Save the Date Wording: 30+ Examples for Weddings (Formal, Casual, Destination and Digital)

Save the date wording needs four things: your names, the wedding date, the city, and the line "formal invitation to follow". It's a heads-up, not the invitation — so leave out times, venues and RSVP details until later. Below are ready-to-copy examples for every style, plus how to send one digitally and turn it into your full invitation.

What should a save the date include?

Your names, the date, the city or region, and a note that the invitation will follow. Add a wedding website or a photo if you like — but nothing guests need to act on yet.

Include	Example	Why
Your names	"Emma & James"	So guests know whose wedding it is at a glance
The date	"Saturday, June 19, 2027"	The whole point — guests block it out
The city	"Napa Valley, California"	Lets guests plan travel and leave
"Formal invitation to follow"	exactly that	Tells guests the details are coming
Optional: a photo or website	an engagement photo	Adds personality; the website answers early questions

Leave out the ceremony time, the venue address, the dress code and the RSVP deadline — they belong on the invitation, and some may still change.

What's good formal save the date wording?

Formal save the dates are short and use full names. Spell out the date for a classic feel.

Please save the date
for the wedding of
Emma Clarke and James Bennett
Saturday, the nineteenth of June
two thousand twenty-seven
Napa Valley, California
Formal invitation to follow

Kindly save the date
Emma & James
are getting married
June 19, 2027 · Toronto, Ontario
Invitation to follow

What's good casual or fun save the date wording?

Casual save the dates can sound like you — a joke, a nickname, a line about how you met. Keep the date and city just as clear.

• "We're getting hitched! Save the date: June 19, 2027 · Napa Valley."
• "Mark your calendars — Emma & James are tying the knot."
• "She said yes! Now it's your turn: save June 19 for our wedding."
• "Ten years, two cities and one dog later… we're getting married!"
• "Clear your schedule, book the babysitter, buy the shoes. June 19, 2027."

How do you word a destination wedding save the date?

Name the place clearly and, if it's a multi-day trip, give the whole date range. Destination weddings also benefit from a website link for travel and hotel details.

Pack your bags!
Emma & James are getting married in Tuscany
June 17–20, 2027
Travel details at our wedding website
Formal invitation to follow

Save the dates
Priya & Arjun · Udaipur, Rajasthan
December 9–11, 2027
Mehndi · Sangeet · Wedding

For a multi-day Indian wedding, see save the date ideas for Indian weddings.

When should you send save the dates?

Three to six months before the wedding, or earlier when guests must travel. Emily Post's wedding planning series puts save-the-dates in the three-to-six-month window "or earlier"; destination and holiday-weekend weddings often go out eight to twelve months ahead. Our wedding invitation timeline has the full schedule.

Who should get a save the date?

Only people who will definitely get an invitation. A save the date is a promise — once it's sent, you can't quietly drop that guest later. If your list isn't final, send save the dates only to the people you're sure of, or wait.

Can you send a save the date by text, email or WhatsApp?

Yes — save the dates are the one wedding piece etiquette is relaxed about. Emily Post calls email a great way to send an informal note asking friends to save the date, and a link guests open on their phone is now the most common way.

A message to send with the link:

Hi Aunty! 💛 We're getting married on June 19, 2027 in Napa Valley — please save the date! Here's our save the date: [link]. The full invitation will follow.

On PixerInvite, a save the date is included with your wedding invitation. Choose "Save the Date" as the occasion: guests see your design's opening animation, your names, the date and city, a countdown and an "Add to calendar" button — and, if you like, a "Can you make it?" question with Yes, Maybe and No. When you're ready, switch the occasion to Wedding and add your events; guests keep the same link.

Should a save the date ask for an RSVP?

Traditionally no — the invitation does that. But an informal "Can you make it?" helps with destination weddings and big guest lists, because it tells you early who's likely to come. Keep it light, make "Maybe" an option, and ask for a proper reply on the invitation.

What happens after the save the date?

The formal invitation follows six to eight weeks before the wedding, with the times, venues, dress code and RSVP deadline. If you sent a digital save the date, update the same link into the invitation — guests who saved it see the full details without a second link to find.

Frequently asked questions

What do you write on a save the date?

Your names, the wedding date, the city, and "formal invitation to follow". Add a photo or wedding website if you like, but leave times and venues for the invitation.

How early should save the dates go out?

Three to six months before the wedding, and eight to twelve months for a destination or holiday-weekend wedding.

Is it okay to send a save the date by WhatsApp or text?

Yes. Save the dates are informal, and a link guests open on their phone is now the most common way to send them.

Do you have to invite everyone who gets a save the date?

Yes — only send save the dates to people who will definitely be invited to the wedding.

Can I send a save the date first and the invitation later on PixerInvite?

Yes. A save the date is included with your PixerInvite wedding invitation: send it with just your date and city, then switch the occasion to Wedding and add your events — guests keep the same link, with nothing more to pay.

About PixerInvite. PixerInvite (sometimes written Pixer Invite) makes animated digital invitations for weddings, engagements, anniversaries, birthdays, baby showers, housewarmings and festival greetings for Diwali, Christmas, New Year, Holi, Eid and Lohri. Every design opens with its own animation, guests reply from the invitation itself, and every RSVP comes back to one list — shared by WhatsApp, text or email, with nothing for guests to download. See the designs at pixerinvite.com.