You’re engaged. Congratulations! It’s an exciting time, and you probably want to share the news with your family and friends. Sending out save-the-date invitations is the perfect way to let everyone know about your upcoming wedding. It’s also a great way to build excitement for you and your guests about your special day. Plus, it’s the first step in sharing information about your wedding theme and style with friends and family, without having to worry too much about all the planning.
We’ll take a look at some of the important must-do’s for save-the-date invitations, including general etiquette and sample wording.
Save-the-date cards are just that. They let your guests know about your wedding date and location in advance before you send out your formal wedding invitation. Save-the-date cards are usually very simple, with basic information about your special day added.
Sending out a save-the-date card is a good way to let those invited to your wedding know it’s happening earlier in the wedding planning process. Save-the-date cards also let guests invited to your wedding know about the wedding date and location, so that they can mark it on their calendars. This is really helpful for guests attending who may need to make travel arrangements to attend and for those that may need to request time off from work.
Generally, it’s recommended that you send a save-the-date card at least six months before your wedding. If it’s a destination wedding, like one held in another country or far away from where you live, sending out save-the-date cards at least eight months in advance is an even better idea so that everyone can make their travel arrangements well-ahead of the actual wedding date.
Save-the-date cards are simple. You may not know the full details for your wedding when you send them out either. You’ll want to make sure you include the couple’s names, wedding date if you have it, and location. If you don’t have a wedding venue chosen, you can simply include the city where the wedding is taking place. You’ll also want to say that a formal wedding invitation is to follow. Don’t worry about RSVPs at this time, since you’ll send those out with your formal wedding invitation.
Save-the-date cards may be simple, but they can be written formally or more casually, depending on your preference. The choice is up to you and should reflect your style as a couple. Here are a few examples of sample wording for save the date cards:
Basic Save the Date| Save the Date
6.26.19 Invitation to Follow |
Photo Copyright Tradlands / Flickr Commons / CC By 2.0 |
Traditional & Formal
|
Please Save the Date
for the wedding of
Jane Elizabeth Doe
and
John Alexander Smith
January 16, 2020
Chicago, Illinois
Formal Invitation to Follow
|
 |
|
John proposed…
and Jane said yes!
Join us on June 2, 2018 in Orlando as we say “I do!”
Invitation to Follow
|
Photo Copyright Kevin Stuart / Flickr Commons / CC By 2.0 |
It depends on your personal preference. Some couples like to match a save-the-date card to their wedding theme, while others don’t. You can also use it as an opportunity to play with a theme or try out a specific color scheme too, if you have some wedding theme ideas but aren’t sure you want to fully commit to them yet.
Sending out electronic save-the-date and wedding invitations is becoming a new trend. But, should you send your save-the-date invitations out this way? We still recommend sending out traditional save-the-dates. One idea that is popular? Send out an electronic save-the-date along with a mailed one. That way those who want to save your card as keepsake can.
Don’t send any information about registries this early. It’s considered a save-the-date etiquette no-no. If you do want to add registry information early on, do add it to your wedding website or give it to your guests upon request.
Now that you’ve decided on and sent your save-the-date cards, it’s time to start thinking about your wedding invitations. Check out our Finding the Perfect Wedding Invitation article on tips and general information to help you send the perfect invitation for your special day.
