7 Valid Reasons to Send Save-the-Dates

You've heard the question a million times and you'll continue hearing it as your engagement progresses: "Have you set a date?" It seems so innocent, yet this question can be daunting and filled with anxiety for couples who have yet to settle on a venue and a date for their wedding. Once you get a contract finalized for your wedding date, you'll surely be ready to shout it from the rooftops. Enter your personal loudspeaker: wedding save-the-dates.

While some couples choose not to send save-the-dates because they think they're silly or unnecessary, we firmly believe in these wedding date announcements. Whether you send them via snail mail or go with a paperless, eco-friendly option, there are countless reasons to send save-the-dates to your party people. These seven reasons will surely convince you to inform your guests about your big day.

SAVE-THE-DATE BASICS: WHEN TO SEND THEM, WHO GETS THEM, AND MORE

While social media may allow you to announce your engagement to the general masses, it's not very personal. Sending a traditional announcement to your A-list crew feels genuine and allows all your potential guests to know it's really happening and not just a rumor-you're getting married! And you have a date set and everything!

Hotel policies can be dynamic to say the least. In popular destination areas, a hotel may require up to 120 days advance booking to guarantee a group room block. Since invitations go out six to eight weeks prior to the wedding, you can see where this gets tough if there are no save-the-dates encouraging guests to book their rooms and flights.

The save-the-date is the first thing any guest will likely see in regard to your wedding. This can be a fun way to introduce your design savvy as a couple and set a tone for the upcoming big day. It's exciting to share the news of the date with guests, and it also gives them a formal, whimsical, bohemian, or tropical event to look forward to.

One of the biggest communication tools for a wedding is the wedding website and it's particularly helpful if you're planning a wedding in a destination that's foreign to you as a couple and/or your guests. The best way to direct guests to this epicenter of your wedding info is by prompting them with save-the-dates. Your website should be clearly touted on the announcement and it should be live with all the accommodation, travel, agenda, registry, and helpful info you can share.

Selecting a wedding date and venue can be a big task for some couples and it's easy to waver once a decision is made. Once your save-the-dates have been sent, it's a lot more of a hassle to change your mind on this. It also works for holding your guests accountable in the sense that once they know your wedding is on X date, they won't book another function that evening.

Many guests will likely not respond to a save-the-date, but you may find yourself surprised by how many guests do reply. They may shoot out a simple text message to say, "I wouldn't miss it for the world," or "Ack! My sister's wedding is that day!" While this is usually totally preliminary and you can't take it as gospel, you might find yourself getting more of a head count than you would've assumed to have so far in advance.

The best thing about sending save-the-dates is that you can actually put an end to the questions about a date and venue, as those will have been secured. While your save-the-dates can't buy you more time to plan a wedding, they can make you feel like you've crossed something major off your to do list and this whole celebration will start to feel very real once the responses start rolling in.