Destination Wedding Save the Dates: Timing, Wording, Examples
Send destination wedding save the dates 9 to 12 months before the wedding, as soon as the date and the venue are locked. Include your names, the date written in full, the destination with the country, the nearest airport, a hotel area or room block, your wedding website and the words "invitation to follow." The save the date is the message that makes guests book, so give them enough to start.
At a local wedding, the save the date is a courtesy. At a destination wedding, it is the message that decides who comes. Guests have to book flights, a hotel and days off, often in a season when all three are expensive, and they do it on the strength of this first message. The invitation arrives months later, when the booking should already be done.
That changes three things: when you send it, what you put on it, and how it reaches guests who may live in several countries.
When to send a destination wedding save the date
| Situation | Send the save the date | Then the invitation |
|---|---|---|
| Destination wedding, guests flying domestically | 9 to 10 months before | 10 to 12 weeks before |
| Destination wedding, guests flying internationally | 10 to 12 months before | 12 weeks before |
| Guests need visas, or the wedding is in peak season | 12 months before, as soon as the venue is signed | 12 weeks before, or up to 6 months for visa destinations |
| Wedding weekend with several events | 10 to 12 months before, with "plan for a long weekend" | 12 weeks before, with the full schedule |
| Already inside 9 months | This week, with whatever travel information you have | On the normal schedule |
These windows sit inside the ranges published by US stationers in 2026: Paperless Post's etiquette guide (April 2026) gives 8 to 12 months, Zola's guide (updated July 2025) gives 8 to 12 months, and Paperlust's etiquette guide gives 10 to 12. Bliss & Bone's timeline (updated July 2026) pairs save the dates at 8 to 12 months with invitations at 10 to 12 weeks, and suggests up to 6 months for invitations when guests need visas.
The reason for the early end is practical. Airlines generally open bookings close to a year ahead, and fares for a June weekend on the Amalfi Coast or an August weekend in the Greek islands climb through the spring. A save the date that lands when guests can actually book is worth more than a prettier one that lands three months later. Our full timeline, from twelve months to the day, is in the destination wedding invitation timeline.
Two dates that override the convention
- The room block release. Many hotels hold a block only until a set date, then release unsold rooms. If your block releases five months before the wedding, your guests need the save the date well before that.
- The visa clock. Some guests will need a visa or an electronic travel authorization, and some will need a passport renewal first. Nine months is comfortable; four is not.
What to include
A destination save the date carries more than a local one, because it has to make booking possible. It still should not become the invitation.
| Include | Helpful if you have it | Leave for the invitation |
|---|---|---|
| Both names | Wedding website | Ceremony and reception times |
| The date, written in full | Nearest airports | Venue address and directions |
| Destination and country | Hotel area, or the room block with its code and release date | Dress code |
| "Invitation to follow" | "Plan for a long weekend" when there are several events | Full schedule of events |
| A passport or visa reminder | RSVP and deadline | |
| A travel contact, if a planner is handling bookings | Registry |
Three details matter more at a destination wedding than anywhere else:
- Write the date in full. "6/12/2027" is June 12 in the United States and December 6 in Italy, France and most of the world. "Saturday, June 12, 2027" cannot be misread by a guest in either country.
- Name the country. "Como" is enough for your friends; "Lake Como, Italy" is what your great-aunt types into a flight search.
- Point to one place for travel information. The website, or a single page, that you will keep updated. The save the date should not try to hold everything, and anything printed on it cannot be corrected later.
Wording examples to copy
Each example has the four essentials: names, full date, destination with country, and "invitation to follow." Change the names and places; keep the structure. For 60 more, by tone, see our save the date examples.
1. Classic, with airports
Save the date
Olivia Bennett and Marcus Hale
Saturday, June 19, 2027
Villa del Balbianello, Lake Como, Italy
Nearest airports: Milan Malpensa and Milan Linate
Invitation and travel details to follow
2. With a room block
Please save the date for our wedding
Olivia and Marcus · June 19, 2027 · Varenna, Lake Como, Italy
Rooms are held at Hotel Villa Serena under "Bennett-Hale" until March 1, 2027
Invitation to follow
3. Formal, hosted by parents
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Bennett ask you to save the date
for the marriage of their daughter Olivia to Marcus Hale
Saturday, the nineteenth of June, two thousand twenty-seven
Ravello, Amalfi Coast, Italy
Formal invitation to follow
4. Wedding weekend
Save the weekend
Olivia and Marcus are getting married in the Cyclades
June 18 to 20, 2027 · Paros, Greece
Welcome drinks on Friday, the wedding on Saturday, a slow Sunday by the sea
Invitation and travel guide to follow
5. With a passport reminder
Olivia and Marcus · June 19, 2027 · Tulum, Mexico
A valid passport is required for travel; please check yours now
Hotel suggestions on our website
Invitation to follow
6. Short and warm
We're getting married in Provence.
Olivia and Marcus · June 19, 2027 · Gordes, France
Come for the weekend; invitation to follow
7. Riviera, with the website
Save the date on the French Riviera
Olivia Bennett and Marcus Hale
June 19, 2027 · Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, France
Flights, hotels and a few favorite places: oliviaandmarcus.com
Invitation to follow
8. Island wedding, with ferry note
Olivia and Marcus are getting married on Mallorca
Saturday, June 19, 2027 · Deià, Spain
Fly into Palma; we'll share hotels and transfers with the invitation
Please save the date
9. Corsica, intimate
A small wedding by the sea
Olivia and Marcus · June 19, 2027 · Domaine de Murtoli, Corsica, France
We'd love you to make the trip. Invitation and travel details to follow
10. Ireland, two countries of guests
Save the date
Olivia Bennett and Marcus Hale
Saturday, 19 June 2027 · Kinsale, County Cork, Ireland
Nearest airports: Cork and Dublin
Invitation to follow
Example 10 writes the date day-first because most guests are in Ireland and the UK. If your list is split between countries, write the month in letters and the day as a number, which both conventions read correctly.
The message that goes with it
A digital save the date travels as a link, and the message around the link is what makes a guest open it. Say who you are, what it is, and where the wedding is, in two lines:
Hi Aunt Carol, it's Olivia. Marcus and I are getting married at Lake Como next June, and here is our save the date with the date and travel basics: [link]. Invitation to follow in the spring.
Hello from Olivia and Marcus: we set a date, June 19, 2027, in Paros, Greece. Our save the date is here: [link]. We'll send hotel and ferry details with the invitation.
Send one message per household, from your own number or email, and avoid large group chats. The practical steps, including WhatsApp broadcast lists and keeping an email out of spam, are in our guide to sending save the dates by text, WhatsApp and email.
Guests in several countries
Destination weddings usually mean guests in at least two countries, and sometimes five. A few habits prevent most confusion:
- One link for everyone. Mailing cards internationally takes one to three weeks and costs more; a link arrives the same day in Chicago and in Milan.
- Time the send for the guest, not for you. A message sent at 9 p.m. in New York arrives at 3 a.m. in Rome. Send in the morning, your time, and the evening works for guests in Europe.
- Give the city and the country, not just the venue. Guests abroad may not know where a villa is.
- Plan for the guests who do not use phones the same way. A phone call to a grandparent, or a printed card for a few households, costs little and is kinder than assuming.
Designs made for a destination
Our save the dates are delivered as a private link, within three business days of the order for a design from the collection, and each one includes an "add to calendar" button. Biplanes sends three biplanes across the sky, each towing a word, with a countdown to the date, which suits a wedding that guests fly to. Eclipse turns from day to night, and Swan Lake opens an embroidered card tied with a lilac ribbon.
When the invitation follows, it can be built around the place itself. Limoncello opens butter-yellow shutters onto Villa del Balbianello and Lake Como; Cyclades opens a blue door onto the Aegean; Riviera paints Villa Ephrussi at Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat; Sand & Silk is the cove at Murtoli, in Corsica, seen through linen curtains; L'Orangerie is Marrakech, with cedar doors and lanterns. The invitation can be written in two languages with the Essential plan, three with Signature and as many as you need with Bespoke, and each guest picks their own, which matters when half the list reads Italian and the other half does not. The Signature plan includes a save the date from the collection.
What comes next
The save the date starts the clock, but it does not finish the job. Guests will expect the invitation about three months before the wedding, with the schedule, the venue details and the RSVP deadline, and the ones who have not booked by then will need a reminder. The sequence, with dated examples and the RSVP deadline for a wedding abroad, is in our destination wedding invitation timeline. For the general rules on who gets a save the date and what happens if plans change, see the save the date etiquette guide.
Frequently asked questions
When should you send save the dates for a destination wedding?
Nine to twelve months before the wedding. US stationers converge on this window: Paperless Post and Zola give 8 to 12 months, Paperlust gives 10 to 12. Send at the early end if guests fly internationally, if the wedding falls in peak season, or if anyone needs a visa.
What should a destination wedding save the date include?
Your names, the full date, the destination and country, the nearest airport, a hotel area or room block, your wedding website and "invitation to follow." Add "plan for a long weekend" if there is a welcome party or a day-after brunch. Leave the schedule, the dress code and the RSVP for the invitation.
Should the hotel room block go on the save the date?
Yes, if it is booked. Give the hotel name and the booking code or link, and the date the block releases if you know it. Guests who book early get the room; guests who wait for the invitation often find the block gone.
Should I mention passports or visas on a save the date?
A short line helps: "A valid passport is required" or "Check visa requirements for Italy." Passport renewals take weeks, and guests appreciate the nudge nine months out rather than nine weeks out.
Do I send a destination save the date to everyone on the list?
Yes, to everyone on the final list, even those you expect to decline. A save the date is a promise of an invitation, and guessing who will travel is a reliable way to offend someone who would have come.
Can I send a save the date before the venue is booked?
Only if the date and the destination are final and the venue cannot change the date. If the venue contract is what fixes the date, wait for the signature.
How do destination guests receive a digital save the date?
As a link, by text, WhatsApp or email, the same day, wherever they live. There is no international postage or delay, and the "add to calendar" button puts the date in their calendar at once.
Designs in this guide
A save the date that opens on their phone
11 animated designs, each with a live demo to open before you order. $29 per design, delivered within 3 business days; included with Signature.
Keep reading
Send save the dates 6 to 8 months ahead, or 9 to 12 for a destination wedding. A timeline for every case, with real dates and the digital option.
Guide · 10 min readDestination Wedding Invitation Timeline: Save the Dates to RSVPsWhen to send destination wedding invitations, save the dates and RSVP reminders when guests must book flights and hotels. Dated table and a worked example.
Guide · 10 min readSave the date examples: 60 wordings to copy for every tone60 save the date examples to copy: formal, simple, fun, short, destination, small weddings, adults only, the text for a digital save the date.
Guide · 6 min readHow to send save the dates by text, WhatsApp and emailHow to send a digital save the date by text, WhatsApp or email: individual or group, broadcast lists, link previews, avoiding spam, and messages to copy.
All articles · Save the dates · Complete guide: When to send save the dates (local, destination and digital)