Aside from the regular wedding video and the ever popular SDE (Same Day Edit) wedding video, there is the Save the Date video that is slowly gaining in popularity and demand as well.

What is a Save The Date Video

As the name already suggests it’s a Save the Date video. This is a new unique way to let your guests know that you are getting married and to save the date. Instead of sending out Save the Date cards, which has been the tradition, you can let your family and friends know that you are tying the knot and you can do it with a bang! And of course the bang could not get any bigger than doing it through a Save the Date video.

You need not send a copy of the video to your guests via mail. You can upload it on Facebook and just tag your friends or you can send it to them via e-mail.

Keep it Short and Sweet

Your Save the Date video need not be a long video, equivalent to the length of a song; it can only last for a minute but still be very catchy and creative. There are many different ideas on how to shoot your save the date video and the possibilities are endless. You can choose to appear in the video or you can have the props do the talking or you can also opt to star in your own Save the Date video.

This is actually probably your only chance to show your crazy, goofy and quirky side since the wedding videos after would tend to be more serious. So I would suggest that you take this opportunity to go all out crazy and just really have fun with it. A Save the Date video does not have any restrictions or expectations. You can really surprise your family, friends and guests.

Keep The Same Team

It would be ideal for you to have the same Wedding Video team who will also cover your wedding video to work on your Save the Date video. It would really help to see that you and your wedding video team get along and working with them as early as early as the Save the Date video is also a good opportunity to build rapport with your wedding video team so that when the big day comes AKA the wedding day- you are already very comfortable and at ease with your wedding video team.

Your Save the Date video is a good way to show your fun and quirky side to your wedding guests. Just go crazy and have fun.

By Tom Hewett from Octavo Pictures. Tom produces top end UK Wedding Videos to capture your special day.

Congratulations! You’re newly engaged, and the wedding planning has commenced! With a myriad of tasks on your plate, you’ll be looking forward to the easier details to plan: you’ve picked your flowers out already thanks to Pinterest? Great! You found perfect wedding party gifts a month ago on Etsy? Easy. You know exactly the style of invitations you want? Okay, but do you know how you’re going to word the invitation?

It Can’t Be That Hard, Right?

You may think invitations only require picking out cardstock and fonts, but realistically, deciding how to word an invitation can be one of the biggest hurdles you’ll come across while planning.

A wedding can be one of the most important events in a person’s life. Naturally, the bride and groom want their wedding to be an accurate reflection of their relationship; if you’re planning a slightly unconventional wedding, figuring out how to word your invitation may be one of the most frustrating tasks you’ll face. Should your stepparents be included on your invitation? How do you tackle wording an interfaith ceremony? How do you explain destination weddings succinctly?

Every couple will have an idea of what they want to say. Below are some basic guidelines for couples to consider if they want to put a modern twist on their wedding. While these guidelines do incorporate a good amount of common convention in wording, feel free to use them as a jumping off point – or even better, a reference for how to break from convention.

Where To Begin

Start with content. The best place to start is focusing on what you want to say and why you want to say it. Forget about the invitation colors and fonts for now. An invitation’s purpose is to succinctly and accurately explain to the guests the “who,” “what,” “when,” and “where” of the wedding (hopefully they know the “why”!).

Parents’ Names

Let’s start at the top of the invitation. A traditional invitation usually starts out by naming the bride’s parents:

Mr. and Mrs. Davis request the honor of your presence at the marriage of their daughter, Sarah Elizabeth Davis.

What if the father has died? Unless the bride’s mother has remarried, she’s usually still listed as “Mrs.”

What about divorced parents? Their names are stacked, and given equal space:

Mr. Davis
Mrs. Murphy
Request the honor of your presence at the marriage of their daughter, Sarah Elizabeth Davis.

Easy enough.

What if Sarah’s parents divorced while she was young, her mother is remarried to Mr. Murphy and her father is in a committed relationship with his partner Mr. Young?

It would be unfair to all parties involved to force the wording in a way that risks offending anyone or minimizing a parent’s relationship just in the name of following convention. At this point, abandoning traditional wording is probably a good idea. However, couples can use conventional wording as a jumping-off point. For example:

Mrs. & Mr. Murphy and Mr. Davis & Mr. Young request the honor of your presence at the marriage of their daughter, Sarah Elizabeth Davis.

Of course, that is just one variation that can be used. Couples should feel free to change the wording so that parental figures are given appropriate recognition.

Unusual Venues

What if you’ve got the opening wording down, but you’re getting married at your zoo’s sea lion tank? Unconventional venues can raise a lot of important questions: should guests dress to match the location or the occasion? Omitting the dress code could lead to your Uncle Harold showing up in his regular zoo attire (flip flops and shorts) and your college roommate opting for a glitzed-up cocktail dress and stilettos. If you’re getting married on the beach, should guests pack a pair of sandals? Unique venues make ceremonies very memorable, but be sure to explain the formality of the wedding to guests; this ensures that when they show up, they won’t feel out-of-place or embarrassed.

Interfaith Ceremonies

Interfaith weddings also tend to require an explanation on the invitation. Are you planning to do two ceremonies? Should guests know a little bit about the traditions in each faith prior to attending? By clearly communicating what guests should expect, you’ll guarantee that everyone in attendance feels more comfortable. There are a myriad of ways to phrase this on your invitation. One way is:

Sarah Elizabeth Davis and Daniel Levi Stern request the honor of your presence at their interfaith ceremony, combining unique traditions of the Episcopal and Jewish faiths.

The key is neither you nor your partner should force wording that you don’t feel comfortable with. There is no “right” wording that you have to wed yourself to. Almost any combination of phrasing works as long as both faiths are treated with respect. (Just make sure you proofread!)

What Else?

Nowadays, just mailing an invitation rarely conveys all the information guests will need to prepare for your wedding. Consider including some or all of the suggestions below:

• Maps and Directions – These can save guests the work of plugging multiple addresses into their phones and also lessens the risk that they put the wrong address into their GPS!
• Response cards – A great reminder to guests that, yes, you really do need a head count. Including an addressed envelope and stamp is standard, and helps ensure a more prompt response than if you hadn’t done the work for them.
• Accommodation cards – These are a must whether you’re getting married at an Italian villa or just one town over. This is a great chance to infuse your invitation with a little more personality – besides including information about hotel blocks, mention your favorite restaurants, shops, or destinations. Are you an art fanatic? Throw in some museum recommendations. Did your fiancé make you complete a scavenger hunt prior to the proposal? Consider including the spots you visited and invite your guests to do the same.
• Website – This is a great way to reiterate the dress code or have guests make song requests for the reception. More than likely, someone is going to lose their invitation. Websites help both you and the guests stay organized.

Whatever you do: Please save the “excessively kissy” engagement photos for your private album. I beg you. That’s the first way to ruin a wedding invitation in my book.

Citations:

• PHOTO: Leland Francisco

Katie McCaskey is a freelance journalist writing for Vistaprint, a leading provider of customized wedding items — such as wedding invitations and save the dates — for couples-to-be all over the world. Katie blogs about wedding and party planning tips, and is the co-owner of a popular party venue is Staunton, Virginia.

You have just been given the honor of being a bridesmaid, and one of the most important duties you have is throwing a bridal party for the happy couple.  These parties are meant to be celebrations for the happy couple, and to provide them with the things they will need as they start their lives together.  These parties may be planned as a surprise for the bride, or she may be helping you plan the entire thing, but one of the most important aspects is finding the perfect bridal shower invitation.

Bridal shower invitations provide lots of information to potential guests of the party.  The invitations should make the theme clear, and let guests know whether the party is girls only or for couples.  There are endless choices for bridal shower themes, including spa showers, chocolate themed parties, or just a simple get together for close friends.  If the bride is aware of the plans for the party, it is often a good idea to get her input on the theme to ensure she has a great time.  Regardless of the theme, there are several things you should keep in mind when creating the invitations.

The details are important for bridal shower invitations, and the following is a checklist of what each invitation should contain:

• The host’s names should be included, as well as a phone number or email address to be used for RSVP’s.
• The theme of the party or the types of gifts that are expected, as well as the name and location of the chosen gift registries are a must to ensure the guests know exactly what to expect and bring for the happy couple.
• The day, month, and time of the shower should be prominent on the invitation, as well as the address of the party and directions if the location is hard to find.

There are important rules of bridal shower invitation etiquette that you should be aware of.  The most important of these is to make sure you only send invitations to those who are invited to the wedding, and send the invitations out at least three to four weeks ahead of time to ensure guests have time to shop for gifts and adjust their plans to attend.

Bridal showers are exciting celebrations, and if you follow these guidelines, you can throw a stress free party for the couple’s special day.

Jayme is a wedding consultant and blogger.  She occasionally does work for PaperStyle, an excellent online source for bridal shower invitations.  She has helped to plan numerous successful weddings, and writes about the important details that might get overlooked.