InviteBatch teamIn this guide
- 1When should you send save the dates?
- 2Save the date timeline by wedding type
- 3How early is too early to send save the dates?
- 4Is it too late to send save the dates?
- 5What is the difference between a save the date and an invitation?
- 6Do you need to send save the dates?
- 7Who gets a save the date?
- 8What to put on a save the date
- 9Save the date wording you can copy
- 10How do you address save the dates?
- 11What should a destination wedding save the date include?
- 12Should save the dates be digital or printed?
- 13What if the date changes after the save the dates go out?
- 14Related guides
The short answer: send save the dates six to eight months before the wedding. For a destination wedding, a holiday weekend or a wedding where many guests travel from abroad, send them ten to twelve months before. If the wedding is less than four months away, skip the save the date and send the invitation instead.
A save the date is the first thing your guests hear about the wedding. It only has one job: get the date into their calendar before they book something else. The formal invitation with times, venue and RSVP follows later, six to eight weeks before the day. Below is the timing for every kind of wedding, who should get one, wording you can copy, and how a save the date differs from the invitation.
Send your save the dates today
A digital save the date with each guest's name on the envelope, a live countdown and an add-to-calendar button, sent on WhatsApp, text or email. The full invitation with RSVP is included.
See digital save the dates →When to send the invitationsWhen should you send save the dates?
Send save the dates six to eight months before the wedding. That is early enough for guests to keep the day free and book time off, and late enough that you have booked the venue and settled the guest list.
Go toward eight months for a summer Saturday, a large wedding, or guests who need to book flights or hotels. Six months is fine for a local wedding where most guests live nearby.
Save the date timeline by wedding type
| Wedding type | Save the dates | Invitations | RSVP deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local wedding | 6–8 months before | 6–8 weeks before | 3–4 weeks before |
| Destination wedding | 10–12 months before | About 3 months before | 6–8 weeks before |
| Holiday weekend (Christmas, New Year, July 4th, bank holidays) | 8–12 months before | 10–12 weeks before | 4–6 weeks before |
| Many guests travelling or abroad | 8–12 months before | 8–12 weeks before | 4–6 weeks before |
| Short engagement (wedding in under 4 months) | Skip | As soon as the venue is booked | 3 weeks before |
| Small or micro wedding | Optional | 6 weeks before | 3 weeks before |
The invitation and RSVP columns match our guides on when to send wedding invitations and the wedding RSVP deadline.
How early is too early to send save the dates?
More than twelve months before a local wedding is usually too early. Guests may not know their plans that far ahead, and you may still change the guest list. The exception is a destination wedding or a date on a big holiday, where ten to twelve months is normal and a little more is fine.
Never send a save the date before you have a signed venue contract and a settled guest list. Changing the date after it has gone out is possible, but it means a second message to everyone.
Is it too late to send save the dates?
Four to five months before is late but still worth it, especially if guests travel. Under about four months, skip the save the date and send the formal invitation instead, a little earlier than usual (eight to ten weeks before). Two mailings close together just confuse guests.
What is the difference between a save the date and an invitation?
| Save the date | Wedding invitation | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Keep the day free | Invite formally and collect replies |
| When | 6–8 months before (10–12 for destination) | 6–8 weeks before (about 3 months for destination) |
| Details | Names, date, town or country, "invitation to follow" | Ceremony time, venue address, reception, dress code, RSVP date |
| RSVP | No | Yes |
| Who gets one | Guests you are sure of | Every guest |
| Required? | Optional | Yes |
| Style | Often more casual: photo, postcard, digital | Matches the wedding's formality |
In short: the save the date announces, the invitation invites. Every guest gets an invitation, but not every wedding needs save the dates.
Do you need to send save the dates?
No, they are optional. Send them when:
- the wedding is on a holiday weekend or in peak season, when guests' calendars fill early;
- it is a destination wedding or many guests must travel;
- the guest list is large and you want to avoid clashes with other weddings;
- you have a long engagement and want to share the date early.
Skip them for a small local wedding, a short engagement or a courthouse ceremony with a party later. A personal message to close family does the same job.
Who gets a save the date?
Only send save the dates to guests you are certain will be invited. Anyone who gets a save the date must get an invitation later, so leave "maybe" guests off until the list is final.
- Plus-ones: if a guest will be invited with a partner or plus-one, show it now: "Emily Carter and Guest" or "Emily Carter and James Hall".
- Children: if children are invited, name them on the save the date. If not, address it to the adults only, so families know early.
- Wedding party and close family: they usually know the date already, but send them one anyway; many people keep save the dates.
- Evening-only guests (UK): send them a save the date only if you will send them an evening invitation, and make clear which part of the day it is for.
What to put on a save the date
Keep it short. A save the date needs:
- The words "Save the date"
- Your names
- The wedding date
- The town and country (the venue name is optional)
- "Formal invitation to follow"
- Optional: a wedding website or link for travel details
Leave out the ceremony time, the full address, the dress code and the RSVP. Those go on the invitation.
Save the date wording you can copy
Classic:
Save the date for the wedding of Amelia Brooks and Julian Reed · June 12, 2027 · Lake Como, Italy · Formal invitation to follow
Simple:
Amelia & Julian are getting married! June 12, 2027 · Austin, Texas · Invitation to follow
UK:
Please save the date for the wedding of Amelia and Julian · Saturday 12th June 2027 · The Cotswolds · Invitation to follow
Destination:
We're getting married in Portugal! Save the date: 12–14 June 2027, Sintra. Travel and hotel details at the link below. Formal invitation to follow.
Hosted by parents (formal):
Mr and Mrs David Brooks request that you save the date for the marriage of their daughter Amelia to Julian Reed · June 12, 2027 · Charleston, South Carolina
Casual with a photo:
Mark your calendars! Amelia + Julian · 06.12.27 · Nashville · More to follow
For the invitation itself, see our wedding invitation wording examples.
How do you address save the dates?
Address save the dates the same way you will address the invitations, so guests know exactly who is invited from the start:
- A single guest: Ms. Emily Carter
- A single guest with a plus-one: Ms. Emily Carter and Guest
- A married or unmarried couple living together: Mr. James Hall and Ms. Emily Carter
- A family with children who are invited: The Carter Family, or Mr. and Mrs. Carter, Lily and Noah
- Adults only: Mr. and Mrs. Carter (no children's names)
On digital save the dates, put the guest's name in the message or on the card itself. Our guide on how to address wedding invitations has the full rules for couples, families and titles.
Classic Gold Frame
Wedding
What should a destination wedding save the date include?
Destination guests need more time and more information. Send the save the date ten to twelve months before and add:
- The dates of the whole weekend, not just the wedding day, so guests can book flights.
- The town and country, and the nearest airport if it is not obvious.
- A link to a page with hotel blocks, travel tips and passport or visa reminders.
- "Formal invitation to follow", which then goes out about three months before.
A digital save the date helps here: it arrives the same day anywhere in the world, with no international postage.
Should save the dates be digital or printed?
Both are correct. Pick what suits your guests and budget:
| Digital save the date | Printed save the date | |
|---|---|---|
| Arrives | The same day, by WhatsApp, text or email | Several days, longer abroad |
| Cost | No printing or postage | Printing, envelopes and stamps for every household |
| Guests abroad | Same speed as everyone else | International postage and delays |
| If plans change | Edit it, every guest sees the update | Reprint and post again |
| Keepsake | On their phone and calendar | On the fridge |
Many couples mix the two: digital for most guests, and a handful of printed cards for grandparents and relatives who prefer paper. Postcard save the dates and magnets are popular printed options, because they need no envelope.
InviteBatch's digital save the date opens like a sealed envelope with each guest's name, then shows your names, the date, a live countdown and an add-to-calendar button. You pay one flat price for the whole guest list, not per guest, and the same order becomes your full wedding invitation with RSVP when you are ready.
What if the date changes after the save the dates go out?
Tell guests as soon as the new date is certain, in the same way you sent the save the date. A short message is enough: "Change of date: Amelia & Julian's wedding is now on September 18, 2027. Formal invitation to follow." Digital save the dates can simply be edited, so every guest's link shows the new date. Send the corrected notice before the invitations, never with them.
