding if it’s a destination wedding where the guests are required to travel and book accommodation. 

What about the wedding invitation? You’ll usually send the invites eight weeks before the wedding date or even six weeks if it’s an intimate hometown wedding. 

However, you must ensure the guests have received the save-the-dates and cleared their schedule accordingly. The invitation is only a way to provide the response cards to confirm your guests’ attendance. 

 

What to write

Another difference between save the dates and wedding invitations are what to include in the cards. Save the dates don’t have much information as it’s only an event outline. 

You will write your names, dates of the wedding, and other dates for other pre-wedding events like the welcome party, wedding venue, and wedding website. On the other hand, the wedding invitation will have your names, wedding hosts like your parents, wedding date, time, venue, and reception details. 

Note that the wedding invitation is formal, so learn how to address names adequately. You’ll also use information cards for other details to avoid overcrowding a single card with too many topics.

 

How to design

Finally, you can easily distinguish save the dates from invitations because of their styles and designs. The save the dates are more casual, allowing for more expression. 

On the other hand, invitations should be formal and easy to read. However, all your wedding stationery should be uniform and have a single noticeable theme and style. 

Take inspiration from your wedding theme, but ensure that the information in these cards is easy to read. You can always use your wedding website for more details than putting too many words on these cards. 

Read what is a wedding stationery for the complete list of what you must get printed. 

 

Does A Save The Date Mean You Are Invited To The Wedding?

Receiving a save the date means you are invited to the wedding. It means the couple is notifying you of their wedding date, so you can plan and clear your schedule, especially if it’s a destination wedding where you need to travel significantly and book accommodation. 

On the couple’s end, understand that it’s also rude to send someone save the dates and then uninvite them to the wedding. Imagine clearing your schedule and then getting notified that you are no longer invited. 

This is why securing your guest list before sending save the dates is crucial. You don’t want people to prepare for your wedding date only to be uninvited. 

 

What Comes First Save The Date Or Wedding Invitation?

Wedding save the dates will be sent before the wedding invitations. They are meant to alert the guests of your wedding and can even be sent as early as a year before the wedding. 

On the contrary, wedding invitations can be sent a few months before the wedding. You have secured more wedding details to include in the information to tell the guests. 

 

Can You Send Save-The-Dates And Not Invitations?

You can get away with only picking one or merging the save-the-date and wedding invitation in single stationery if it’s a small wedding or you’re planning on going digital. For example, you can mail save the dates and email the formal invitations for convenient RSVPs, as online RSVPs are getting trendy nowadays. 

However, having more guests, especially for a big wedding, will be harder to arrange if you don’t have to save the dates and wedding invitations separately. Knowing each guest’s response will take more time and effort. 

 

Conclusion

And that’s it! To recap are save the dates and wedding invitations the same, they are not as save the dates are sent earlier, and invites are more formal. 

Wedding invitations also contain more information about the wedding. However, you don’t need to always send both cards, especially for a small wedding. 

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