More Newsletter Questions! How Many Did You Send?

[MrsDuck]

I love the idea of doing newsletters but I don't want to send out too many and irritate my guests (they're easily annoyed in my family.. ).

Here's what I'm thinking..

January: Save the Dates go out.

May/April: Send out a newsletter with the wedding schedule, flight info, resort info, ticketing info, etc. I guess it'd be a pretty info packed newsletter!
**should I send a Pre-RSVP with this??**

Late-October: Invites go out with an RSVP deadline of early December.

December 22 2012: the wedding!

How does this sound? Do I need to break up the info in the Newsletter and send 2? If so, when?

Thanks!

 

[iluvasoldier]

I love the idea of doing newsletters but I don't want to send out too many and irritate my guests (they're easily annoyed in my family.. ).

Here's what I'm thinking..

January: Save the Dates go out.

May/April: Send out a newsletter with the wedding schedule, flight info, resort info, ticketing info, etc. I guess it'd be a pretty info packed newsletter!
**should I send a Pre-RSVP with this??**

Late-October: Invites go out with an RSVP deadline of early December.

December 22 2012: the wedding!

How does this sound? Do I need to break up the info in the Newsletter and send 2? If so, when?

Thanks!

I did 3. 1 with the hotel information just after the save-the-dates.

I did one with information on disney and other things to do around orlando (since all our guest are traveling) and that went out with the invitations.

then there will be one welcoming them to orlando and thanking them for attending the wedding. They'll receive them when they check in at their hotel.

 

[sambycat]

not to be debbie downer, but seriously, let me just say this:

we did save the date march/april (once we knew we were "penciled in"), invites in july (as soon as we got the LOA/times confirmed) and email fancy foo foo news letter. and random discussion and information conveyance along the way. AND a welcome bag dealie with information on arrival to WDW.

i would still do the same BUT NONE of the "non-disney" people really read or absorbed or cared about the info we sent. or knew to care or knew what we werre talkng about maybe! the disney people knew to make reservations and what not. i'm sure the fact that we aren't a young couple in the sense that i think then there would be more immediate family involvement for a variety of reasons may have something to do with it (although the fact tht spinster lisa FINALLY got a man was quite the fun topic amongst my family! JK), but i think me doing a lot of those projects was absolutely fun, helpful in some way i guess and gave me something to focus on (the number one reason i would recommend doing something!).

so not to talk you out of it or anything, but when i see these kinds of threads after i've now been through it, i would say tackle what ever your time and budget allows but prepare emotionally for the fact that, like RSVP-ing appropriately, people won't "get" out of it, on the whole, what you put into it.

now back to your regularly scheduled happy sunday talk....

 

[elleinad16]

I sent newsletters only to my guests that RSVPed yes. I think it worked out really well, because I knew these would be the people who actually would read them. I included the hotel information (even though most people, not all, had already booked), schedule of events, things to do at Disney, dining info, and an FAQ section.

Our save the dates went out about 11 months before the wedding.
Wedding invitations were sent out 4 months before the wedding.
As I started to receive yeses in the mail, I would turn around and send out a newsletter.

 

[Broghantaylor]

we sent out newsletters with our save the date because a lot of my family has to travel so we thought letting them know about the hotels and stuff would be smart then
they were sent out in Oct the Invites will be going out late march early april then rsvp by may wedding in June

but if they RSVP that they are coming then they will get another saying a detailed day of the wedding other things to do in orlando park times and fun things like that

 

[MrsDuck]

Thanks everyone!

 

[Icecoldpenguin]

How are you guys making newsletters? and has anyone done one digitally?

teresa

 

[Broghantaylor]

there are some errors they have been since fixed

took me about maybe 2 to 3 hours to make then i went to staples and had them print it out on nice paper i did it all on Mac i love doing things like this

 

[FlamingoAllie]

not to be debbie downer, but seriously, let me just say this:

we did save the date march/april (once we knew we were "penciled in"), invites in july (as soon as we got the LOA/times confirmed) and email fancy foo foo news letter. and random discussion and information conveyance along the way. AND a welcome bag dealie with information on arrival to WDW.

i would still do the same BUT NONE of the "non-disney" people really read or absorbed or cared about the info we sent. or knew to care or knew what we werre talkng about maybe! the disney people knew to make reservations and what not. i'm sure the fact that we aren't a young couple in the sense that i think then there would be more immediate family involvement for a variety of reasons may have something to do with it (although the fact tht spinster lisa FINALLY got a man was quite the fun topic amongst my family! JK), but i think me doing a lot of those projects was absolutely fun, helpful in some way i guess and gave me something to focus on (the number one reason i would recommend doing something!).

so not to talk you out of it or anything, but when i see these kinds of threads after i've now been through it, i would say tackle what ever your time and budget allows but prepare emotionally for the fact that, like RSVP-ing appropriately, people won't "get" out of it, on the whole, what you put into it.

now back to your regularly scheduled happy sunday talk....

I agree with you 110%!! Are you sure you weren't talking about ME and my guests Samby? All of my guests at one point or another came THIS close to ruining my wedding week. (And I promise I'm not being a bridezilla). And everything they did could have been remedied by reading their &@^! newsletter!!

For instance: 3 different newsletters specifically said to meet at Morocco for our dessert party at 7:30 sharp. (it started at 8, but I wanted to make sure no one was late). My DH and I were the ONLY people there for the first 45 minutes of our hour and a half DP. SERIOUSLY? They showed up right before fireworks went off. And swore they had no idea it would take so long. (Well, if you'd read your newsletter!!!!)

I had a lot of fun putting them together, and one couple seemed to be helped by them, but for the most part, as a means of info and communication it was a waste of time.

I will say this: If you have the kind of people coming to the wedding that would actually read them, DO it!! And be as specific and concise as possible. Don't overestimate the common sense of your guests or their capacity to retain information!

 

[pinkfairy1684]

I sent out two newsletters to all of our guests who rsvp'd yes. I loved making them, but I have to agree with the previous posters who said their guests didn't pay attention to the info in the newsletters! I was so irritated with so many of our guests who didn't know where they were supposed to be and when. At one point, I said to DH that I was going to throw my phone out the window if one more person called to ask me "where am I supposed to go?". I just don't get it!!!

 

[BethieTink]

We will probably do four overall, broken out this way.

Save the Date - sent this past September. General info...why we were renewing and why at Disney, general schedule, general room block info, benefits of staying at Disney and what should be going on in WDW in November.

With 2011 Holiday cards - this one will have the room block info, Magical Express info, venue previews

Around 6 months (May?) - updates as needed, details on Disney events that our guests may want to do, non-park ideas...

In welcome folders/bags - thank everyone for coming, any schedule changes...

When we sent out our save the dates, one of our friends asked me if the newsletters were going to be weekly or monthly because he wanted to keep them all in a binder. I was very flattered.