So you are engaged! Its incredible, you are beyond happy, you are on cloud nine! But sadly your first reality check is about to hit you in the face before you can say the word, "nuptials." Truth is, the very first thing you need to do get the word out quickly.

While clearly your friends and family are thrilled for you - they do have other things going on in their lives. You need to get your date on their calendars STAT. Enter the fairly recently evolved tradition of the save the date. Save the dates were created to essentially reserve time on your guests calendars due to an increasing number of scheduling conflicts including other weddings and graduations.

What do you need to include in terms of information? Well, at bare bones really all you need is the date and your names - more specifics can follow on the formal wedding invitation. However, I have seen save the dates develop into something quite involved. Just last year I helped a couple put together a 12 page booklet that outlined everything their guests would need to know about their approaching wedding in Switzerland. It was a fantastic project and by the end, I myself really wanted to attend the wedding however the majority of save the dates are much more straight forward. If you are looking for ideas - feel free to find inspiration by viewing the save the date collection available at: All The Pieces. 

written by Lauren Franklin, of www.allthepieces.com