When to Send Save the Dates

Timing is everything! Juggling wedding planning, on top of work and your day-to-day life, can be overwhelming, but staying on track with key timelines is essential. Don’t let important milestones slip by—use this guide to confidently know and plan when to send Save the Dates!

Looking for information on when to send your wedding invitations? Check out this blog post! 

What You Need to Know Before You Send Save the Dates

Please, for the love of everything, do not send Save the Dates until you have signed the contract (and paid the deposit) for your venue. 

Once you have your venue confirmed, and your wedding date locked in, there’s really only one other thing you need to know before sending your Save the Dates: your guest list (organized by household) and their mailing address. (Or phone number and/or email if you are doing digital Save the Dates)

That’s it! 

What to Include on Your Save the Dates

Save the Dates are not meant to be super detailed. Think of them more as a brief announcement, mean to share the news and let them know they need to update their calendars, arrange for time off, or childcare, and to plan travel. 

Save the Dates simply need to cover:

• Who (you and your partner)
• What (are getting married!)
• Where (keep it general – city and state, or city and country, only!)
• and When (the date of the big day!)

Additional, but optional, information couples sometimes include on their Save the Dates:

• A Wedding Website 
  • Be sure you have as much information on there as possible (or hide pages that are incomplete), and that the site is live before sending
• Travel and Accommodation information
  • If you are planning a destination wedding, or if your wedding date falls around a special event or peak season and accommodations are limited

You can include a photo – or not. You can have the color and style match what you’re planning for your wedding – or not. When it comes to the design of your Save the Dates, it’s up to you!

Who Gets a Save the Date?

If you are sending Save the Dates (not everyone does!), plan to send one to every guest that will be invited to your wedding. 

This is where it can get tricky… If someone receives a Save the Date, they need to be sent the formal invitation. If you are unsure about someone’s spot on your guest list, do not send them a Save the Date. For couple’s that are planning an A-List and B-List, only send Save the Dates to guests on the A-List. 

It is better to send someone a formal invitation, without first sending them a Save the Date, than it is to send someone a Save the Date and not send them an invitation. (Trust me, the latter can lead to some pretty awkward conversations.) 

Remember, your Save the Dates (and formal invitations) are sent per household, not per person. For more details, check out this blog post!

When to Send Save the Dates

Typically, Save the Dates are sent to guests six to eight months before your wedding date. If your wedding is on a holiday weekend, around a special event, or if your guests will have to book travel (such as a destination wedding), plan to send Save the Dates earlier. 

I get it, you’ve started wedding planning and want to share the excitement with your friends and family right away, but there is such a thing as sending your Save the Dates too early. I strongly recommend sending Save the Dates no earlier than 12 months before your wedding date. Once your pre-anniversary (that’s a real thing, don’t you know?) hits, you’re in the clear to send your Save the Dates!

Pro tip from a stationery designer: Do not send any wedding related mail during the holiday season. USPS is overwhelmed, and your guests might tuck your mail in with their holiday cards (then toss it out with them too and not realize it). The general rule I share with my couples, and strongly encourage for everyone planning a wedding: if you haven’t mailed your Save the Dates or invitations by Thanksgiving, wait until after January 2nd to send them!

Grab my wedding stationery timeline cheat sheet here!

Ready to create the wedding stationery of your dreams, starting with your Save the Dates? Hop on my schedule for a complimentary consultation call to chat about custom design, or check out our new semi-custom collection!