Save the Dates: Check!

Phew. Man, was this a tough one for me. For a while there I wasn't sure if there'd even be any Save the Dates, let alone if I'd manage to get them in the mail before Halloween (joke). I kept rationalizing to myself reasons why it was okay that I was a full month behind schedule: They're not mandatory. Just a bonus really. And no one needs to "save the date" this early, right? I mean, can't I just send out a quick email? Pass along the word through the grapevine? Anyone? Bueller?

But alas, the wedding gods got to me once again, and I decided to try for one last push in order to check this task off my to-do list. I'm so glad that I persisted, because I feel so good about how these turned out!


So far, there's been only one minor glitch, and that was with the website listed on the cards (a technical error I haven't quite figured out yet, but something to do with the content not translating correctly between different web browsers). I took that faulty webpage down and will be working on it this week, and so look for a post in the next few days where I officially reveal our wedding website, glitch-free. (A way fun digital learning experience; can't wait to show you!)

Though these S-T-D's were homemade and originally concepted, I must give credit where credit is due. It takes a lot of moving parts to create something so seemingly simple, and an even greater endeavor to make it appear effortless, and for that I am oh so grateful to the following lovely people:

Photographer Clay F and his tripod
Location Fain Ranch, near Enchanted Rock
Designer Jessica W (bless you, dear woman)
Printer Tony M from CSI
Paper Mohawk Milkweed Antique Vellum
& French Speckletone Kraft Envelopes
(thanks to Jessica P from Clampitt Paper)

Couldn't have done it without you all; my most sincere thank you's! Who else could have brought on a spontaneous rendition of the happy dance outside the Speedway Post Office?

Save the Dates: big ol' CHECK! I guess this wedding's really happening, huh? A hundred something people just marked their calendars for October 30 and will be showing up at The Allan House expecting some semblance of a wedding. Guess there's no turning back now. We're just gonna have to go through with it. Clay, you still good? Here's hoping.

Inspiration: Save the Dates

Tonight I meet with my dad (G!) to hit up his mad artistic ideas/skills for our upcoming Save the Dates. I get really excited whenever an opportunity for creativity pops up with the wedding, and so for the past few months I've been gathering inspiration from past invites, wedding magazines, and best resource of all, the world wide web.

There's so much cool stuff out there! One of my favorite themes is the less traditional video STD (unfortunate, but yes, that's the acronym). These are fun, energetic, and totally outside the box when it comes to reminding people to mark their calendars. Below are 2 such videos that I found on one of my favorite wedding blogs, Green Wedding Shoes.

I just love the couple in this first one. How adorable are they? And I hope they live right next to that beach; how peaceful and beautiful would it be to wake up to that scenery every morning?

[Save the Date from Floataway Studios on Vimeo]

This one features stop motion video - yes! It reminds me of that Amazon Kindle commercial that I love so much. And of course, you know I dig the song, as featured on one of my earlier blog posts here.

[Save the Date from Kishi-Grover on Vimeo]

We won't have the luxury of doing something this highly-produced for our wedding, but hey, a girl can dream. And I still think the video is an awesome idea. Maybe we'll all be sending out video birthday cards one day, or video Christmas cards with warm holiday scenes from old personal family movies. Video is in!

But I digress.

More Save the Date ideas that have inspired me, yet are more within the traditional realm of printed pieces, include anything from seed packets to vintage postcards to old maps, as seen here (click on each for an enlarged photo):

[Photos from Martha Stewart Weddings]

Not to mention the email Save the Date. The magnet. The uber creative message in a bottle that Clay's sister did for her destination wedding in the Bahamas. So many options! So much creativity! Amen! I just love it.

It'll be fun to see what we come up with. Oh, who I am kidding, it'll be fun to see what G comes up with. So glad we've got an artsy one in the family.