If you're planning a wedding out-of-town, don't forget to send save-the-date cards to your guests.  These should go out six months to a year before the big day.  That's well in advance of the invitation, which for a destination wedding should go out at least eight weeks prior.

What's a save-the-date?  It's simply a card or note that literally requests that people hold a particular date open on their calendar so they don't schedule anything else in the meantime for that date.

The importance of save-the-dates for destination weddings is obvious.  Guests will have to travel to your wedding.  So they'll have to take more time out of their schedule (and more money out of their budgets) than if the wedding were close by.   Your guests will need extra time to plan.

But save-the-dates don't have to be just another extra expense or detail.  First, destination weddings usually have fewer guests - so the number of both invitations and save-the-dates are lower.  Secondly, save-the-dates are an important opportunity to liven up your party - by building more anticipation in advance.  In addition to date and location, the card can also include additional information about the destination, transportation, hotel accommodations, travel agent, sightseeing opportunities and activities available.  A "z-fold" (multi-panel) card, for example, will offer plenty of space for a little "wedding week preview" - in a form that can be both compact and elegant.

Save-the-dates can also inject a little personal flair as a counterpoint if your invitation happens to be more traditional.  Save-the-date colors and styles, for example, can reflect destination colors (bright and festive, say, for Mexico) and local themes (such as Tuscany for Italy).  

One more thing - brides sometimes ask whether they really must follow through and actually send everyone an invitation who received a save-the-date.  The answer is an unequivocal "yes."  That's doubly true for destination weddings, where you're asking guests to commit extra time and expense than they otherwise would.  So if you tell someone to save the date, then you really do have to invite them.

Arlene Cronk is the owner of Invitations & Company, a Boston wedding invitations and social stationery boutique.  Her website is www.bestinvite.com.