Deconstruction of a Save The Date

Save the dates, a new fad in the industry of all things wedding, allows an informal way for the couple to show off their style while giving their guests a defined date for ease of travel and accommodation planning 6-12 months in advance of the actual event.  My thoughts on why this has become so common is due to the speed in which the average persons life has increased.  We're traveling the world literally and via technology, trying to split our time between work, friends, family, volunteer activities, sports, hobbies, starting and raising families of our own, etc.  While a year used to be 365, 24 hour days, those numbers seem to be ticking at a much faster rate when we attempt to cram more and more things into those hours and days.  All these obligations and activities turn the wall calendar into a clutter of ink.  The more we have planned the further out we have to plan the important dates so the little things don't pile up, which renders the traditional invitation mailings not far enough in advance to be getting the basic information.  With a save the date, not only can it be informal and fun but gives the guests who have made it onto your final list a big heads up on at least the date of your event.  Sending out our save the dates really pushed us to finalize the guest list when it otherwise would not have been.  It was also like an official opener to let the games begin.  It was a way for us to get our website information out as well, where guests can return regularly to get more and more information about our event as the details and plans solidify.  So this is my answer when someone says "There was no such thing as Save the Dates when I got married", and I give you permission to use this reason as well.  It's the change of the times.  Just like my 100% support of having a wedding website.  It gives those detail oriented folks on your list a clear view of what's going on, what to expect and most importantly, it allows them to RSVP online saving us the money in expensive reply cards, reply envelopes and stamps.  The wedding website is also a great way to set the stage in showing your guests your "Couple Style". 

Ok, enough about the evolution of the Save the Date and my rambling about why I think they and a wedding website are a great idea, onward to the unveiling of OUR Save the Date and how to make your own!

So here it is!  It's a little rough around
the edges, but so are we!

While I can't take credit for the novel idea of a magnetized card, I did get the specific idea for our STD's last spring.  I knew I wanted to do the whole magnetic card thing, because I thought it was a good way for our busy family and friends to keep it in a safe place and be reminded of us any time they gazed at the fridge (if that's even where they decide to stick it).  So the basic idea of where we'd be going with our STD's was already taken care of.  It was the aesthetic aspect that we needed to work on.  I'm a subscriber to the emailings of the Daily Candy.  What does that have to do with our story here?  Well, on April 12, their emailing included the introduction to a lovely artist whom I've raved about before.  Nan Lawson.  I instantly fell in love with her style and with the approval of the HTB, I contacted her almost immediately to capture a likeness of us in her whimsical ways.  This was to be our save the date portrait.  Forget $300 photo shoots, the $40 was well spent on a unique depiction of us that would be shared with our loved ones for as long as they wish to keep it around.  As one of our friends has already professed to, they could even frame it and cherish it forever as we have, though ours is a larger version.    

Fall rolled around and our portrait was finished!  We only showed it to our immediate family members in an attempt to keep it on the down low so it would be a fresh, all new package that our guests would receive.  It took a few months to make the time to decide on our printing and envelope options, but had the paper products ordered and in our hands by mid December.  My dad agreed to work on printing them up for us with my help on the overall design.  In the end, we decided to go with solely the portrait on the front and the informational text on the back.  This way, the portrait is unscathed and still "frame-able" if one so chooses to do so.  

A hitch in the plan was that I didn't consult my Dad in the first place when ordering the card stock.  I unfortunately ordered a size that isn't compatible with any of his computer programs so he had to go with a trial and error approach to get the image in the right place when it printed.  And then, because it was a task in moving it around the screen to get it in the right spot, it couldn't be saved so we had to get it right then print them all at once.  Things to remember and pass on to anyone going with the DIY approach.  Make sure the tools you already have, mesh with those you'll have to buy!  So in the end, even though it took a bit of frustration and problem solving, we sat down one afternoon and printed them all up at once.  Though I'm really hoping we printed enough extras....  

So the front is just the portrait and the back includes the text.  We decided to put a note that would indicate that the card was a magnet by saying "Please use this magnetic card as a reminder to think of us when making your summer plans."  Then "Save the Date", "Ali and Nate", "August 21, 2011" then at the bottom, "Keep up to date at" and our website address follows. 

Then there was the task of putting them all together.  it took a couple of trials figuring out what size magnet worked best so that it was as small as it could be while still keeping it on the fridge.  The orientation on it also made a difference.  As we wanted our guests to keep the portrait facing out, turning it over if they needed the information, I tried several ways until I found that the side of the magnet with the sticky stuff, is weaker than the side without.  So once I got the process down, it was an easy routine to get them all put together.  I also chose to use double sided tape to stick the front and the back of the card together because it would be the lightest and most effective way to keep it together without effecting the look of the card.  Glue can make bumps or in the case of a watery glue like Elmer's, it can cause the paper to get wavy and sometimes even make the ink run.  Even though it's a little more expensive, double sided tape was really great choice.  It's not messy and it's strong.  So in putting them together.  We used a really heavy duty double sided tape, that my dad supplied, to stick the magnetic strip on.  But just the usual rolls that I got at the craft store to adhere the sides together worked great, and probably would have for the magnet too as it's got it's on sticky side to it, but use what you got, right?  So that's the nitty gritty of our STD's.  Below is a step by step for assembly.  

The brown grocery bag envelope. LOVE IT!

As far as the envelopes go, I bought a case of 250 of them so we'll be using them for our invitations as well and there will be plenty left over if we decide to use them for thank you cards, etc.  The style we  decided on is a heavy grocery bag style that is also recycled.  (The card stock is also recycled materials as well).  They are pretty unique in my opinion and to use them for both the STD's and the invitations keeps a pattern and it'll be something I hope the guest will recognize.  They also go with our environmentally friendly approach and is a nice extension of our natural, woodsy theme and gives an impression of what guests should expect on our wedding day.  It's not formal but other touches give it a more sophisticated natural feel, like I used a brown calligraphy pen to write out the addresses.  Phew, who knew envelopes could say so much?!  

All in All, I think they came our really great.  There are some other details I'd hoped to add but time restricted those grandiose plans.  I also want to mention that after all was said and done, the cards in the envelopes, ready to mail we're regular first class postage weight.  No .65 cent stamps on these babies!  Yeah!! So we've got these off and the world has now seen our first real, big wedding project!  Onward and Upward!

Magnetized Card Assembly

What you'll need:

The tools

• Double sided tape
• Magnet strips or a sheet that you can cut into strips.  Try to find some that already have the adhesive on one side, though if not, you'll just need more tape.
• Probably a pair of scissors

1. After printing both the front and back to your desired satisfaction, gather all your supplies.  

2.  Open the card so the inside is facing you.  Make sure it's right side up and the front is to your right and the back is to your left.  

3.  Place a strip of tape vertically in the middle of the back side of the card.  Place the magnet, sticky side up, onto the tape.  Press down firmly.  Remove the backing to expose the sticky side of the magnet.  

4.  Place a strip of tape across the length of the back side of the card on all three edges.  All of this is happening on the inside of the back of the card.  Nothing goes on the front side.  

5.  Now carefully fold the card together pressing down closest to the fold then moving outward.  Making sure all edges are even and pressed together firmly.  

6.  And that's it!  Onto the next 50 and your done!   

  Thanks for checking in!  We're really excited about how these turned out and we're equally excited to be able to share them with our guests!  We're hearing from a lot of folks about them and can't wait to get more projects underway!  Stay tuned for more DIY goodness and plenty of planning hurrah's and woes.  Until next time....

Where we got what:
The cards and envelopes came from Action Envelopes.

The adorably terrific portrait came from Nan Lawson.  You can find her on Etsy or at her home site.