I love checking out other wedding blogs, so was intrigued when I read Simply Stated: Nearly Wed recently. The blogger’s entry was a debate about save the date cards and whether they were necessary or overdone in weddings today.

According to the Wedding Report, a 2008 industry trend calls for couples to personalize their complete wedding suite, which includes Save the Date Announcements. And, while most are used specifically for destination weddings or weekend weddings, I personally think that they are a beautiful and fun way to introduce your wedding to guests early.

I’ve received several types of save the date cards in the past, from magnets to photo cards, and have always enjoyed getting them. In addition, if you have a lot of out of town guests like I did, or your wedding date is near a major holiday, and you may want to ensure that the majority of your guests will come by sending out one of these cards as a nice courtesy. Here are a few fresh save the date designs from Wedding Paper Divas that I love.

Blooming Branches

Berry Buds Ecru Save the Date Cards: Chocolate

Fern Save the Date Cards

Do we sense a controversy simmering? Seems there is quite a bit of uncertainty regarding how to spell one of the most basic terms on our site: stationery…or is it stationary? We’ve done some research and come to our own conclusions, but would love to hear you weigh in as well.

We have to thank Mike over at DesktopSupplies.com for bringing the issue to our attention. To summarize, the evidence suggests that when people are searching for printed paper products online such as birthday party invitations, birth announcements, holiday cards and personalized stationery, they are frequently using “stationary” as part of their search term. As Mike duly references in his post, stationary is defined as: “standing still; not moving.” He goes so far as to say that people have written in to correct the spelling of “stationery” on their site to “stationary.”

This obviously creates an issue for us, because we’re in the camp that believes we sell stationery. However, many use what we’d politely call the “alternate” spelling to find our cards. Naturally, we’ve ruled out building new site utilizing the word “stationary,” confusing people with more than one spelling or sending out a mass e-mail to all English speaking people correcting them of their ways. But…we’re open to suggestions.

Save the Date cards are announcements viewed as a preliminary invitation to your wedding. They should be sent at least 4-6 months before your wedding day and at least 2 months before your wedding invitations. Save the Dates aren’t formal or even a necessity so feel free to personalize them creatively. They’re important primarily if many of your friends and family need to travel to your wedding, if your wedding date falls on or near a holiday or if your wedding location is seasonally busy or a popular vacation destination.

Ideally, sending Save the Date cards 9-12 months in advance is recommended if your wedding falls into any of these categories.Save the Dates provide your guests with ample time to request days off from work, to make travel arrangements and to organize babysitters or house sitters. With proper notice, your guests will be able to make your special day an extended special vacation. A thoughtful gesture is to provide them with additional information to help facilitate their travel, about local special events and points of interest and any group discounts available. Your guests will appreciate the advance notice of a Save the Date card as well as cherish it as a unique keepsake of your unforgettable event.