Save the dates act as an announcement for your wedding — sent before the official wedding invitation (and without all of the pending details — venue, time, etc.) so that guests can save the general date.

Are save the dates necessary?

Save the dates ensure that your most important friends and family members are able to attend your wedding. It gives them as much notice as possible to arrange work, travel, etc. around your wedding day.

Before sending out your save the dates, book your venue so that you have a firm date to share!

Who gets save the dates?

Save the dates should be sent to the guests whose attendance is essentially mandatory — parents, siblings, maid of honor, best man, etc. You don’t need to send save the dates to your entire guest list — this will save on costs. After all, your official invitations will be sent out later.

When should save the dates go out?

Typically, brides send their save the date notice out at least 6 months prior to the wedding. However, for destination weddings, you’ll want to send a notice at least 9 months in advance. Make sure to allow for time to address and mail them.

What style of invitation should you send out?

There are many options to choose from when sending out a save the date. This can be done via email, by mail, or even through social media in a direct message or a private post. When choosing the medium, you can also get creative with it. It’s not your permanent wedding invitation, so it doesn’t have to be as formal. You can add humor to your save the date or make it exciting with different colors and fonts. This article on HuffPost gives funny and cute ideas for save the dates. 

Here are some great sites for save the date templates:

• Zazzle.com 
• Shutterfly.com 
• Vistaprint.com
• GreetingIsland.com 

What information goes on save the dates?

You should include a few basic pieces of information on your save the date.

• Your name
• Your fiancé’s name
• The wedding date
• Generalized location — city or state
• Engagement photo
• “Plus ones allowed” if applicable
• “Invitation to follow”
• Link to your wedding website

Some couples do not add a picture of them on the invite until the final one, but that is something to think about as well. You can even add a “plus ones allowed” section so people can feel comfortable inviting another guest as they block out the date on their calendar. Aside from those details, couples choose to add an announcement of when to expect the final invitation to keep a lookout. We also recommend creating and including a wedding website.

Now go start creating yours! And make sure to keep all of these tips in mind when doing so! For more tips and information on wedding planning, make sure to check out our other blogs!