STDs

(Ok, I admit it. I still get a *tiny* kick out of calling Save-the-Dates "STDs." How 7th grade of me!!)

Anyway, we needed to send these for several reasons.
#1. All of our guests are from out of town and travel to California isn't always inexpensive or easy.
#2. Since we live in a tourist destination, I want them to have a chance to have options in booking flights and hotel (even though this should be easier in the off season).
#3. Since we're getting married in March, the Christmas rush will keep everyone busy in the months immediately prior to the wedding and I'm worried my invite (and their reservation making) might get lost in the piles of cards & bills.

Man, oh man, I did not want to spend alot of money on them. To me, STDs are a functional item, not a decorative or *fun* one. There are some cuuuute options (custom snow globes, anyone??), but, nothing I felt like dedicating a decent portion of my budget or spare time towards.

I was not into the magnet idea from early on. I can't really see anyone wanting a magnet with my face or name on it. That they'll definitely throw away. I mean, they'll have the card and either write the info down or keep it next to their calendar. Is the magnetism necessary?? (Though the example below is perfectly nice...)

Source

Somehow, Mr. SB got wind that people did photobooth STDs and thought it would be a cute idea (definitely his most specific wedding input to date). So I worked with the idea, but hit some road blocks. You can't send a long skinny strip. I didn't want to make it a magnet (I sound like such a hater!). Custom designing a card or inserting the strip into a card was more money and effort than I was hoping to spend. He was only so-so on the idea of a faux-to booth shoot (and I have no idea where one would find a photobooth in this area).

Source

I liked the idea of postcard STDs: simple, inexpensive, cheaper postage, very functional. Most of the pre-made ones just seemed a little generic and (obviously) I didn't want to pay someone to design something for me. I had ordered some postcards from 123print.com for my business and was happy with the quality and timeliness of their product & service. They let you upload your own design for free and the 5x7" shiny postcards seemed a nice size.

Enter Microsoft Office. This time it was Microsoft Powerpoint. I tried to incorporate some of our beautiful e-photos, green color theme, and the photobooth idea. It was a total fail. I really did not love how it turned out at. all.

But now we were less than 6 months out and I really wanted to get these dumb things rolling... so I decided to K.I.S.S. it. (Keep it simple, stupid. A great reminder for many aspects of wedding planning that take on a mind of their own.) We had these beautiful engagement photos and nothing specific to do with them. So I got to thinking... what if we printed a favorite photo, sans text, on the 5x7" glossy postcard & the info on the back. That way, people could save the photo of us for scrapbooking.. or framing?.. or.. whatever people do with pictures of other people. And it wouldn't immediately be outdated after the wedding.

Front of card.

Back of card.

One oops that I noticed later: I didn't write "Formal invitations to follow." I guess they'll figure it out soon enough.

Total cost: I had to order 50 and it cost $29.18 including shipping. Not too shabby. Unfortunately, I think they require 44 cent first class stamps (because they're larger than standard postcards), but I really liked the larger size and think it's worth it. We did save money not having to order envelopes. They're going out 5 1/2 months early... a little late according to "the rules", but I still think it is sufficient time for our guests to make arrangements.

End result: Successful project!!

Did you send STDs? How much effort did you put into them?