A save the date has one job: make sure the people you love keep the day free. It doesn’t need to say much, and it shouldn’t. Here’s when to send one, what belongs on it, and wording you can use as written or adjust.
When to send save the dates
Common guidance is to send save the dates six to eight months before the wedding. For a destination wedding, or a date on or near a holiday weekend, eight to twelve months gives guests time to book travel and request time off. Your formal invitation then follows about six to eight weeks before the wedding.
Only send a save the date to people you are certain to invite. Anyone who receives one will expect an invitation.
What to include
- Both of your names
- The date
- The city and state (the venue is optional at this stage)
- A note that a formal invitation will follow
- Your wedding website, so guests can find travel and hotel details
Times, the reception venue and RSVP details belong on the invitation, not the save the date.
Simple
Save the date
Emily Carter and Daniel Brooks
June 12, 2027
Nashville, Tennessee
Invitation to follow
Emily and Daniel are getting married
6.12.2027
Nashville, Tennessee
Formal invitation to follow
emilyanddaniel.christianwedding.online
Formal
Formal save the dates spell out the date, just like a formal invitation.
Please save the date
for the marriage of
Emily Grace Carter
and
Daniel James Brooks
Saturday, the twelfth of June
two thousand twenty-seven
Nashville, Tennessee
Invitation to follow
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Carter
ask that you save the date
for the marriage of their daughter
Emily Grace
to
Daniel James Brooks
June twelfth, two thousand twenty-seven
Nashville, Tennessee
Formal invitation to follow
With a short verse
Keep the verse short so the date stays the first thing guests read.
“A threefold cord is not quickly broken.”
Ecclesiastes 4:12 (KJV)
Emily Carter and Daniel Brooks
are getting married
June 12, 2027
Nashville, Tennessee
“This is the day which the LORD hath made;
we will rejoice and be glad in it.”
Psalm 118:24 (KJV)
Save the date
Emily and Daniel
June 12, 2027 · Nashville, Tennessee
Casual and a little fun
Light is fine. Just make sure the names, date and city are still easy to spot.
We said yes!
Now we’re hoping you will too.
Emily and Daniel
June 12, 2027
Nashville, Tennessee
Details to follow
Mark your calendar,
clear your schedule,
and dust off your dancing shoes.
Emily and Daniel · June 12, 2027
Nashville, Tennessee
Destination wedding
For a destination wedding, the website line matters most: guests will want to see hotel suggestions and plan travel right away.
Save the date
Emily and Daniel
are getting married in Charleston
June 10–13, 2027
Travel and hotel details on our website
emilyanddaniel.christianwedding.online
Invitation to follow
Pack your bags
Emily and Daniel are getting married
on the coast of Maine
Saturday, June 12, 2027
Formal invitation to follow
Small or family-only weddings
A small wedding still benefits from a save the date, especially when the guest list is close family who may be traveling. Warm, personal wording suits it.
We’re keeping it small,
and we can’t imagine the day without you.
Emily and Daniel
June 12, 2027
Nashville, Tennessee
Invitation to follow
Save the date for an intimate celebration
with our closest family
Emily and Daniel
June 12, 2027
The message to send with a digital save the date
A digital save the date is a link, so you’ll send it from your own phone or inbox by text, WhatsApp or email. A short personal note above the link makes it feel like it came from you, not a mailing list.
Hi Aunt Ruth! We’re getting married on June 12, 2027 in Nashville and we’d love for you to be there. Here’s our save the date:
emilyanddaniel.christianwedding.online
Big news! We’re getting married on June 12, 2027 in Nashville. Please save the date, and watch for the invitation in a few months:
emilyanddaniel.christianwedding.online
Why go digital
A digital save the date is designed to match your wedding website and invitation, and it opens with an envelope reveal animation. You can send as many as you need with no per-guest fees, and it can link guests straight to your website for travel and hotel details.