Is It Time To Forget About Save the Date Reminders?
by: Michael Kabel

Save the date reminders have long been a wedding planning tradition. As the wedding preparations get under way and brides and wedding planners tackle the seemingly endless details involved in making the perfect wedding, these simple reminders offer a chance to give guests advance notice of the upcoming celebration. In fact, reminders are sometimes considered an essential part of good wedding etiquette.

But with changing times and an increased public awareness about conservation and recycling, the traditional printed save the date reminder may be headed for the scrap heap.

Modern brides looking to plan an eco-friendly wedding are increasingly shifting to either electronic versions of the traditional announcement or opting to do away with them altogether.

"They're slowly becoming obsolete," says wedding expert Sandra Chavez. "In this day and age, people are so hooked up together by cell phone and email that in most cases an actual mailing almost seems like overkill."

Chavez cites ballooning postage costs and the time and trouble of assembling printed reminders as extra evidence of their demise. "The cost of postage for just the invitations will take a small fortune," she says. "Having that doubled over by printed save the date reminders is another drain on the wedding budget."

"It's like paying for the same thing twice."

For those brides and wedding planners who are just traditional enough to keep save the date reminders in their budgets and plans, but who feel awkward about the use of paper, several “green” wedding retailers offer reminders printed on recycled or otherwise repurposed paper. These eco-friendly announcements sometimes include instructions on how to make sure the reminder itself is recycled in a variety of ways.

Another solution is to send reminders not printed on paper but on small gifts such as magnets or souvenir candies.

“Giving what amounts to a small gift is a great way to get people’s attention,” Chavez says. “It’s like in business, the sending of a care package or gift basket to woo someone’s favor. These little gifts, like a mint tin, are sort of wedding favors before the wedding.”

One last possible alternative involves not sending anything at all through the mail but rather sending electronic save the date reminders via email. These can include elaborate flash animation or can simply be carefully written text. Despite their “paperless” nature, e-reminders are still the subject of some controversy among wedding planners. Some find them tacky, while others realize they probably represent the way of the future.

“The trick is to know your guests,” Chavez says. “If most of the people that are coming are Internet savvy, and will check their email anyway, an e-reminder can be the way to go. If you’re talking about a lot of people – elderly aunts and uncles, and so on – who don’t really do the email thing, you should probably plan something more conventional.”

My Wedding Favors offers traditional save the date reminders, reminders on magnets and mint tins, and a variety of gifts, wedding favors, and eco-conscious green wedding favors and gifts to fit any style or taste. We also offer bridesmaids gifts, wedding shower favors, and inexpensive wedding favors, too. Visit us online at www.myweddingfavors.com.