Our Save the Dates

Save the Dates. So important (to me anyway) in the wedding planning. This was the first project I started designing after B proposed to me. I was so excited to create something that reflected us and our relationship.

Since we had been together so long and, I feel, had a lot to share I decided that a timeline save the date would be perfect. I had seen so many wonderful ideas that really inspired me. 

{1. Library Card Save the Dates} {2. Love Story Timeline Save the Date} {3. Timeline Save the Date}

I'm not very good with laying things out on computers, and I love doing things by hand so I decided I wanted to try and hand letter our timeline. I tried a few different designs (as inspired by number's 2 and 3 above) on plain white printer paper. They turned out okay (don't look too close, there were some mistakes on years in a few spots - oops), but I never really fell in love with either of them...

By the time I visited my Mom and we really got going on my stationery, I was feeling like maybe we wouldn't do a timeline. I was frustrated with what I had created and didn't feel inspired. I showed my Mom some of what I had done and she encouraged me to run with it. She told me it was really a true reflection of us and thought it would be perfect to share our love story. It was exactly what I needed to hear, and this is what I created...

Despite a few small things I am unhappy about in it (mainly the American Flag I drew), it was perfect for us. My Mom scanned it into the computer and laid it out, leaving room for a punch we wanted to do on the edge of it. 

On the reverse side we used a photo of the two of us from our family photos with Kim James last year (our beautiful engagement photos taken by Katie Thompson weren't done yet. We actually got them back a couple of days after we had finalized our Save the Dates). My Mom added in a monogram that we created, using the two fonts I picked for our Invites. We also included a link to our wedding website, so that our guests could start looking for information like accommodations and wedding activities.

For the paper I opted for an ivory colour, since our wedding will have a bit of a vintage feel. I'm really happy with how they turned out when they were all printed up... 

This close up of our monogram gives a better look at the texture we picked. It has a bit of a linen look to it, which I loved. I wanted some texture since everything else was a flat. The monogram is one of my favourite aspects, and we carried it over onto the invites and other stationery for the Wedding.

We bought a Martha Stewart lace edge punch that we used on a lot of our stationery. Another great detail that reflects what our special day will feel like. I love it, and I love that we can keep it and use it in the future. (I imagine little girl birthday invites will be adorned with this punch one day!)

Of course, it was also fun just to share a little bit more about us for those that didn't know! 

So there you have a peek at my DIY Timeline Save the Dates. We saved so much money by designing them ourselves, and we got a nice discount printing them at the shop by Mom works at (if you're in Durham Region and have something that needs printing or even designing, shoot me an email - I highly recommend my Mom's shop!). 

There are so many great Save the Dates out there - what did you do to share the news with your guests? Did you DIY your stationery, or have someone do them for you? I love hearing about other couple's wedding's and inspiration!