Save the dates: when to send them, what to include and 15 wording ideas

The short answer: send save the dates 6 to 8 months before the wedding, or 8 to 12 months for a destination or holiday-weekend wedding. Include your names, the date, the city and your wedding website, and send one only to people you're sure to invite.

• Key numbers: 4 to 6 months for a mostly local wedding · postcard stamp $0.65 · square envelope $1.31
• Top moves: lock the guest list first, leave the registry and RSVP off, and build your wedding website first so its address is ready to print
• Free and paid next step: get the free wedding timeline template (we email it to you), or the Wedding Planner Checklist ($5.99) with a guest list, RSVP tracker and budget overview. See everything in our Wedding shop.

Postage was checked November 3, 2026. The sections below cover when to send save the dates, what to write, who gets one, how to address them, formats and cost.

What save the dates are and when you need them

A save-the-date is a heads-up, not an invitation. It doesn't ask for an RSVP, and it doesn't need every detail. Emily Post's guide to modern wedding traditions notes that save-the-dates don't have to match your other wedding stationery, so this is a good place to have fun with photos, colors or a postcard design.

They are optional, but they matter most when:

• Guests will travel by plane or need a hotel
• The wedding falls on a holiday weekend or in a busy season
• You are marrying abroad and guests may need passports
• Many guests have work schedules that need early time-off requests
• The wedding is less than a year away and venues and hotels near you book fast

If almost everyone is local and the wedding is small, you can skip them and send invitations a little early instead.

Still early in the process? Our guides to what to do after getting engaged, how to plan a wedding and wedding websites cover the steps that come before this one.

When to send save the dates

In short: as soon as you have a date, a city and a final guest list. Emily Post's wedding planning timeline places save-the-dates in the 3 to 6 month window "or earlier," and its traditions guide says to mail them as soon as the date is known. In practice, most couples send them 6 to 8 months out so guests can plan.

Invitations usually follow 6 to 8 weeks before the wedding, or about 3 months ahead for a destination wedding. Our wedding timeline lays out where both fall in your planning year.

What to put on a save the date

Keep it short. A save-the-date only has to answer "who, when and roughly where."

Your wedding website does the heavy lifting. Put travel tips, hotel blocks and your registry there instead of on the card. If you haven't built it yet, do that first so the address is ready to print.

Save the date wording ideas

Pick one line from each group, or use a full example as is. Swap in your own names, date and city.

Classic and formal

• Please save the date for the wedding of Jordan Ellis and Taylor Brooks. June 12, 2027. Detroit, Michigan. Invitation to follow.
• Save the date. Jordan Ellis and Taylor Brooks are getting married. Saturday, June 12, 2027. Detroit, Michigan.
• Kindly save the date for the marriage of Jordan and Taylor. 06.12.2027. Formal invitation to follow.

Simple and modern

• Save the date. Jordan + Taylor. 6.12.27. Detroit, MI.
• We're getting married! June 12, 2027, in Detroit. Details at our wedding website.
• Jordan and Taylor. One day. One city. June 12, 2027. Save the date.

Casual and playful

• We said yes, now it's your turn. Save June 12, 2027 for our wedding in Detroit.
• Grab your dancing shoes. Jordan and Taylor are tying the knot on June 12, 2027.
• Mark your calendar and order a babysitter. We're getting married June 12, 2027.

Destination wedding

• Pack your bags. Jordan and Taylor are getting married in Tulum, Mexico, on June 12, 2027. Travel details at our website.
• Save the date and check your passport. Join us in Tulum on June 12, 2027.
• Our wedding weekend is June 11 to 13, 2027, in Tulum. Invitation and travel info to follow.

Holiday weekend or long weekend

• Save Labor Day weekend for us! Jordan and Taylor are getting married on September 4, 2027, in Chicago.
• Make it a long weekend. Our wedding is Saturday, May 29, 2027, in Chicago.

When the venue isn't booked yet

• Save the date for the wedding of Jordan and Taylor. June 12, 2027. Detroit area. Details to come.

Who gets a save the date

Only people you are certain to invite. Emily Post is clear that any guest who receives a save-the-date must also receive a wedding invitation, so this is the moment your guest list becomes final.

• Send one per household, addressed the same way the invitation will be.
• Name everyone invited so families know if kids or a guest are included.
• Include your wedding party, parents and officiant. They may already know, but it's a keepsake.
• Skip "maybe" guests. If you are waiting on a final headcount, wait to send.

Our wedding guest list template gives you columns for addresses, households and "save-the-date sent" so nobody falls through the cracks.

How to address save the dates

Address each card the way the invitation will be addressed, so guests know from the start who is included.

Print or hand-write the return address on every piece so returned mail comes back to you, and fix those addresses before invitations go out.

Paper, postcard, magnet or digital

Emily Post's advice on wedding emails calls email a great way to send an informal note asking friends and relatives to save the date. The formal invitation should still be printed and mailed.

Save the date cost and postage

Printing prices vary by quantity, paper and finish, so get quotes for your exact guest count. Postage is easier to pin down. According to USPS, a standard postcard stamp costs $0.65, and standard postcards are 5 to 6 inches long, 3-1/2 to 4-1/4 inches high and 0.007 to 0.016 inches thick. A letter in a standard envelope uses a $0.82 Forever stamp. Square, vertical, rigid or lumpy envelopes are nonmachinable and cost $0.49 more, and large or square postcards need more than a postcard stamp.

Add stationery and postage to your wedding budget as a line item, along with a few spare cards for addresses you get late. If you're still setting your overall number, see how much a wedding costs.

Starter version: save the dates in one weekend

1. Confirm your date, city and final guest list.
2. Put up a basic wedding website with your names, date and city.
3. Pick a format: postcard if you're mailing, a link if you're going digital.
4. Choose one wording line from above and add your website.
5. Order or print one extra per 20 households, then address and mail.

How to send save the dates, step by step

1. Set the date and book the venue or at least the city. Don't print a date you might change.
2. Finalize the guest list. Everyone on it will get an invitation later.
3. Collect mailing addresses. A shared form or quick texts to each household works well.
4. Build your wedding website. Add the date, city, and a note that details are coming.
5. Set a stationery budget. Include printing, envelopes and postage.
6. Choose the format and design. Keep the size standard if you want to save on postage.
7. Write and proof the wording. Have two people check names, the date and the web address.
8. Order a proof before the full run. Check colors, spelling and paper weight.
9. Address and stamp. Weigh one finished piece at the post office if it isn't a standard size.
10. Mail them all at once and track who got one. Mark each household in your guest list.

For tracking, the Wedding Budget Spreadsheet ($6.99) has 29 typical wedding costs pre-listed with estimated vs. actual columns, a payment log and a guest list with RSVP and meal tracking. Get both planning tools in the Wedding Planning Bundle for $8.99, down from $12.98 for the items bought separately. See all of our Bundles.

Save the date mistakes to avoid

• Sending before the guest list is final. You can't un-invite someone politely.
• Leaving off the city. Travelers need it more than the venue name.
• Listing the registry. Gifts belong on your website, not the card.
• Choosing a square card without checking postage. It costs more and can delay mail.
• Forgetting your website address, or printing one that isn't live yet.
• Waiting too long for a destination wedding. Guests need months to plan and save.
• Not ordering extras. You'll want a few for late addresses and keepsakes.

Save the dates checklist

• Wedding date and city confirmed
• Final guest list with mailing addresses
• Wedding website live with the date and city
• Stationery and postage added to the budget
• Format chosen (postcard, card, magnet or digital)
• Wording written and proofread twice
• Proof approved before the full order
• Postage checked for the finished size
• Mailed 6 to 8 months out (8 to 12 for destination)
• Each household marked as sent on the guest list

If your save the dates use a couple photo, schedule engagement photos early enough for printing.