Save The Dates

Sarah and Carolyn are the two childhood friends behind Baumbirdy. They are both professional art directors with a keen eye for cleverly made and designed wedding invitations and other paper goods. You can learn more about them and their designs at the Baumbirdy Blog.

Baumbirdy has some great designs. Two of my favorite Baumbirdy Save the Date magnets are listed below.

The first Save the Date magnet above is called Clean Style. Just pick a great photo from your engagement photos and this magnet puts the focus on you and your soon to be groom. The lettering is still elegant and simple in its detail with the white handwriting cursive style.

The magnet above is called Antique Airmail. It is a Save the Date that takes the look of a vintage airmail postcard. In a cute design it takes the postmark stamp and turns that into the date of your wedding. And you can include a few photos that are made to look like stamps in the postcard. It’s a wonderful design. I heart Baumbirdy!They are just starting out so hopefully they will add new Save the Date designs soon.

Petite Alma Save the Dates are so great I had to feature her Save the Date magnets again. Kirby Alma is the designer behind Petite Alma. She has a wonderful flair for simple style that is combined with a Parisian influence she honed while working in Paris.

Two of my favorites are listed below. The first Save the Date magnet on the left is called Beach Flowers and it features a beautiful aqua blue orchid flower. This is perfect for a tropical or beach themed wedding. I really like the aqua blue cursive of your and your fiance’s names.

The card on the right is called Stylish Script and is just has in simple script “Save the Date” in black calligraphy writing. If you want a simple magnet to just announce your wedding nuptials this is a good choice.

The photo Save the Date magnet on the upper right is called sophisticated hand. You just choose a favorite engagement photo and it looks fabulous with the white script and banner with your wedding information. If you prefer a non photo Save the Date the option on the right is called Cupids Mark. It has a cute drawing of a heart with an arrow through it. So adorable!

Are you having a traditional Chinese wedding and banquet? Have you been searching far and wide for a Save the Date that reflects the color red and has beautiful chinese lanterns or chinese double happiness symbols? Did you know that the sign for double happiness celebrates the union of a husband and wife and their two families? I know I’m not an expert on Chinese calligraphy but I’ve always thought that the characters for double happiness actually look like a couple standing together.

I have gotten a number of requests from asian brides or grooms looking for Asian or Chinese Save the Dates. Luckily I have done a lot of the homework for you. Below are what I was able to find from some of the top wedding card designers. Maybe one will be perfect for your Chinese Wedding and Chinese Banquet!

Double Happiness
This Save the Date design by Paper Culture puts the focus on your personalized picture. But at the bottom there is a double happiness symbol and information on your upcoming wedding. Perfect to announce for a Chinese Banquet wedding.

Oriental Elegance
This is a very simple and traditional Chinese Save the Date card. It features a cream colored card with a red double happiness symbol at the top. The information on your wedding date and venue are printed in a matching red cursive font.

Graceful Bamboo
This Save the Date Card from Wedding Paper Divas has a beautiful deep red color. The double happiness symbol is up on the upper left and there is a beautiful bamboo stalk on the side. This is probably my favorite for a Chinese Save the Date card.

Sweet Lanterns
This Chinese Save the Date card from Good on Paper is a more modern take as it does not feature the color red. Instead there is a pretty melon color. I really adore the Chinese lanterns and the little bird cages. And the two little birds over on the bottom right are a wonderful touch.

A lot has changed since we first started reviewing places to buy for Save the Dates. But our top choice has always been the same in Wedding Paper Divas. Back then and today they offered the best combination of overall value and quality for Save the Date cards. They are unique in that they work exclusively with many top designers to develop beautiful Save the date designs for every taste and occasion.

Although, in the past 3 years since we first endorsed them they have added a ton of new products and designs. For many years they focused only on Save the Date cards. But in recent years they have expanded and now offer Save the Date Magnets and also Save the Date Postcards. In addition, they have the largest selection of Save the Dates online.

Smudge Ink is a new designer for Wedding Paper Divas. The company is based in Boston and was founded by Kate Saliba and Deb Bastien. They got their start in the letterpress studio business doing greeting cards and custom wedding invitations. Now they have expanded into shopping bags, desk accessories, and more. Their style can best be described as bold and colorful.

Two great designs are Artistic Orchids (on the left) and Charming Transport (on the right).

Ocean of Love
This Save the Date card by Smudge Ink has majestic ocean in a brilliant blue. If you are getting married by the ocean or sea this could be a good choice for your Save the Date. The lines of the ocean are bold and powerful yet also calming and soothing. I do love weddings by the ocean. Let your guests know what they are in store for with you upcoming wedding and make sure they save the date.

Magnolia Press has some of the most popular Save the Date designs and they are all exclusively available at Wedding Paper Divas. They just came out with a number of new Save the Date magnets and I just had to feature them. Four of my favorite magnets are shown below.

The first Save the Date on the upper left is called Chic Label and it comes in a light turquoise and also grey color. It features a very large personalized wedding or engagement photo and a strip at the bottom with wonderful dotted borders. It highlights the photo and accentuates it which is what I prefer for most Save the Dates.

On the upper right is another great design called Fall Breeze that features a little calendar with the date of your wedding circled. And it has a little note area with the wedding details. You can choose up to four different photos so this can be perfect if you have a lot of great engagement photos to choose from.

On the bottom left is a Save the Date magnet design called Splendid Scrolls. It comes in some bold colors including Raspberry, Orange, Sapphire, and Chartreuse. It is again a one photo Save the Date design with a stripe bottom. This stripe is definitely pretty elaborate with a square embroidered on the left that has the wedding date. This is one of the new designs where you can choose square corners or rounded corner Save the Date magnets. I personally prefer the look of rounded corners. But keep in mind it will cost you more money in some cases more than $1.00 per Save the Date extra.

On the bottom right is a Save the Date magnet without pictures called Larger Type. The focus is your wedding date at the top in a grey stripe area with beautiful serif lettering font. Your name and your fiance’s name are set in a beautiful calligraphy cursive font. Sometimes simple can be the best choice in a Save the Date. It also comes in two with the choice of rounded or square corners.

We have featured Lady Jae in the past. The woman behind the company is Lisa Levy who has always had a life long dream to make beautiful things. Her background is in corporate web design working for such brands as International Business Machines, Kodak, Merrill Lynch, General Electric and more. Unfortunately, she found corporate design too structured and limiting. She longed to draw outside of the lines and that led her to the creation of Lady Jae Designs in 2005. We are so glad she made the leap!

Floral Tapestry
This Save the Date is printed on the Signature Ecru paper which has a really nice quality and feel. The colors are just exquisite with a floral pattern that I find so beautiful. It’s almost like I am looking at an exquisite oil painting and not a Save the Date card. There is a nice touch with the shadow of additional flowers off to the left on the bottom. And a bold brown banner declares “Save the Date” with your details below it.

Floral Watercolor
Lady Jae definitely likes floral arrangements on her Save the Dates. If you want a flower Save the Date card that has more of a watercolor feel instead of the oil based painting feel of Floral Tapestry this could be an excellent choice. This one has a light and airy feel with beautiful silhouettes of flowers drawn along the bottom of the card in purple, yellow, and orange pastel colors. Your name and your future husband’s name are written in a bold Purple font. It’s a really cute Save the Date card.

Want to save money and get some cheap Save the Dates? And I don’t mean cheap quality but low prices! Wedding Paper Divas is offering a promotion until March 2, 2011 where you can save 15% off all Signature Collection Save the Dates. It does not include Save the Date Thermography and Letterpress Collections. This is a fantastic deal that is happening all month long. So if you are thinking of sending out Save the Dates for your wedding now is the time to do it. Hurry up and set a wedding date and venue.

To take advantage of this special offer use Coupon Code: DATE15 at checkout. Remember the offer ends on 3/2/2011 so hurry and shop soon. Wedding Paper Divas is our favorite place to buy Save the Dates and when you can also save 15% it makes it an easy choice that we recommend highly.

UPDATE: Please also try Coupon Code: 20FEB11 if the above Wedding Paper Diva Save the Date coupon code does not work.

Wedding Paper Divas is having a New Year’s sitewide sale on everything except thermography, letterpess, and mint tins. You can save $15 off orders of $99 or more, $40 off orders of $199 or more or $80 off orders of $299 or more. This can be a pretty substantial discount if you plan to buy your Save the Dates soon. The sale includes all their collection of Save the Dates including Save the Date cards, magnet Save the Dates, and Save the Date postcards. To take advantage of this offer just use the COUPON CODE: DEC80 at checkout.

Please note that Thermography and Letterpress Collections are excluded. I think Wedding Paper Divas is the best all around place to buy Save the Dates so take advantage of this offer while you can. This coupon code and sale ends on January 4th, 2011. Can you believe it is already a new year? If you are planning to get married in 2011 its a good idea to send out Save the Dates at least 6 months in advance of your wedding. Remember once you send Save the Dates you will also need to send the actual wedding invitations hopefully at least 2 months in advance.

Jenny Romanski has some beautiful new Save the Date magnets that I just had to feature. She is an award winning Boston based designer that is also the founder and creative force behind Hello Little One which is a line of stationery suites. You can follow her on twitter at Jenny’s Twitter to learn more and keep up with her daily going ons. Two of my favorite Save the Date magnets she creates are below:

Springtime Flowers Magnet
This is a simply striking Save the Date magnet by Jenny. IT features yellow and white flowers amidst a grey steel background. I like the clean block fonts and you can choose a personalized photo on the right for the perfect photo Save the Date magnet to send to friends and family. It’s perfect for a spring wedding.

Vivid Verve Magnet
The Vivid Verve Save the Date magnet by Jenny Romanski has the most adorable pastel colored block letters that spell out “Save the Date”. It’s playful and yet simple. You can pick up to four photos to showcase which I really like. The Save the Dates magnets can stick anywhere like your fridge or oven door. The + plus sign between your names is a nice added touch that complements the playful nature of the card.

We have featured Jenny Romanski’s Save the Dates cards previously in case you like her stuff.

I am SO excited by this news. Wedding Paper Divas now carries new formats for Save the Dates. In addition to the fantastic Save the Date cards they finally are selling magnet Save the Dates and Postcard Save the Dates!

I’ve been requesting this from the company for years. I think there was a concern that magnets did not fit the high quality expected of Wedding Paper Divas. It’s not an easy process to create a Save the Date magnet that looks clean and not “made at home” if you know what I mean. So they took some time to really do it right!

And I must say they have done a really good job with their Save the Date magnets and Save the Date postcards collections.

They were really smart in that they took some of the best selling Save the Date card designs and used the same or similar designs for magnet Save the Dates. I’ve ordered these magnets and postcards and can attest that the quality is as high as anywhere else I have seen. Wedding Paper Divas definitely did their homework and it’s a welcome addition that gives future brides a solid choice in the magnet and Postcard area.

Most Save the Dates are printed using digital offset printing which is essentially flat printing. To get a more unique Save the Date card you may want to look at Thermography or Letterpress. I think these are upgrades that can be really worth it. For those of you who are not familiar with it, thermography is a beautiful way to create unique wedding Save the Dates. Be warned that it can be expensive but it’s a wonderful effect to see the raised elements on a fine weight paper stationary card. While I won’t explain the entire process it is similar to engraving. A special powder is injected into the ink when printed on paper. The paper is then heated and the powder and ink combine together when drying to form a raised effect.

Wedding Paper Divas has a wonderful collection of Thermography Save the Date Cards. Some of my favorite designs are below.

Thermography can be found on wedding invitations, letterheads, greeting cards, business cards, etc. While it is pricey compared to flat printing it is often called the economical version of letterpress. I’ve even heard it called the cubic zirconia of letterpress as only a distinguishing eye can tell the difference!

Letterpress printing is a very similar raised printing process that is even more expensive than Thermography. It is a much older process that that involves moveable type and images. In this process the surface of the typeface is inked and then pressed in the card that works well for graphic designs. Letterpress has became increasingly popular as it allows designers to do unique custom cards. Letterpress is very time intensive and for every color it costs more so be careful in choosing a design and colors. Unfortunately, Wedding Paper Divas does not offer Letterpress Save the Dates. They do offer Letterpress Wedding Invitations.