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Tell your loved ones about your upcoming celebration with letterpress Save the Dates. With an pressed-on, indented printing style, this premium offering will take your stationery to the next level. In addition to letterpress-style Save the Dates, there are also invitations available in a similar format.
What’s not to love about letterpress Save the Dates? The handcrafted look and feel of a letterpress Save the Date makes it a standout option for couples planning their wedding and the stationery they need to invite their guests. There’s a lot of history behind it all (hint: we have to thank Martha Stewart for making it a thing!), and the process is very involved. With this style of printing, every letterpress Save the Date is unique. It’s an art that was considered outdated at one point, but is now a popular, traditional printing method that couples and their guests love.
In this guide, we’ll walk couples through how the printing process works, what you can expect from letterpress Save the Dates, similar printing styles and how you can design your entire wedding stationery suite around your letterpress Save the Date design. From there, couples can determine which type of Save the Date is best for them.
Before there was letterpress Save the Dates, there was the invention of hand press or letterpress printing. This style of printing dates back to the mid-1450s, when Johannes Gutenberg was credited for developing the printing press. Here’s how it works: You need to arrange plates or stamps that spell out the words or design, cover it in ink and then it is pressed onto a card or piece of paper.
The method has been perfected since its inception in Germany, and letterpress Save the Dates and letterpress invitations were popularized by Martha Stewart in the 1990s. At the time, people were finding other ways to print and considered the act of letterpress printing to be outdated and overly fussy. But in the 1990s, Martha Stewart promoted the handcrafted, traditional practice and brought it back into the fold. To this day, letterpress Save the Dates and other pieces of stationery are a luxury item that many couples gravitate toward for a sensory experience that you can see and feel.
Your letterpress Save the Date wording can be creative, but there are can’t-miss pieces to include in this piece of stationery that will set you and your partner up for success. Don’t forget to mention the following details as you are crafting your one-of-a-kind letterpress Save the Dates:
The name of the wedding couple: There are so many weddings happening throughout the year, and you want to make it clear that you and your partner are the guests of honor. Your first names should be featured prominently, and there’s also an option to include your last names as well.
The date: Letterpress Save the Dates require one major step: adding the date—or dates. It’s possible that there is more than one date that guests need to mark on their calendars. This is typically the case if you are planning to host a destination wedding, which often has an extended timeline because of the travel involved. In most cases, couples will host a welcome party, rehearsal dinner and post-wedding brunch or other celebration to end the wedding trip. If there are multiple dates you want guests to know about, make sure to mention them in your letterpress Save the Date. You can write “Save the Dates” or “Save the Weekend” to clarify this to your guests.
The location: Most letterpress Save the Dates will also tell guests where your wedding will take place. This will allow them to make travel plans, take time off of work and prepare in any other way they need to in the months leading up to your celebration. Your wedding invitations will share the exact location, but you should provide the city and state or country in your letterpress Save the Date.
Message about the invitation: “Formal invitation to follow” is a common line printed on the bottom of letterpress Save the Dates. It’s an optional idea, but one that will signal to your guests that more details are coming their way.
Here are a few examples of how you can word your letterpress Save the Date:
Letterpress Save the Date Example #1:
We are getting married
SAVE OUR DATE
Aaron and Melissa
May 25, 2024
Palm Beach, Florida
Letterpress Save the Date Example #2:
Sam & Megan are madly in love.
They are getting married.
Save the Date
November 23, 2024
New York, New York
Letterpress Save the Date Example #3:
A|V
October 19, 2024
Charleston, South Carolina
Formal Invitation to Follow
After you have spelled all of these details out clearly, you can have some fun with your letterpress Save the Date design. Use a cheeky one-liner, add in a song lyric that speaks to you and your partner or make it a photo Save the Date. There are near-countless options available to you, especially when you make your letterpress Save the Dates with the Bliss & Bone design team.
It can feel almost impossible to maintain organization during your wedding planning process, but sticking with a reasonable timeline is always recommended. When it comes to preparing to send out your letterpress Save the Dates, you'll need to check off the following items:
Staying organized is a difficult, but important task when it comes to planning your wedding. You and your partner can split up tasks, or consult with your planner on how to divide and conquer. There is a lot that goes into planning a wedding, but following this timeline can help you manage your wedding stationery in particular.
There’s perhaps one “con” associated with letterpress Save the Dates: They cost more than most other printing styles. Because it is such an involved and detail-oriented process, prices are higher than digital printing or online options. For instance, Brides.com estimates that you should expect to spend $1,500 or more on 100 letter-pressed invitation suites, compared to $500 to $800 for 100 digitally printed ones. Digital printing is the most affordable printing option, but you can also choose to send out your Save the Dates via email. Email Save the Dates often run for about $1 per “card,” making it a significantly lower cost than printed styles. Later on in this guide, we’ll cover the differences between the two and why couples choose one over the other.
At Bliss & Bone, letterpress Save the Dates start at $445 for 25 A6 (4.5 x 6.25 inches) one-ply cards. If you want more than one color or gold foil, the cost will inevitably go up. When you use the online paper builder, you can see the anticipated costs go up with the real-time pricing feature.
Letterpress Save the Dates are a standout option among printing styles available for wedding stationery, and they provide an entirely different experience compared to online Save the Dates. Here are the key reasons why people love the idea of a letterpress Save the Date:
Couples who are interested in digital invites are generally concerned with saving money, reducing their carbon footprint and keeping everything online for their more tech-savvy guests. There is also an option to print some stationery and send other pieces out via email. For instance, many couples prepare digital Save the Dates and then send out printed formal wedding invitations. This hybrid concept will give you the best of both worlds at a budget that makes the most sense to many couples. As we’ve discussed, communication is everything, and you and your partner should consider your budget and style preferences before deciding whether to go with digital or printed Save the Dates.
Letterpress Save the Dates are unlike any other printing style because of the tactile, handcrafted feel. Each letterpress save the date card is pressed individually, leaving a subtle impression you can see and touch. This dimension adds weight and presence that a flat-printed design can’t replicate. Couples who want their stationery to feel luxurious and intentional often gravitate toward letterpress save the dates because they make a strong first impression.
Yes—letterpress Save the Dates are just as popular today as when Martha Stewart helped bring them back into the spotlight in the 1990s. While digital and flat printing have become more common, couples who want a timeless, elevated experience still turn to letterpress. A letterpress save the date signals tradition, attention to detail, and a level of sophistication that resonates with guests from the moment they open the envelope.
Designing letterpress save the date cards starts with simplicity. The process works best with bold typefaces, limited color palettes, and carefully chosen spacing. Many couples keep their letterpress save the date wording minimal—names, date, location, and a “formal invitation to follow.” Because the impression is the star of the show, less is often more. That said, you can still customize your letterpress save the date cards with logos, borders, or monograms to make them feel truly personal.
Every letterpress Save the Date should cover the essentials. At a minimum, include:
Some couples also choose to add creative touches like a favorite quote or a playful line, but the beauty of a letterpress save the date is in its simplicity. Guests only need the basics to start preparing, so don’t feel pressure to overfill the card.
Compared to digital printing, letterpress Save the Dates do cost more. The process is labor-intensive and requires custom plates, which adds to the price. At Bliss & Bone, letterpress Save the Dates start at $445 for 25 cards, with costs rising depending on color choices and finishes like foil. Couples who want the look and feel of letterpress but are mindful of budget sometimes choose a mix—sending printed letterpress Save the Dates to close family and friends, and opting for digital Save the Dates for the wider guest list.
Because letterpress Save the Dates require more production time than digital versions, you’ll want to plan ahead. Most experts recommend sending them out six to nine months before your wedding day. For a destination wedding, mailing your letterpress Save the Date cards even earlier—closer to 10 months out—will help guests make travel arrangements. This gives everyone plenty of time to prepare, while giving you peace of mind knowing the first step in your stationery timeline is complete.
Definitely. While letterpress Save the Dates are often associated with tradition, they can be styled to feel sleek and contemporary. Bold sans serif fonts, monochromatic palettes, and creative layouts can transform a letterpress save the date into something fresh and modern. Whether you want something classic or a bit more design-forward, the letterpress technique adapts beautifully.
Yes—one of the best parts about creating letterpress Save the Dates is how well they coordinate with the rest of your stationery suite. From invitations to menus to thank-you cards, you can carry the same fonts, monograms, and textures throughout. Many couples start with their letterpress save the date card and then build the entire stationery look from there, ensuring consistency across every detail guests will see.
A digital Save the Date is quick, affordable, and eco-friendly, while a letterpress Save the Date card is more traditional, tangible, and luxurious. A letterpress save the date requires more time and budget, but the result is a keepsake your guests can hold onto. Some couples choose one or the other, while others blend both approaches to balance style and convenience.
Weddings are special celebrations with extensive timelines. You need to hire vendors, pick a venue, set your date and complete several other steps before you can envision your dream day. All of the planning will be worth it, and you can focus on the fun of it all when you tackle each step with your partner and planner. With Bliss & Bone’s help, you can customize everything for your stationery suite: wedding websites, Save the Dates, wedding invitations, rehearsal dinner invitations and wedding menus. Plus, you can work with a dedicated designer to create a wedding logo or monogram that sets your stationery apart. Our team is here for you through every step of the process, and we encourage you to reach out if you have any questions. Don’t hesitate to visit us online or send us an email to hello@blissandbone.com.
