A wedding save the date needs to do five things: share your names, announce the date, name the city and state, point guests to your wedding website, and promise that a formal invitation will follow. Send it six to eight months before the wedding, and only to guests who will receive an invitation. On a digital save the date from Greenvelope, all five sit on the card itself, with the website link built in and mailing-address collection ready for the invitation that follows. That is the short version; the rest of this guide answers the questions engaged couples ask most, then walks through creating and sending your own.
Whether you’re mailing traditional save the dates or sending a digital wedding save the date, the etiquette below applies the same way. Greenvelope is a digital invitation platform that delivers beautiful save the date designs in animated envelopes with an ad-free guest experience: customize every detail, collect mailing addresses, and keep your guest list organized in one place. And if you’re still deciding where to send from, our comparison of the best digital save the date platforms breaks down every option side by side.
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Get startedWhat Information Should Be Included on a Wedding Save the Date?
A wedding save the date is the first notification your loved ones will receive about your big day. It contains all the key information so that they can pencil in the date on their calendar.
Most wedding save the dates include:
- Your names
- Your wedding date
- The city and state of your wedding location (you can also include your venue if you wish)
- A link to your wedding website
- A brief mention that a formal invitation will follow
This means that before you send your save the dates, you should have a few details confirmed. First, you’ll need to know your wedding date. Next, you should have either the venue name to share or the rough location. You also need to decide who is on your wedding guest list.
Most save the dates have plenty of room for all the details you need to share based on the template you choose and amount of additional information. Greenvelope allows couples to create stylish digital wedding save the dates delivered beautifully in animated envelopes, with a robust details page to add everything else guests need to know.
What Wording Should You Use?
Your save the date acts as an exciting introduction to your big day, and it’s the perfect opportunity to reflect your style, formality, and personality through the wording you use.
It’s essential to include the basics like your names and the wedding date, but other than that you can be as traditional or playful as you like with the wording. Our guide on save the date wording has everything you need to come up with the right way to share your news.
Should Save the Dates Include an RSVP Card?
No, collecting RSVPs is not necessary (or common) with a save the date. The purpose is to let guests know an invitation is to follow and allow them to mark their calendars or make travel arrangements as necessary.
However, this does present an opportunity to plan ahead, especially if you have interest in sending physical, paper invitations in the future (whether it’s to all or part of your guest list). Greenvelope allows you to easily collect your guests’ physical addresses directly from your save the dates using the Mailing Address collection feature, so your guest list is already built by the time the invitation goes out, whether that invitation is digital or printed. If part of that later send is printed, the invitation mailing generates its own QR code when you create its shareable link, set to open either the RSVP page or the invitation, so a printed card still collects its replies in the same place; our guide to how to add a QR code to a wedding invitation covers where the code goes and how to keep it scannable.
Greenvelope also lets you schedule and send save the dates instantly, tracking opens and responses as they come in. And when it’s time to follow up with your formal invitations, Greenvelope’s RSVP tracking and guest messaging tools make it simple to monitor responses, send reminders, and communicate with your guest list in real time.
When Should You Send Wedding Save the Dates?
Send your save the dates six to eight months before your wedding ceremony. If you’re having a destination wedding or if it’s over a holiday weekend, send them eight to twelve months out to allow plenty of time for your guests to make travel arrangements. For how the save the date fits alongside the invitation send and RSVP deadline, our guide to when to send wedding invitations and save the dates lays out the full wedding stationery calendar, and our invitation timing guide covers every other event type.
Who Should Receive a Save the Date?
You should only send out save the dates to the people you plan to invite to your wedding. This is one of those wedding planning etiquette must-haves. If you’re not sure whether someone’s on your final wedding guest list for the special day, don’t send them a save the date card.
Should the Save the Dates and Wedding Invitations Match?
No, your save the date doesn’t have to match your invitation. In fact, save the dates are generally less formal. You could consider a template design that shows off your gorgeous engagement photos, like this stunning Rose Gold Love Save the Date.
Alternatively, some couples really enjoy matching wedding stationery, which is why many of our wedding templates come in full suites. This means you can have a matching save the date, wedding invitation, and wedding thank you note.
Ultimately, there is no wrong answer when it comes to selecting a template. Any design that truly represents you as a couple is the perfect way to kick off your wedding celebration, and Greenvelope makes it easy to design beautiful save the dates with customizable templates, the ability to add music, photos, and more.
How to Create and Send Digital Wedding Save the Date Cards with Greenvelope
It couldn’t be easier to make and send your own save the dates, especially if you choose to use Greenvelope. Greenvelope is a stylish digital invitation platform with transparent pricing that helps couples and hosts customize, send, and track with ease. Here’s how to create your own wedding save the dates.
1. Decide on Your Wedding Theme or Style
The first step before finding your dream save the dates is to think about what kind of style or design you’d like to go for. We suggest starting with your wedding theme, as having a strong idea of what you want your big day to look like helps inform every other decision.
To find your wedding theme, consider the things you love most individually and as a couple. Think about whether you want a big romantic wedding, a sophisticated gothic wedding, or a whimsical fairytale wedding.
Gather inspiration from magazines, Pinterest, and social media until you’ve settled on a look that the two of you adore. You could also take inspiration from your favorite colors, the destination of your big day, or a shared memory.
2. Find the Perfect Save the Date Template
With your theme in mind, it’s easier to go through all our save the date templates to find your perfect match. Use the color and style filters to find your way to stunning designs, or simply type what you’re looking for in the search bar.
We have digital save the date postcards and invites in every style imaginable, whether you love boho greenery, watercolors, minimalist monograms, classic frames, or invites filled with wildflowers, peonies, or eucalyptus, like the delicate blooms in this Floral Meadow Save the Date. If you’re a fan of bold typography, traditional florals, or classy illustrations, there’s something for everyone.
What If I Want a Completely Unique Design?
If you’d like a completely custom save the date, Greenvelope will pair you with a talented member of our design team. Together, you’ll create the perfect save the date, one that truly reflects you as a couple.
Here are some things to keep in mind when starting that process:
- In addition to your wedding colors, it’s a good idea to brainstorm any floral or graphic elements that you’ll be incorporating into your overall theme. Similar detailing can be added to your design, which will set the stage for your event.
- To get a sense of the look and feel you’re going for, our designers would love to see any images of wedding invitations, stationery, patterns, or materials you love.
- Do you want the wording in your invitation to be formal or casual?
- If you have a wedding Pinterest board or something similar, please share it with your designer.
If you’re creative or have a design already, you can also upload your own custom design and use our system to personalize and send your save the dates.
3. Customize Your Wedding Save the Date Template
After you’ve found your favorite save the date design, it’s time for our favorite part, customizing it! Our templates blend high-quality designs with DIY flexibility to give you a save the date that feels unique to you and your partner.
Play around with the layout until it feels right, then decide between different fonts to change the vibe completely. Choose from a pre-selected invite color palette, or work with our design team to introduce your favorite colors instead. For example, this Finally Happening Save the Date has six color options to choose from, or our design team can offer you total color customization.
Then, just add your wedding day details and any other wording, and you’re ready to go!
With Greenvelope, you can customize your save the date design, add animated envelope elements, and include built-in RSVP tracking so guests can respond directly from the invitation. It’s a complete suite for managing your wedding communications in one place.
4. Schedule or Send to Your Guest List
The final step in the process is to send those wedding save the dates out to your loved ones. With Greenvelope, you can choose to either send your invites right away or schedule them for any time in the future, perfect if you like to stay organized with wedding planning.
Upload your guest list, decide whether to send text or email invites (or both, and a shareable link covers anyone you reach another way), and send those save the dates out to your wedding guests in just a few clicks. For the full send workflow, from uploading your list to delivery tracking, our guide on how to send save the dates online walks every step, and our guide to the best way to send digital invitations weighs email, text message, and a shareable link so you know which route each guest should get.
Send Beautiful Wedding Save the Dates with Greenvelope
Your wedding save the dates are a signal that there’s something exciting to look forward to, your special day! Use this guide to help you plan, create, and send stunning save the dates to your wedding guest list.
If you’re thinking of sending online cards, choose Greenvelope’s digital wedding save the dates for a modern invitation experience. With so many designs to choose from and so many ways to personalize your invites, there’s no better way to get that bespoke feel, with the paper you save as a quiet bonus. And if you’d like to see how Greenvelope compares to every other option before you decide, our save the date platform comparison covers them all.
