The earliest invitations were hand-crafted and written in Latin by European monks for the well-heeled. By the 1600s, invitations were engraved on a metal plate. A sheet of tissue paper was placed on top of the engraving to keep it from smudging and then sent out with the invitation.

The Victorians used to send out handwritten, hand-delivered notes just two weeks before the wedding to friends and family. Family crests or coats of arms were placed onto the paper as a hallmark of class and individuality.

These days the choice is infinite. You can shop around for off-the-shelf wedding invitations or order professionally hand crafted wedding stationery from a vast selection that encompasses ribbons and bows, hearts and butterflies and pearls and diamantes. And if it's a theme you're after, you can match up every aspect of your wedding stationery, from save the date cards to place settings, wedding albums to thank you cards.

If the Victorians only sent out wedding invitations a fortnight before the big day, the recent invention of sending Save the Date cards takes the long view.

Usually these are sent in a card format and they inform your guests of the date and sometimes the time that your wedding is due to occur. They generally receive notice through the post and they are then able to write it down, pin it up on their board or make a note in their diary.

A reminder is courteous to your guests particularly if your wedding is also around the time of a special occasion like Christmas or a Bank Holiday for instance. With enough prior warning, your guests can make other arrangements or book that time out in advance and they will know not to book anything else.

The reminders are usually personalised and they can be designed in the theme of your wedding and even your wedding colours.

Save The Date wording

The reminders are usually short, simple and to the point so keep the wording the same. Apart from the obvious 'Save the Date' title, all that is needed are your names, the date you are planning to get hitched and the location.

You could if you prefer make them a little more elaborate and include your favourite poem, or perhaps the lyrics of your favourite song. If you are getting married abroad you could include a picture of a famous landmark from that area or even make the wording humorous.

Remember to add somewhere a little note letting people know that you will be sending out your formal invitations nearer the time as you don't want your guests confusing your reminder with an invitation. It is of personal preference whether you choose to add the month or date that you will be sending the invites out.

When to send your Save The Date cards

There is of course nothing stopping you from 'mentioning' it to your loved ones as soon as you decide on the date but etiquette says that sending out your reminders should be about six months prior to your wedding date. If your wedding is taking place abroad though, it might be worth informing everyone about eight months in advance.

If you send out your cards too early, people might not take any notice of them and put them in a drawer somewhere but if you send them out too close to your wedding, it might be too late for them to make their arrangements and you may end up with a lot of people declining.

Novel Save The Date ideas

There are of course plenty of other ways other than a date 'card' that you could send to your guests. Doing some research or even designing your own will certainly be a novel way to send out these reminders.

Some quirky ideas could include:

A box of confetti with the date printed on the front, or even hidden inside.

A fridge magnet.

A funny postcard. This could even include a photograph of the happy couple.

A magnetic puzzle.

Air freshener for the car, perhaps in the shape of a wedding car or even a bride's gown.

Chocolates with the date printed on the box.

Cookies or biscuits.

Countdown calendar for your guests to mark off as each day passes.

Packets of seeds relating to the month the wedding will take place in.

Party poppers.

Personalised pens or pencils.

Photo booth style pictures (four in a row in a vertical line) with the details on the reverse.

Photograph.

Plastic bottles of champagne with a message inside.

Scratch cards.

Sending out an ecard via email. This could be a document that you have produced yourself or even a quirky picture you have scanned in or modified.

Set up a website specifically designed for your upcoming wedding and send everyone a link to a Save the Date page.

Small Windmills.

Stickers.

The list is endless and it is up to you to be as creative as you want to be and let your imagine run wild. Using your wedding theme or even just bright and bold colours will definitely make an impact on your guests.

Save The Date tips

Following are some tips and points to consider about sending out your save the date reminders:

Be sure to include all dates if you are going abroad or having your wedding over a weekend.

Be very careful when you are writing or printing the reminders out, you do not want to spell anyone's name incorrectly.

If someone, on receiving your reminder tells you that they will not be able to attend, out of courtesy you should still send them an invitation to allow them to formally decline.

Include a website address if you have one.

Send a reminder to the people that you will actually be inviting to your wedding. No one wants to receive a 'reminder' and then not be invited.

Should any of your wedding details change and you have already sent out your reminders, the best thing to do in the first instance is to call everyone involved and let them know personally, do not rely on anyone to pass the message along. It is then up to you if you want to send out new reminders.

State clearly if children can attend so that if they cannot, your guests have plenty of opportunity to make childcare arrangements.

State clearly on the reminder, just as you would on the invitation, who it is you will be inviting to the wedding. Try not to be tempted to add a 'plus guest' to the reminder as you could potentially end up with a lot of people that you don't know at your wedding.

Stick to a budget for your reminders.

Take a trip to your local stationery store, you may find just what you are looking for or at least inspiration for your design.

Remember that these reminders are just a simple gesture on your part to let your guests know of your intentions to marry. They are not your opportunity to provide details about hotels or directions to the church etc so don't be tempted to go overboard with the information you are providing them.

You are not expecting a reply from these reminders so there is no need to include any contact information on them.

Save the Date reminders is something else to add to your long list of things to organise but they are something that could be fun and wacky and they are of course, possibly the first notice your friends and family will receive to let them know of your wedding!