Save the date cards are cute and fun – but not necessary. If you are working on a fairly tight budget, it is important to use the money for things that you need. Some brides believe that save-the-date cards are a must but the truth is, there are really more of a trend then a tradition. From an etiquette stand point – guests must receive a formal invitation and a thank you for any gifts received. That’s it. Everything else is just extras.

If you don’t have any out of town guests, simply call up your closest friends and families to let them know when the date is and ensure that the most important people are actually free that day. Then send out invitations 6-8 weeks before. If you are planning a destination wedding or have a fair number of out-of-town guests, it is perfectly acceptable to send out an email or a quick phone call just to let them know in advance that you will be inviting them to your wedding, give them the date and location, etc.

So what if you need to give them more information? INTERNET:) You can start your own free blog all over the place, and use it to blog about the wedding, your plan, hotel and travel information for guests, etc – and just send out an email or phone call letting them know where they can find all those details. For the few relatives that are far away, need the info and don’t have internet – print it up for them and send it in the mail. Then, use the money you saved to send out gorgeous invitations closer to the wedding date:)