If you have room in your budget, consider hiring a calligrapher to address your inner and outer envelopes. Calligraphy will add an extra touch of elegance to your invitations as well as save you some time.
When deciding on a calligrapher factor in the cost and timeliness. As with other vendors, ask to see a sample of their work. When looking at their samples pay attention to the consistency of their work, the pen strokes, the weight and the spacing of the letters.

Also ask how long it will take to complete your invitations. Generally speaking, it can take between 10-14 days to address 100 invitations, however the time varies based on the number of invitations and the complexity of your order.

Once you have made your final decision, provide your calligrapher with a list of addresses in the format that they request. Don't forget to proofread your guest list before you give it to the calligrapher. When you receive the completed envelopes from the calligrapher check and double check each envelope to ensure all names and addresses are spelled correctly.



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Other than being short and to the point there is no standard wording for save-the-dates. For a creative twist on the traditional save-the-date card you could use postcards, magnets, stickers, key chains, pens or anything else you can think of to deliver your message.  Below are a few examples of some creative save-the-dates.
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1. Save-the-date card from Paperdivas.com
2. Message in a bottle save-the-date from urbanitystudios.com
3. Save-the-date card with matching sticker from felixdoolittle.com
4. Keychain save-the-date
5. Scratch off save-the-date card from weddingthings.com
6. save-the-date card from Cluu designs 
 
 
Save-the-dates serve as a “heads-up” to your guests and are the precursor to the formal wedding invitation. They are not mandatory but you should consider sending save-the-dates if you are inviting a large number of out-of-town guests or your wedding is during a holiday weekend or a peek traveling time.

Save-the-dates should be sent six to eight months prior to your wedding which will give your guests time to start planning and making the necessary travel arrangements. Keep in mind everyone who receives a save-the-date should receive a formal invitation to your wedding. Therefore you should not send save-the-dates to people on your B list. If your guest list is not finalized six months prior to your wedding, only send save-the-dates to people you are 100% positive you are going to invite.

In addition to informing your guests about your upcoming wedding, save-the-dates serve as a preview into your wedding. If your wedding has a theme, save-the-dates are the perfect opportunity to introduce that theme. Your save-the-date can be as formal or whimsical as you want but it should convey the overall style and tone of your event.

Save-the-dates should be kept short and to the point. They should include the bride and groom’s names, wedding date, the location of the wedding and the phrase “formal invitation to follow”.