Do you need save the dates?

Not always. They’re worth it for weddings in summer, on bank holidays or abroad, and for anything people need to travel to. For a local evening party, an invitation three months ahead is enough.

What do you write on a save the date?

Names, the date, the town or country and “invitation to follow”. Add your website if it’s ready.

Can you send save the dates by email?

Yes. A digital save the date is perfectly acceptable and can link to your website so guests can plan travel early.

Should evening guests get a save the date?

Only if they need to travel or book something. Otherwise, send their invitation with everyone else’s.

All guides

Save the date wording: what to say, and when to send it

Sammy at hitherHosts and guests · 5 min read · Updated 1 November 2026

A save the date has one job: getting your date into people’s calendars before somebody else’s does. It doesn’t need the venue map, the menu or the dress code, and it definitely doesn’t need to be a second invitation. I’ve seen save the dates so detailed that guests assumed they’d already been invited properly. Here’s what to say, when to send it, and the one mistake that’s hard to undo.

When to send a save the date

For a UK wedding, six to twelve months before is the usual window. Summer Saturdays and bank holiday weekends fill up quickly, so lean towards the earlier end if your date is in either. For a wedding abroad, send them nine to twelve months ahead so guests can book leave and catch the cheaper flights.

For most other occasions, from a 40th to a reunion, three to six months is plenty. Anything involving travel or a weekend away deserves more.

What to include

Leave out the start time and the full venue unless you’re certain of them. A save the date is a promise, and it’s much easier to add detail later than to correct it.

Both names (or the guest of honour’s)
The date
The town or country
A line that says a formal invitation will follow
Your website, if it’s ready

Wording you can use

Classic: “Please save the date for the wedding of Hannah Lee and Marcus Bell, Saturday 4 September 2027, Edinburgh. Invitation to follow.”

Relaxed: “We’re getting married! Keep 4 September 2027 free and get ready to dance. Invitation to follow.”

Abroad: “We’re getting married in Puglia! Save 18 to 20 June 2027. Details on flights and places to stay are on our website.”

Not a wedding: “Save the date: Rob is turning 50, and there will be a party. Saturday 3 July, Bristol. Proper invitation to follow.”

Who gets one

Only send a save the date to people you’re certain to invite. This is the mistake that’s hard to undo: a save the date is an invitation in everything but name, and quietly dropping someone between the save the date and the invitation is not something anyone forgets.

If your guest list isn’t settled, send save the dates to the people who are definitely coming and the rest later, or skip them entirely and send invitations a little earlier.

Paper, email or a link

Paper is lovely and gets stuck on fridges. A digital save the date is quicker, costs nothing and can link straight to your website, which means guests can see the travel information as soon as they start thinking about it. Many couples now do both: a card for grandparents, a link for everyone else.