Save the date wording: what to put on the card, and 15 examples
A save the date tells guests one thing: hold this day. It goes out well before the invitation and carries less information on purpose. If the card says the date, the city, and who is getting married, it has done its job.
Here is what belongs on it, what does not, and wording you can copy. On our save the date cards you give us your names, the date, the place, and an optional website line, and we set the type for your proof.
What to include
- Your names. First names are fine; full names for a formal wedding.
- The date, written out or in numerals. If the date is not final, the month and year.
- The city, or the city and state. Guests use it to think about travel.
- The line 'invitation to follow' or 'formal invitation to come'. It tells guests this is not the invitation.
- Optional: a wedding website for travel details.
Leave the venue address, the time, the dress code, and the registry for the invitation. Those details change; the date should not.
Formal
Please save the date
for the wedding of
Eleanor Grace Whitman
and
Jude Alexander Park
Saturday, September 20, 2027
Hudson Valley, New York
Invitation to follow
Save the date
Ella and Jude
09 · 20 · 27
Hudson Valley, New York
Formal invitation to follow
09 · 20 · 27
Hudson Valley, NY
Ella and Jude are getting married.
Invitation to follow
Warm and casual
We are getting married.
Save the date
Spring 2027 · Austin, Texas
Maya and Chris
Save our date
Ella and Jude
September 20, 2027
Details to follow
Mark your calendar.
Sofia and Marco
June 5, 2027 · Santa Fe, New Mexico
Invitation to come
Save the date
Hart and Cole
October 10, 2027 · Portland, Oregon
hartandcole.com
Playful
It's about time.
Elena and Marcus are getting married
May 15, 2027 · Chicago
Invitation to follow
Pack a bag.
Priya and Sam
are getting married in Tulum
February 2027 · details to follow
Clear your weekend.
Mara and Liam
September 20, 2027 · Hudson Valley
Invitation to follow
Destination weddings and weekend-long celebrations
Guests who have to fly need the card earlier and need the city on it. A website line earns its place here.
Save the date
Priya and Sam
February 12, 2027
Tulum, Mexico
Travel details at priyaandsam.com
Save the weekend
Ella and Jude
September 18 to 20, 2027
Hudson Valley, New York
Invitation to follow
When to mail
The usual guidance is six to eight months before the wedding, and eight to twelve for a destination wedding or a holiday weekend. Earlier is better than later; the card's whole purpose is to get there before guests make other plans.
Order the cards about three weeks before you want to mail them, four in December. Ours come in sets of 25 to 150 with white envelopes included, and every order gets a free digital proof first. Count households, not guests, and add a few for the keepsake box and the ones that come back.
