How to Word Your Wedding Save-the-Dates—Plus, Examples to Inspire Your Own

Although save-the-dates aren’t required, many couples—especially those hosting a destination wedding—choose to send out this piece of stationery before mailing their invitations. These details alert your guests that they’ll be invited to your wedding in the coming months, and they also provide a brief mention of the date and location of your nuptials. For events that require travel, giving friends and family a heads up about your big day will allow them to get a jumpstart on booking flights and accommodations. Since to-be-weds typically mail their save-the-dates a few months after their engagement, these elements will give your loved ones an advance notice, so other commitments aren’t as likely to compete with your affair.

Since these special cards are usually the first element of your wedding that friends and family will interact with, you might be wondering how to word them. To help streamline the process for you, we interviewed two professional wedding planners, Mindy Weiss and Chanda Daniels, who shared their top tips for appropriate wording etiquette. Below, we also provide a few examples to inspire you.

Ahead, here’s everything to know about save-the-date wording.

What Exactly Are Save-the-Dates?

Save-the-dates are pieces of wedding stationery—either a paper card or a digital one—that provide the date and location of your nuptials (and sometimes your wedding website) and let guests know that they're going to be invited to your celebration.

While save-the-dates and wedding invitations both provide information about your affair, there are a few key differences. Wedding invitations typically take on more of a formal tone and provide more in-depth details, whereas save-the-dates are briefer and more succinct in comparison. Plus, the timeline differs. For save-the-dates, those planning a local wedding will send their save-the-dates six to eight months before their special day, and those throwing a destination wedding will distribute theirs a year in advance, according to Daniels. Meanwhile, couples are advised to send their wedding invitations much closer to the event: six to eight weeks out.

Save-the-Date Wording Etiquette

To make sure your save-the-dates serve their purpose and properly inform your guests, you'll need to use the right wording. Below, we've unpacked the proper etiquette to keep in mind when crafting these messages.

Note Which Days to Save

The major wording decision, according to Weiss, is whether to use "Save the date" or "Save the weekend." “If you want to say ‘Save the weekend,’ then every guest should be invited to every event, but that’s not always the case,” she notes. If you're throwing a multi-day affair, she advises only including "Save the weekend" if everyone, not only your wedding party and family, is allowed to join each festivity, from the rehearsal dinner to the post-wedding brunch. Otherwise, stick with "Save the date." Of course, if your wedding is only one day, "Save the weekend" won't apply.

Provide Travel Information

If your wedding is taking place in a far-off destination or a majority of your guests will be traveling to your venue, provide as much travel information as possible on your save-the-dates. Share details on airports and hotels, so attendees can make arrangements well in advance. Plus, they won't have to worry about late booking costs. You can replicate and expand upon this information on your wedding website.

Hint at the Upcoming Invitation

Whether you're tying the knot locally or abroad, Weiss says all save-the-dates need to include this key phrase at the bottom: "Invitation to follow." Since save-the-dates don't incorporate all of the necessary information that invitations do, this terminology will avoid potential confusion and eliminate questions from those invited. After reading this sentence, guests will understand that more details will come. It will also remind them to be on the lookout for the invitation.

Refrain from Adding Your Registry Link

Since your save-the-dates are intended to inform guests about the whereabouts of your big day, sharing your wedding registry is a common etiquette mistake to avoid. Instead, introduce the link when you send your wedding invitations, and replicate the URL on your wedding website. Some couples add their website information to their save-the-dates, so that link could indirectly guide attendees to your registry.

Address Them Correctly

While using the right wording on your save-the-date cards is essential, the way you address the envelopes is just as important. This is where you'll specify who's invited, whether it's an individual, a couple, or a family member. If you're inviting a guest and giving them a plus-one, add "and guest" after the person's name.

Add RSVP Information if Needed

Some couples who have an A-list and a B-list add RSVP language to their save-the-date, so they can invite some of the people from the second wave if some from the first round aren't able to attend. To compose a request that's as polite as possible, you can write something along the lines of, "We would love to have you, but please let us know if you are unable to attend." That way, you won't have to wait until you get your official RSVPs back to invite other guests.

Save-the-Date Wording Examples

If you need some inspiration to get started, here are save-the-date wording examples based on various tones, from formal to casual.

Formal

Save the Date
for the wedding of
Sally Jane Smith
and
John Paul Jones
Saturday, the ninth of June
Two thousand and twenty-four
Los Angeles, California
Formal invitation to follow

Traditional

Save the Date
Lauren and Samantha
are getting married!
September 2, 2024
New York City
Formal invitation to follow

Casual

They asked and he said “Yes!”
Zack and Josh
10.20.24
Las Vegas, Nevada
Invitation to follow

Destination

Save the Weekend!
August 17-19, 2024
Emma and Alex
are getting married
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Please see further wedding details at
[weddingwebsite].com

Save-the-Date Examples from Real Weddings

Wondering how real couples worded their save-the-dates? We rounded up a list of ideas from Real Weddings. In addition to the phrasing they used, below, you'll also see details on their design choices.

Nod to Your Theme

Instead of the traditional “Save the date” lingo, this couple paid homage to their Western-inspired barn wedding by writing, “Hold your horses.” The upgrade added a unique, playful flair to their stationery and set the expectation for the look and feel of their upcoming event. To reinforce the country aesthetic, the save-the-dates even included an illustration of a cowboy hat and cowboy boots.

Lead With the Location

While many couples lead with the words, "Save the date," at the top, you can always highlight the location. For example, at their timeless affair filled with baby's breath, this pair wrote "Meet us in Atlanta, GA." This is an especially strong save-the-date wording choice if you're hosting a destination wedding and the locale is a focal point of your nuptials. To clarify the purpose of this piece of stationery, you can always add "Save the date" beneath it.

Modernize Your Date

Spelling out your wedding date is always an option, but adding numerals is a more modern choice, perfect for a contemporary, minimalist affair, like this couple's. Painting your cards in black and white and opting for a plain background, sans illustrations, will also hint at your theme and provide cohesion.

Use Full Sentences

Engaged duos typically write their save-the-dates in fragmented pieces, but you can always word yours in full sentences. We love this choice if you aren't adding any art, but you want to take up negative space. You can even opt for a fun colored background, like this chartreuse card for this pair's barn wedding in California, to provide more visual intrigue.

Prioritize the Illustrations

If your save-the-dates are beautifully illustrated pieces of stationery, you might want to keep the wording to a minimum. Of course, you'll want to add essential pieces of information, like your wedding date and location, but you can always include those on the back and spotlight an intricate drawing on the front. Plus, the work of art can even allude to your locale, like this illustrated motorcycle, flowers, ocean, and map that this bride and groom incorporated into the save-the-dates for their pink-themed wedding in Amalfi, Italy.