RMB Real Weddings: Save the Dates

April 3, 2019

Featured Collective Members

Calligraphy

Save the Dates

Hi RMB readers, Carly here!

I’m excited to share with you our Save the Date box this month. We sent these out in December/January and decided to make them holiday-themed. Your Save the Date can definitely match the wedding decor and overall aesthetic to keep things cohesive and set the tone, however, it’s not a rule.

In our case, we decided to make them more related to the time of year vs. what our actual wedding will look like. Our engagement photos included a reindeer so we really wanted to go with a holiday feel for the box. The Save the Dates were delivered as a fun Christmas/New Year’s present.

What went into our Save the Dates:

Allison from Hand-Painted Wedd ings painted a custom holiday floral design, which was embellished on the outside of the box as well as used on the printed Save the Date inside.

For the custom box, we used Packlane. Packlane boxes are completely customizable, which is great for brands, or in our case, wedding related items. I could totally see a box being useful for bridal party gifts, wedding invitations, welcome boxes (instead of bags) and so much more. Allison simply uploaded her hand-painted design into their template, and it was that easy to make a one-of-a-kind box. We used a “mailer” box and picked the size, customized the design, and had it shipped quickly.

Instead of printing our engagement picture directly onto the Save the Date as you typically see, we had a few photos placed loosely in the box as a keepsake via one of our favorite photo companies Artifact Uprising.

To make it extra special, we had custom hand-painted cookies made by a good friend and baker, Lisa, from A Cake Come True as an edible treat for our guests! She made time for us all while she was about to open her own brick and mortar store. We couldn’t be happier for her. We cannot wait to go visit in person, and we appreciate all the time and effort she put into these cookies.

I used Virginia from Verde Studio via Etsy for custom vintage stamps. Virginia always helps me put together custom stamp packages within the customer’s color scheme or theme. We went for a Colorado feel. Kelly with Before Noon Paperie adorned the boxes with beautiful gold calligraphy and the return address stickers with our logo (which also kept the box secured). I love how nicely Kelly and Allison’s work compliments one another. They work so well together!

And then my girlfriends came over for pizza and wine and we assembled all the Save the Date boxes! Don’t take assembling boxes lightly. It took us quite a few hours with six girls helping! Thank you, bridesmaids!

I recommend sending out the Save the Date cards eight months to a year in advance when it is a “destination” wedding. I consider it a destination wedding when 50% or more of your guests are from out of state and traveling. This allows them to plan for travel (flight, hotel, car), save money, take off work, and decline other wedding invitations especially if you have a popular date. If you have the majority of guests in the state, you really could wait until 6 months out.

For many of the couples I have worked with, we have used everything from luggage tags, magnets, coasters, tickets, and boxes for unique Save the Dates. Whatever direction you decide to go, whether doing something more traditional or doing something completely different and out there, the point is to have your guests get excited and mark their calendars! So get out there and make it your own!