You can send a save the date card with our without a picture in it. However, it’s becoming more and more popular to include a picture within the design of your wedding save the date. Taking and choosing the perfect image to represent your wedding is no easy task. Here are 5 tips to get you started in taking and choosing the perfect save the date image.
- Start of right, consider hiring a professional – If your budget allows, hiring a professional to take your picture is always the best option. Many people choose to do an engagement session with the photographer that will photograph their wedding. This is a great opportunity to meet your photographer. Your photographer will learn how you work best in front of the camera and you will learn how to become more comfortable in front of the camera. Consider this a rehearsal for the wedding photography. The pictures taken at the engagement session will give you lots of options for images that will be perfect to use for your save the date!
- Choose a location wisely – When choosing a location for your engagement session I typically ask the couple to choose a location that has some meaning to them. Do you and your fiancé play club soccer together? If so, let’s do part of your session at a local soccer field. Did the two of you meet at a trendy bar with local beers on tap? If so, there is nothing wrong with getting a few shots at this location! Are you and your fiancé coffee buffs? If so, let’s warm up from the session and grab a cup of joe at the local coffee shop. You get the point… You don’t want your images to look generic. You want your images to represent you and your relationship. So don’t choose a generic location. Choose something meaningful to you.
- Give yourself lots of time – Etiquette says you should send out save the date cards about 6-9 months before the wedding. It takes time to schedule an engagement session, time to get the pictures back from the photographer, time to design your cards, time to have your cards printed and mailed to you, time to create the guest list and gather everyone’s addresses, and it will take a good amount of time to address all those save the dates cards and mail them to your friends and family. I recommend giving yourself lots of buffer time to get this all done! As soon as you become engaged you should try to set up an engagement session so that you have time to get your save the dates to your friends and family.
- Design wisely – There are lots of different companies out there that offer save the dates. One that I like to work with is Paperless Post. They have so lots of save the date cards designs that have a space for pictures!When choosing a design pick something that matches your wedding theme. For example, if you are getting married in a farmhouse in the Fall I would recommend choosing something that uses fall colors and is a little more casual. The Chic Florette design may be a good choice for this. However, if you are getting married in an upscale hotel in the Summer a more formal design with minimal color might be a better choice. For example, the Love Type design may be a good fit. By choosing a design that matches your wedding theme you will help keep your wedding cohesive and well branded. You may also want to consider sending out similarly designed wedding invitation when that time rolls around. Paperless Post has many matching save the dates and wedding invite sets to choose from.
- Choosing the perfect image – It may be tempting to choose an image where you and your fiancé are both staring perfectly at the camera. However, I encourage you to choose an image that best represents your personalities. If there one where the two of you are genuinely laughing or sharing a moment? Is there one that is a little bit creative and that represents the wedding well? These images will evoke emotion from the recipients and will likely make a more memorial impact.When choosing an image also keep in mind the design that you choose. Do you need a landscape, portrait, or square image? Is there text covering any part of the image? Keep these things in mind to come up with a cohesive design.
I hope these simple tips have helped you think through the save the date picture and design process. If you follow these simple steps you are sure to end up with fantastic save the dates that you will be excited to send to your friends and family. Is there a tip that I missed? If so, be sure to leave your advice for other brides in the comment section below.
I hope you enjoyed this blog post! Here is a little bit about me… I’m a wedding photographer based out of Indianapolis, IN. You can follow KristeenMarie Photography on Facebook if you like! Or if you are looking for a photographer to capture your engagement be sure to contact me and let me know.
