Wedding Blog
A few days ago, I posted on the save the date bookmarks that we were too lazy to produce. Lesson learned: it’s not enough for a wedding-related DIY project to be snazzy, it’s got to be manageable as well. In fact, my new motto is “short and sweet.” It describes me (5’3″ on a good day, but super delicious). It also describes any task I’ll take on in the near future.
Well, what could be shorter and sweeter than a postcard? As a favorite writer once suggested: “To choose a post card is for me a flight which at least will spare you the too abundant literature to which you would have been subjected…” A postcard is pithy, affordable, and cheap to send. What’s not to love?
Here are some unique and creative options I came across:
[Mini-cooper card from Etsy seller unlesssomebodylikeyou.]
It’s quirky, understated, and just adorable. It’s kind of an aspirational card, though—perfect for the lover-of-flea-markets-and-tandem-bikes kind of girl I wish I were, but not so much for the way more boring lawyer/academic that I am. Sigh.
[Polaroid card from Etsy seller seeyoubeyou.]
Here is a fresh take on the traditional photo save the date. It gets your guests ready to shake it like a Polaroid picture.
[Lummi Island card from Etsy seller EMprint Press.]
This design is elegant and atmospheric, great for anyone getting married at a unique and dreamy locale. We like Marina del Rey (where we’re getting married), but it doesn’t quite have the charm or mystique of Lummi Island by moonlight.
[Concert card by Etsy seller marit522.]
Again, here’s another aspirational card. This save the date is way edgier than Mr. HC and I are. It’s the kind of save the date that Stella from Project Runway and her boyfriend Ratbones would have; it says “I like leathuh” and “I am rock ’n roll, and I’ll die rock n’ roll.” I do, however, want to point out that I did go through a phase in which I was obsessed with Steve Vai and subscribed to Guitar Magazine, and Mr. HC is still in the middle of a 20-year phase in which he dreams of going on tour with Springsteen.
[Brooklyn card made by Vinas Design for Brooklyn Bride.]
Vane’s (a.k.a. Brooklyn Bride’s) save-the-date is fab. The card manages to convey her passion for her neighborhood, her fun and unique aesthetic, and the charm of her wedding. Hmmm… That’s exactly what we are looking for! We seek a card that says something about us and about the feel of our wedding. But where would we find such a card?
To be continued…
Did you go with a postcard save-the-date? What influenced your choice of design or style?
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Share this post: The Postcard
We did post card save the dates! We just put a black & white picture of us on one side and the other side had the information on it, plus the address to the recipient!
The polaroid & concert card ones are adorable!!
We’re just at the stage where we’re narrowing down our save the date, and it will likely be a postcard, mainly because they’re a bit more inexpensive, and the postage is cheaper too!
OMG LOVE Steve Vai and also want to go on tour w/ The Boss!
FH and I are also thinking of a postcard Save The Date 
We like the less postage and less paper aspect of the project.
i had no say in our Save the Dates, but my first choice was a postcard.
I love the polaroid card! I chose to do a save-the-date magnet, attached to a card. Next week I will be mailing them and a little terrified about how much they may cost to send. A postcard is definitely a good way to go; I plan to use postcard RSVPs.
We had a friend paint a watercolor picture of orange and red falling leaves against a blue sky. Each leaf contained one letter/number of “September 27th”. On the back we scanned in a handwritten image with the details for the save the date. We used zazzle.com - they were inexpensive, easy and you could order batches of just one card. So we tried a few different things, and ordered one of each, so we could see them in person and decide what we wanted. The post card shipping rate was also a fantastic bonus that adds up quicker than you think!
Ack! The first time I saw Etsy seller unlesssomebodylikeyou’s stuff, I had tears of joy pool up in my happy little eyes. Her stuff is awe-some. I’m off to check out the others now….
If you’re still considering a save the date postcard, definitely check out the cute customized options illustrated by none other than Miss Cream Puff:
We did postcards, simple and cheap (both to make and to mail!) from Vistaprint. They were pretty boring, just a picture of us on the front that said “Autumn and Dave are tying the knot” and info. about our wedding weekend on the back. The one cool feature was that we put a grayscale picture of a beautiful waterfall at the state park where we’ll get married on the back, hoping to get people excited to come see it! We’ve gotten lots of good feedback, and we got the point of guests being invited to our entire “wedding weekend” across nice and early.
I JUST saw the minicooper right before reading this- so cute! The polaroid is perfect too– ah I like them all!
@Miss Dumpling: I’d say that yours are waaay better!
@mdouris25: Sounds beautiful! And I love the personal aspect of it.
@katya: LOL. You anticipated my next post!
I’m a graphic designer and I did a postcard save the date (actually I did 3 different versions… a “collect them all” sort of thing), but in retrospect I would have put them in envelopes, and here is the reason why… they looked so good, I had people THROW THEM OUT because they thought they were junk mail or ads!!!! lol!
I had, no lie, about 5 different couples tell me they were on their way to the garbage can with the postcard and the only reason they didn’t throw it out was because they glanced at the card and got one of those “wait a minute…” moments, lol. A lot of people thought they were jeans ads! =)
…and that’s only the couples who realized their mistake!! I wonder how many just threw it out and never realized what it really was 
@Lisa: That’s awesome! I’d love to see yours. I’m afraid (as you’ll see in a subsequent post) I have no such talent, though people might throw out our cards b/c they think some crazy child put their school project in their mailbox by mistake.
@Miss Hot Cocoa: Ha ha! Honestly I think it’s more our photographer that deserves the credit, he was awesome. The typestyle I based off an Elum invite that I really loved. (The backs look awesome too but too much personal info on them to share, sorry!)
Here you go…. (hopefully this will work, haven’t posted a link before…)
@Lisa: These are fantastic! I can’t decide which is my favorite. I can totes see why your guests thought it was an ad — you two are so photogenic. I love the fact that you had three different ones! Collect them all.
Yay for postcards! I just got two of my RSVP postcards in the mail today, and they are so fun to get!
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Mrs. Hot Cocoa, Boston/Los Angeles
Age and Occupation: 31, JD/PhD Student
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Medical Student
Engagement Date: May 30, 2008
Wedding Date: March, 2009
Blogging Since: April, 2008
Venue: Ritz Carlton, Marina Del Rey
About Me:
I am a professional student by day and an amateur cupcake taster, bargain shopper, and wedding planner by night. I am obsessed with NPR, the Food Network, paper, dance shows, Anthropologie, post-structuralist theory, Weddingbee!, "The Office," and celebrity gossip. When not procrastinating from my dissertation, I spend time catering to Jellyby, our overly anxious shih tzu, and getting to know Mr. Hot Cocoa. We have only been dating for fifteen years, so it's like I'm in love with a stranger! From the East Coast, we are planning a Jewish-Chinese Extravaganza in L.A., where we both grew up.
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