Digital save the dates: who gets one and what to include

A save the date is a short notice that tells guests the date and the place before the invitation arrives, so they can keep the day free and plan travel. It is a promise of an invitation, which is why the first rule is about who gets one rather than what it says.

Who should get a save the date?

Only people you are certain to invite. Everyone who receives a save the date must receive an invitation; there is no polite way to withdraw one. If you are still deciding about part of the list, send save the dates only to the people you are sure of and invite the others with the invitation itself.

Plus ones are the classic trap. If you are going to invite a guest's partner, name them on the save the date. If you are not sure yet, the save the date should go to the guest alone.

Do you need save the dates at all?

You need them when guests have to plan: a date more than four months away, a holiday weekend, a destination, or a lot of guests who will fly. For a small local wedding with invitations going out early, you can skip them without anyone minding. The timing question has its own article; the short version is six to eight months ahead, and eight to twelve for a destination.

What should a save the date say?

• Your names
• The date
• The town or city (and the country, if guests are coming from abroad)
• "Formal invitation to follow", so nobody mistakes it for the invitation
• A link, if there is somewhere to find more as plans settle

That is all. A save the date that tries to be a small invitation creates questions you are not ready to answer.

What should it leave out?

• The full venue and schedule, unless they are completely final
• An RSVP request, which belongs to the invitation
• Registry or gift information
• Anything about children or plus ones that you have not decided

Why does a digital save the date work so well?

Because it does not have to be thrown away. A printed save the date is a separate piece of paper that goes on the fridge and is replaced later. A digital one can live at the same link that later becomes the full invitation: today it shows the date and a countdown, and when you are ready it shows the schedule, the map and the reply form. Guests keep one link the whole way through.

That is how our own save the date works. It shows your names, the date and a countdown in the colors of your design, so add the town in the message you send with it. It is free and meant for your closest circle, and when you choose a plan it turns into the full invitation at the same address, so nothing has to be sent twice.

A save the date is a promise. Send it to the people you are sure of, and keep it short enough that you never have to correct it.

Wording you can copy

"Save the date for the wedding of Emma Collins and James Porter. June 12, 2027, Hudson Valley, New York. Formal invitation to follow." For a more relaxed tone: "We're getting married! Keep June 12, 2027 free for us. Hudson Valley, invitation to follow." There are more versions, for every tone, on our wording pages.