What Is a Save the Date, and Do You Really Need One?

You’ve started to get organised with your wedding plans, found the dream wedding venue, and just finalised the date that the big day will take place…exciting times! Ok, you’ve still got quite a big to-do list to get through; contacting vendors, finalising that all-important guest list etc., but at least you know when your wedding will actually happen. Congratulations! You are making great progress, so this would be the perfect time to send out some save-the-dates to your loved ones. But let's start by discussing what a save the date is and whether you need one.

Save the Dates

A save the date is a brief note in the form of a paper or digital invitation that tells your guests the basic (but super important) information regarding your special day. Usually, it would include the date of your big day and, if you know this, the location. This way, guests get a brief heads-up and can avoid booking holidays or forming other commitments over attending your wedding, which will avoid a lot of disappointment and rejigging plans later down the line.

It is always helpful for your loved ones to have plenty of notice regarding when your wedding will be held as, let’s face it, they will want to be there to celebrate with you both, and you understandably want as many of your loved ones to be there too!

What to include on your save the dates

All you need to include on your save the date is quite literally your and your partner’s name, the venue (if that has already been confirmed) and the date. Easy! A save-the-date doesn’t require all the ins and outs of your big day. That can be mapped out later in the form of your official wedding invitation. But if you already have a wedding website (we recommend you do this first), save-the-date cards are a great way to direct wedding guests to your dedicated website. That way, guests can check in on your wedding website as and when more details are confirmed.

Our final tip here would be to add a little note at the bottom of the save the date that reads something along the lines of, ‘Formal invitation to follow’ so that your guests know to expect an official wedding invitation with further information in due course.

When to send your save the dates

We would generally advise sending save the dates as soon as you have confirmed the date of the wedding, simply to avoid the disappointment of loved ones making other plans. They can be sent out anywhere between 6 – 12 months before the wedding but sending them anytime between 9 – 12 months ahead of the big day would give guests plenty of time to plan their trips or events around your wedding date. This is especially important if they have far to travel or additional arrangements to make, such as childcare or booking time off work.

Save the dates and destination weddings

If you're planning a destination wedding (great call!), we would suggest sending your save the dates with as much notice as possible. Again, this eliminates the friends and family you've invited to your wedding from making other commitments and gives them time to plan ahead and save. Don't forget that your wedding guests might be seeing this as a mini-holiday, so giving them advanced notice will allow them to make all the necessary arrangements with plenty of time to play with.

As a side note, a wedding website is an incredibly useful tool if you're going down the destination wedding route. With plenty of space to play with, you can add as much information as you want to help your guests plan their break, including hints and tips on local attractions as well as accommodation, restaurant and bar recommendations.

What about digital wedding stationery?

When it comes to wedding stationery, we advise keeping things as simple and stress-free as possible. One of the ways to do this is to go completely digital with your stationery suite. Did you know that Say I do gives you the tools to create beautiful digital wedding stationery at a very competitive price? From here, you can create and send everything, from your save the dates to your wedding invitations to your thank you cards all from one wedding website platform. Choose a template that suits your wedding theme, and away you go. Sign up for free and get started in a matter of minutes!

There's no denying that printed stationery is beautiful; it's a keepsake, and having something tangible is always lovely. However, you need to carefully factor in time when it comes to traditional printed stationery. You need time to choose, tweak and sign off your design whilst ensuring your wedding details fit perfectly on the paper (and are correct before going to print!). You also need to allow plenty of time for printing and posting; remember, this is for your save-the-dates alone! Printed stationery can also significantly dent your wedding budget, so ensure you've factored this in from the start.

Best of both worlds

So, whether you choose to send out digital save the dates or opt for getting them printed and sending them in the mail, you'll need to do a bit of admin around both in the form of collecting your guests' addresses. This process can be a little time-consuming, as it's unlikely you'll have all of your guests' details to hand, so start early. Trust us; it will be worth all the legwork whichever way you go because you'll then be able to use this information for your official invitations and thank you cards further down the line.

If you're truly undecided about your wedding stationery and aren't sure which style to go for, why not send a combination of printed and electronic wedding stationery? For example, you could create a wedding website, send out digital save the dates to include your website URL or QR code, and then pop traditional wedding invitations and thank-you cards in the mail. Just remember, if you decide to go for a combination, when collecting information from your guests, ask for both their postal and email addresses!

At the end of the day, it's your call!

However you choose to send out your save the dates, whether that’s digitally, in paper form, at 6 months or at 12 months before the big day, remember that everything relating to your wedding date is entirely up to you, and that includes save the dates too - they are optional! You may feel that save the dates aren’t for you, and that is totally fine. As long as you remember that they are a simple step in your wedding planning journey and as they include essential info only, you might decide they’re a quick win if it guarantees all of your guests can make it to your wedding day!