The timing, by kind of wedding
Wedding planners do not agree on one number, but their ranges overlap. WeddingWire suggests four to eight months ahead for a hometown wedding, and four to six months when most people are local. It suggests eight to twelve months for a destination wedding, and around eight months when the wedding falls on a holiday weekend. Our own guidance on the save the date product page sits in the middle: about six to eight months, earlier for a destination wedding or when most guests travel.
| Your wedding | Mail save the dates | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Most guests local | 6 to 8 months before | Enough notice to keep the day free without the card being forgotten |
| Many guests travel within the country | 8 months before | Flights, hotel blocks and time off need planning |
| Destination or abroad | 8 to 12 months before | Passports, leave and travel budgets take longest |
| Holiday weekend | About 8 months before | Guests may already have plans for that weekend |
| Short engagement, under 6 months | As soon as the venue is booked | Or skip them and send invitations early |
Earlier is not always better. A card that arrives more than a year ahead tends to go in a drawer, and details such as the hotel block may not exist yet. Send it when guests can act on it.
Work backward from the mailing day
The date that matters is the day the cards go into the mail, not the day you order them. Count back from it.
| Step | When | What it needs |
|---|---|---|
| Venue and date confirmed | Before anything else | A signed booking, not a hold |
| Guest list settled | Before you design | Everyone on it will expect an invitation |
| Wedding website live | Before you print | The address or QR code on the card must work |
| Design and proofread | 2 to 3 weeks before mailing | Names, date, town, website, spelling |
| Order and delivery | 1 to 2 weeks before mailing | Standard delivery as soon as 6 business days, production included |
| Address, stamp, mail | The final week | Envelopes, stamps and a quiet evening |
Order one card first if you want to see the paper and colors before the full run. Save the date cards are sold from a single card, so checking the real thing costs very little.
Who gets a save the date
Send one only to people you are certain to invite. WeddingWire says save the dates should go to all of your guests and advises against keeping A, B or C lists; a save the date without an invitation later is hard to explain. If the guest list is not final, wait until it is, or go straight to invitations.
Plus ones belong on the card only if you have decided they are invited. Address the card to exactly the people the invitation will name.
What to put on the card
Keep it short. The invitation does the detailed work later.
- Both names.
- The date.
- The town or city, and the venue only if it is already booked.
- A line such as "Formal invitation to follow".
- Your wedding website address, or a QR code that goes to it.
The product page advice is the same: names, date and place, a formal invitation line, and the website where travel details live. If you use a QR code, give it a quiet margin and test it on the printed card; our guide to QR code size covers the minimums. If the website will not be ready in time, print the address anyway only if you are certain of it, and keep the page live from the day the cards land.
Wording that works
Three short patterns cover most cards. Swap in your own names, date and town.
- Save the date. Maya and Daniel, June 12 2027, Asheville, North Carolina. Formal invitation to follow.
- Maya and Daniel are getting married. Keep June 12 2027 free for us in Asheville. Details at our website.
- Mark your calendar. June 12 2027. Maya and Daniel. Asheville. Invitation to follow.
Write the date out the way your guests read it, and put the year on the card: a save the date often sits on a fridge for months. If guests travel, the town matters more than the venue, because it is what they book flights and rooms against.
If the date or venue changes
Plans sometimes move after the cards are out. Tell every guest who received a save the date as soon as the new date or place is confirmed, in the same way you reached them the first time or faster, and update the website the same day. A short printed change card works well for older guests and anyone who keeps paper. Do not wait for the invitation to carry the news: people may already have booked travel.
Sizes, paper and the envelope
Our save the date cards come in five sizes: 5 × 7, 5.5 × 4, 4.6 × 7.2, and two longer options listed as 6 × 9 and 4 × 8 inches, which the invitation guide notes are recorded at 5.472 × 8.504 and 3.74 × 8.268 inches. Paper choices are Standard Matte, Upgraded Premium Matte, Linen, Pearl, Premium Glossy and a 16 pt card with a UV gloss front, with standard, rounded, ticket or wavy trim and optional gold, silver, glitter or red embossed foil.
The 5 × 7 card is the familiar choice. Its file setup on record adds 0.059 inch of bleed on each edge, so the print file is 5.118 × 7.118 inches, or 1536 × 2136 pixels at 300 ppi. If you are using a full bleed engagement photo, that is the size of image to start from. If the same photo will also go on the wall, our canvas print sizes guide covers the pixels for that.
Plan the envelope before you order. A 5 × 7 card goes in an A7 envelope, and our invitation and event printing guide lists the smallest envelope that fits each card size, with the clearance on every side.
Postage: card, letter or extra
Postage depends on the size and the envelope, so check it before you buy stamps.
USPS card prices apply only to pieces between 3.5 and 4.25 inches high, 5 and 6 inches long, and 0.007 to 0.016 inch thick. A 5 × 7 card is larger than that, so it mails as a letter, in an envelope. The 5.5 × 4 size falls inside the card height and length; whether it mails at the card price depends on its thickness, so ask at the post office with a printed card in hand. USPS also charges more for square envelopes and for rigid or lumpy pieces, which matters if you add a ribbon, a wax seal or a magnet.
Take one finished, sealed card to the post office and have it weighed and measured before you buy stamps for all of them.
Save the date checklist
- Confirm the venue and the date in writing.
- Settle the guest list; send only to people you will invite.
- Get the wedding website live before you print its address.
- Mail 6 to 8 months ahead for a local wedding, 8 to 12 for a destination.
- Proofread names, date and town twice, out loud.
- Order one card first if you are unsure about paper.
- Weigh one finished card at the post office before buying stamps.
Frequently asked questions
How far in advance should you send save the dates?
About six to eight months before a wedding where most guests are local, and eight to twelve months ahead for a destination wedding or a guest list that has to travel. Around eight months suits a holiday weekend. Planners give slightly different ranges, but they overlap on these windows.
Is it too early to send save the dates a year ahead?
For a destination wedding, twelve months is reasonable. For a local wedding it is usually early: the card tends to be put away and forgotten, and hotel blocks or the website may not be ready. Send it when guests can act on the details.
Do you have to invite everyone who gets a save the date?
Yes. A save the date tells someone they will be invited, so send one only to people on your final guest list. WeddingWire advises sending them to all of your guests and not using A, B or C lists.
Can you mail a 5 × 7 save the date as a postcard?
No. USPS card prices apply only to pieces up to 4.25 by 6 inches and 0.016 inch thick, so a 5 × 7 card mails as a letter in an envelope, usually an A7. Weigh and measure one finished card at the post office before you buy stamps.
Sources & specification notes
The references below support the relevant technical or product details in this guide. Examples and checklists are not claims of practical testing or universal production requirements. Confirm the current specifications for your chosen product before production.
- WeddingWire: When to send save the dates
Suggests four to eight months ahead for a hometown wedding, eight to twelve months for a destination wedding, about eight months for a holiday weekend, and sending save the dates to all guests without A, B or C lists.
- USPS DMM 101: physical standards for retail mail
Postcards must be 3.5 to 4.25 inches high, 5 to 6 inches long and 0.007 to 0.016 inch thick to mail at card prices.
- USPS: sending letters
Square envelopes and rigid or lumpy items cost more to send.
- Voqado: Save the date cards specifications
Five sizes, six paper stocks, four trims, embossed foil options, 1 to 10,000 cards, and a 5 × 7 file setup of 0.059 inch bleed, 5.118 × 7.118 inches, 1536 × 2136 pixels at 300 ppi.
