Save the Date Wording: 45+ Examples for Every Wedding Style
In short: Save the date wording needs five things: your names, the wedding date, the city and state, a line saying a formal invitation will follow, and your wedding website if you have one. Everything else, including the venue, the dress code and registry details, waits for the invitation.
A save the date is not a small invitation. It has one job, getting your wedding into someone’s calendar before their summer fills up, and everything on the card either serves that job or gets in its way. There is no formal convention you can breach here, only a long list of details people add out of habit that belong on the invitation instead.
Below are 45 examples organized by style, so you can scan to the tone that fits your wedding. After those: what to include, what to say instead of the phrase itself, when to send, how to address the envelopes, and what to check before you print.
What do you put on to save the date?
Five things: your first and last names, the wedding date, the city and state, a line telling guests a formal invitation will follow, and your wedding website if you have one. That is the complete list. A save the date announces a date; the invitation handles everything else. Each element earns its place:
Both full names. Last names matter, because your college roommate may know two Eleanors.
The date. Clear enough to transfer straight into a calendar. Spell the month out if any guests are overseas, where 06.12.27 reads as December.
The city and state. City level only. Guests need it to judge whether they are flying, driving or staying overnight. The venue stays off.
“Formal invitation to follow.” The most skipped line and the most useful. Without it, some guests treat the save the date as the invitation and wait for nothing.
Your wedding website. Optional but now close to standard. It saves you fielding questions for six months.
What to leave off
Almost everything else. A save the date that tries to do the invitation’s job creates confusion when details change.
The venue name and street address. Venues change, and the invitation is where the address belongs.
The ceremony time. Timings shift, and guests do not need it to book a flight.
Dress code. It signals a formality you have not finalized yet.
Registry information. It never goes on a save the date, and never on an invitation either. Your wedding website is the place.
RSVP requests. There is nothing to reply to yet, and a reply card confuses guests about which card is which.
Anyone you are not certain about inviting. Once a save the date goes out, you have committed to sending that person an invitation. Emily Post’s wedding planning timeline treats it as the opening of the guest list, not a draft.
Save the date wording examples
Forty-five examples below, grouped by tone. Names, dates and cities are placeholders, so swap in your own and keep the structure. Every date shown falls on the weekday stated, which is worth checking on your own card before printing 150.
Our save the date templates are editable, so you can paste a version in and see how it sits rather than imagining it.
Formal save the date wording
Full names, the date spelled out, tone kept level. Suits a church ceremony or a black tie wedding.
Save the Date
for the wedding of
Eleanor Whitcombe and Julian Reyes
Saturday, the twelfth of June, two thousand twenty-seven
Charleston, South Carolina
Formal invitation to follow
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Whitcombe
invite you to save the date
for the marriage of their daughter
Eleanor Grace
to Julian Reyes
Saturday, June 12, 2027 | Charleston, South Carolina
Please save the date
Saturday, the eighteenth of September, two thousand twenty-seven
Eleanor Whitcombe and Julian Reyes
Newport, Rhode Island
An invitation will follow
The date is set
Eleanor Whitcombe and Julian Reyes
are to be married
Saturday, May 22, 2027
Savannah, Georgia
Formal invitation to follow
Kindly save the date
for the wedding celebration of
Eleanor Whitcombe
and
Julian Reyes
Saturday, October 9, 2027 · Hudson Valley, New York
Save the date
Eleanor and Julian
Saturday, April 17, 2027
Asheville, North Carolina
Invitation and details to follow
elleandjules.com
With joyful hearts
Eleanor Whitcombe and Julian Reyes
ask you to save the date
Saturday, the fourteenth of August, two thousand twenty-seven
Bozeman, Montana
Modern and minimal wording
Minimal cards work through typography rather than language. Cut every word that is not information.
06.12.27
Eleanor + Julian
Charleston, SC
Invitation to follow
Save the date
Eleanor & Julian
June 12, 2027
Charleston, South Carolina
We’re getting married
Eleanor and Julian
06 · 12 · 27
Charleston, SC
Details at elleandjules.com
E + J
are getting married
Saturday, June 12, 2027
Charleston, South Carolina
Formal invitation to follow
Save our date
Eleanor Whitcombe
Julian Reyes
12 June 2027
Charleston, South Carolina
It’s happening
Eleanor and Julian
June 12, 2027
Charleston, SC
Invitation to follow
One date. Two people.
Eleanor and Julian
09.18.27
Newport, Rhode Island
elleandjules.com
Warm and casual wording
Casual wording sounds like you talking. It suits a backyard wedding, a barn, or any day where guests will be in sundresses.
We’re getting married!
Eleanor and Julian
Saturday, August 14, 2027
Bozeman, Montana
We’d love for you to be there. Invitation to follow.
Mark your calendars
Eleanor and Julian are tying the knot
July 10, 2027
Traverse City, Michigan
Formal invitation on its way
Save the date and come celebrate with us
Eleanor and Julian
Saturday, March 20, 2027
Austin, Texas
Details to follow at elleandjules.com
She said yes. We picked a date. Here it is.
Eleanor and Julian
November 6, 2027
Portland, Maine
Invitation to follow
Good news travels fast
Eleanor and Julian are getting married
Saturday, June 26, 2027
Door County, Wisconsin
Formal invitation to follow
You’re among the first to know
Eleanor and Julian
September 4, 2027
Sonoma, California
Invitation to follow
Come as you are, just come
Eleanor and Julian
Saturday, May 8, 2027
Hood River, Oregon
Formal invitation to follow
Destination wedding wording
These carry more weight than any other kind, because guests book flights and time off on the strength of them. Say plainly that travel is involved and what is coming next.
Pack your bags
Eleanor and Julian are getting married
Saturday, May 8, 2027
Tulum, Mexico
Invitation and travel details to follow
Save the date and save some vacation days
Eleanor and Julian
February 13, 2027
Kauai, Hawaii
Formal invitation to follow. Please hold off booking flights until then.
We’re getting married in Italy
Eleanor and Julian
Saturday, September 18, 2027
Puglia, Italy
Travel information at elleandjules.com
Two days, one island
Eleanor and Julian
Saturday, October 23, 2027
Isla Mujeres, Mexico
Weekend itinerary and invitation to follow
Save the date, and your PTO
Eleanor and Julian
Saturday, April 17, 2027
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Formal invitation to follow
Eleanor and Julian
are getting married abroad
Saturday, July 10, 2027
Lisbon, Portugal
We know it is a journey. Invitation and travel guide to follow.
Playful and lighthearted wording
Playful wording works when it still delivers the five facts. Joke at the top, information underneath, where nobody has to decode it.
Save the date. Yes, that one. Write it down.
Eleanor and Julian
June 12, 2027
Charleston, South Carolina
He panicked and proposed. She said yes anyway.
Eleanor and Julian
Saturday, August 14, 2027
Nashville, Tennessee
Invitation to follow
Eleven years, three apartments, one dog.
It is about time.
Eleanor and Julian · June 12, 2027 · Charleston, SC
Cancel your plans
Eleanor and Julian
Saturday, December 4, 2027
Chicago, Illinois
Formal invitation to follow
Our dog is finally getting married.
His humans are too.
Eleanor, Julian and Biscuit
Saturday, May 22, 2027
Savannah, Georgia
Open bar ahead
Eleanor and Julian
Saturday, September 4, 2027
Sonoma, California
Invitation to follow
Finally making it official
Eleanor and Julian
Saturday, January 16, 2027
Park City, Utah
Formal invitation to follow
Blended families, children and second marriages
If you are marrying with children, or marrying again, this card is where your family shape gets announced. Naming the children is a small gesture that tends to matter to them for years.
Together with their children
Eleanor Whitcombe and Julian Reyes
invite you to save the date
Saturday, June 12, 2027
Charleston, South Carolina
Formal invitation to follow
We’re becoming a family of five
Eleanor and Julian, with Maeve, Otis and Rose
Saturday, October 9, 2027
Hudson Valley, New York
Invitation to follow
Maeve and Otis are pleased to announce
that their mom is marrying Julian
Saturday, March 20, 2027
Austin, Texas
Formal invitation to follow
Second time around, and we got it right
Eleanor and Julian
Saturday, November 6, 2027
Portland, Maine
Invitation to follow
Two families, one date
Eleanor Whitcombe and Julian Reyes
Saturday, February 13, 2027
Kauai, Hawaii
Invitation to follow
Digital, email and text wording
Same rules, one addition: the subject line does the work the envelope would have done, so put both names and the date in it.
Subject line:
Save the date, Priya. Eleanor and Julian, June 12, 2027.
Hi Priya,
We’re getting married on Saturday, June 12, 2027 in Charleston, South Carolina.
We’d love for you to be there. A formal invitation will follow closer to the date, so there is nothing to do for now except mark the calendar.
Eleanor and Julian
Text message:
We’re getting married! Saturday, June 12, 2027, Charleston SC. Formal invite coming, but we wanted you to have the date. Love, Eleanor and Julian
Text message, destination:
Date and place are set: Saturday, September 18, 2027, Puglia, Italy. Invitation and travel details to follow. Start hoarding vacation days.
Subject line:
Eleanor and Julian, June 12, 2027
Save the date. Charleston, South Carolina. Formal invitation to follow.
Hi Marcus and Dee,
Saving you the date: Saturday, April 17, 2027, in Asheville, North Carolina.
Everything else is at elleandjules.com, and a formal invitation is on its way.
Eleanor and Julian
A note on announcing it publicly: a social media post is not a save the date. Posting the date before your list is finalized tells everyone who follows you that they might be invited, and there is no graceful way to walk that back. Send the cards or emails first, then post.
What can you say instead of “save the date”?
Plenty of alternatives work, and the right one depends on how formal your wedding is. The phrase is a convention, not a rule, so anything that clearly signals a date to hold is correct.
For formal weddings:
Please reserve the date
Kindly save the date
The date is set
We ask you to save the date
Reserve the evening of
For modern and casual weddings:
Mark your calendars
We’re getting married
Save our date
We’ve set a date
Hold the date
It’s official
Come celebrate with us
We said yes to a date
One caution: whichever phrase you choose, keep the line about a formal invitation following. “Mark your calendars” reads more like an announcement than a placeholder, and some guests will file it as the invitation.
When should you send save the dates?
Send save the dates six to eight months before a local wedding and eight to twelve months for a destination wedding, taking the longer end of either range if your date falls on a holiday weekend. Invitations follow six to eight weeks before the day.
Local weddings
Six to eight months gives guests time to request leave and arrange childcare without the date feeling so distant they forget it. Earlier than about ten months and the card gets filed and lost.
Destination weddings
Eight to twelve months, closer to twelve if guests are crossing an ocean or flights are limited. Passport renewals take weeks. Say on the card that the wedding is abroad rather than leaving guests to infer it from a city name.
Holiday weekends and peak season
Memorial Day, Labor Day, Fourth of July and Thanksgiving weekends compete with plans guests make a year out, as do peak fall dates where hotel rooms are limited. Add two months to your baseline. Sending early costs nothing; sending late costs you guests.
One rule overrides all of this: do not send until your guest list is final. Emily Post’s planning timeline places save the dates ahead of almost everything else because the list has to be settled first. A card sent to someone you later cut has no polite solution.
How do you address save the date envelopes?
Address save the dates as you would an invitation, with the formality dialed down. There is no inner envelope, first names are acceptable, and titles can be dropped for people you know well. The one rule that carries over intact: the envelope shows exactly who is invited.
What is different from an invitation
Invitations use two envelopes, full formal names and spelled-out titles. Save the dates use one envelope and tolerate a lighter touch. “Eleanor and Julian Reyes” is fine here and would read as casual on an invitation.
The detailed conventions, including different surnames, professional titles and unmarried couples, are the same rules you will use later and are covered in our guide to addressing your invitation envelopes. This section stays on what changes.
Who gets one, and how many
One per household, not one per person. A couple living together receives a single card, and so does a family. Anyone over eighteen at their parents’ address gets their own card, because they are a separate invitation later.
Everyone who receives a save the date must receive an invitation, so settle the list first. If you are unsure about someone, leave them off. You can invite them later without awkwardness, which is not true in reverse.
Signaling plus ones and children
Whoever is named is invited, and whoever is not, is not. With no inner envelope, the outer one carries the whole signal.
Plus one you know by name:
Ms. Priya Raghunathan and Mr. Daniel Okafor
Plus one you have not met:
Ms. Priya Raghunathan and Guest
Family with children invited:
Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Okafor
Ellis and Rosalind
Family, adults only:
Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Okafor
Leaving children unnamed is the traditional adults-only signal and most guests read it correctly. Some will not, so say it on your wedding website too rather than relying on the envelope alone.
Digital save the dates
The subject line replaces the envelope. Send individually rather than in one blind-copied blast, and personalize each with the guest’s name. A mass email with forty hidden recipients reads as an announcement, not a request to hold a date.
How do you make your own save the dates?
Choose a format, set the wording, print or order, then check postage before you commit. Making your own is the cheapest route by a wide margin, and the only real risks are a postage surprise and a file that prints darker than it looked on screen.
Cards, magnets and postcards
Flat cards are the default and cheapest to mail. Magnets end up on a refrigerator, genuinely useful for a date eight months out, though they cost more and need an envelope. Postcards skip the envelope and post at the lowest rate, but everything is public and there is no envelope to signal who is invited.
For a destination wedding the magnet earns its cost. For a local wedding where most guests drive, a flat card is the better spend.
Printing and file setup
Work at 300 DPI, keep a quarter inch of bleed on every edge, and leave text a quarter inch inside the trim line. Print one proof on the actual stock first, because screen colors run brighter than print and a warm cream can arrive grey.
Matching wedding invitation suites mean the invitation you send six months later looks like it belongs with the card that came first.
Postage, before you print
Size decides cost, so check it at the design stage. USPS card-size rules cap the postcard rate at 4.25 by 6 inches. A 5 by 7 card is a lovely size and posts at the letter rate instead, which on 150 guests adds up.
Square cards fall outside the accepted aspect ratio and trigger the non-machinable surcharge regardless of weight, as do magnets and anything rigid. As of the July 2026 rates, USPS lists postcard stamps from $0.65, rectangular envelope stamps from $0.82, and square or oddly shaped ones from $1.31. Weigh a finished sample at the counter before buying in bulk.
What comes after the save the date?
The invitation, six to eight weeks before the wedding. The gap is deliberate: the save the date holds the calendar, and the invitation carries the venue, time, dress code and reply details.
The two need not match, though a shared typeface helps, so choose your printable wedding invitation templates alongside the save the date rather than six months later. Couples on a shorter timeline sometimes skip paper and send online wedding invitations instead, now a normal choice rather than a compromise.
Key Takeaways
A save the date carries five things only: both full names, the wedding date, the city and state, a line saying a formal invitation will follow, and your wedding website.
Anyone who receives a save the date must receive an invitation, so finalize the guest list before a single card goes out.
Send six to eight months ahead for a local wedding and eight to twelve for a destination wedding, adding two months for holiday weekends.
Cards larger than 4.25 by 6 inches lose the USPS postcard rate, and square cards or magnets add a non-machinable surcharge on every piece.
Whoever is named on the envelope is invited, and leaving children unnamed is how an adults-only wedding is traditionally signaled.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good message for a save the date?
A good save the date message gives the names, the date, the city and a line promising an invitation. Everything else is optional. For example: “We’re getting married! Eleanor and Julian, Saturday, June 12, 2027, Charleston, South Carolina. Formal invitation to follow.” Tone is yours; those four pieces are not.
What can I say instead of “save the date”?
Try “mark your calendars,” “we’re getting married,” “the date is set,” “save our date,” “hold the date” or “it’s official.” Formal weddings suit “please reserve the date” or “kindly save the date.” Whichever you pick, keep the line about a formal invitation following, since the alternatives signal it less clearly.
How do you write “save the date” correctly?
Capitalize it as a heading, “Save the Date,” and leave it unhyphenated when it stands alone on the card. Hyphenate only when it works as an adjective, as in “save-the-date card.” Write the date so it cannot be misread: spell the month out rather than using 06.12.27.
How do I announce a save the date?
Tell close family and your wedding party directly first, then send save the dates to everyone on the finalized guest list at once, by post or email. Post publicly only after the cards have gone out, since announcing the date online before your list is set implies an invitation you may not be sending.
What should you include on a save the date?
Both full names, the wedding date, the city and state, and a line saying a formal invitation will follow. Add your wedding website if you have one. Leave off the venue, the ceremony time, the dress code, registry details and anything resembling an RSVP request.
When should you send save the dates?
Six to eight months before a local wedding and eight to twelve months before a destination wedding. Add two months if your date falls on a holiday weekend or in peak season somewhere with limited hotel rooms. Invitations follow separately, six to eight weeks before the day.
How do you address save the date envelopes?
Use one envelope, with no inner envelope, and less formal titles than an invitation would take. First names are acceptable. Send one per household, and name everyone invited, since whoever appears on the envelope is invited and whoever does not, is not.
Do you have to send save the dates?
No. They genuinely help for destination weddings, holiday weekends, and guest lists with a lot of out-of-town travel. For a local wedding twelve months out where most guests live nearby, invitations at six to eight weeks do the job on their own, and skipping the cards saves real money.
Ready to send yours?
Once the wording is settled, the rest is layout. Browse our wedding invitation and stationery templates to customize your save the date, adjust the type and spacing, and download a print-ready file to take to your printer. Everything is editable, so you can drop in the wording from this guide and see how it sits on the card before you order a single one.
