When to send save the dates (local, destination and digital)

Save the dates have one job: protect your date before guests fill their calendars with other plans. The timing question is really a question about your guests. How far do they travel, and how much notice do they need to book it?

This guide gives the usual windows, what changes them, two examples with real dates, and where the invitation and RSVP deadline fit afterward.

The short version: a timeline for every case

These ranges are the conventions published by the major wedding stationers and planners. They differ slightly from one source to the next: Paperless Post's etiquette guide (April 2026) suggests 4 to 6 months for a local wedding and 8 to 12 for a destination wedding, while Paperlust's etiquette guide suggests 6 to 8 months and 10 to 12. The table below sits inside those ranges, leaning to the longer end as soon as guests travel.

Sources for the ranges: Paperless Post, “When to send save the dates: etiquette and tips” (April 2026), and Paperlust, “Save the Date Etiquette 101”. The invitation and RSVP rows are common US conventions (some guides send local invitations up to 3 months ahead); your caterer's final headcount date overrides them.

What actually decides your date

How far your guests travel

This is the factor that moves the date the most. A guest who drives an hour needs to keep a Saturday free. A guest who flies across the country needs to book flights, a hotel and perhaps a day off work. Guests coming from abroad may also need a passport renewal or a visa, which can take weeks on its own. Count how many guests on your list will fly, and if it's more than a handful, move down one row in the table.

When in the year you marry

Summer Saturdays, holiday weekends and fall foliage weekends fill up early, for your guests and for hotels near your venue. A wedding on Memorial Day or Labor Day weekend competes with family trips planned months ahead. Add a month or two of notice for those dates.

Whether your plans are final

Send a save the date only once you have two things locked: the date, and the city or region. The venue name is a bonus. If the venue contract isn't signed yet, wait. Changing a date after save the dates are out is possible, but it costs you a second message and some goodwill.

Whether your guest list is final

A save the date is a promise of an invitation. Anyone who receives one expects the invitation that follows. If you're still deciding between a long list and a short one, settle it first. Our save the date etiquette guide covers the guest list questions in detail: plus-ones, children, coworkers and the people you aren't sure about.

Two examples with real dates

Here's how the table plays out with real dates.

A local wedding on Saturday, June 12, 2027

• Save the dates: between October 12 and December 12, 2026. Mid-November works well: before the holiday season, when people start planning the next year.
• Invitations: around April 17 to May 1, 2027.
• RSVP deadline: around May 15 to May 22, 2027, or the date your caterer needs the count.

If you're reading this in the fall of 2026 and marrying in summer 2027, your window is open now.

A destination wedding on Saturday, September 18, 2027

• Save the dates: between September 18 and December 18, 2026. Earlier in that window is better if guests fly internationally.
• Invitations: around June 18, 2027.
• RSVP deadline: around late July 2027, earlier if your venue or hotel block needs numbers sooner.

For a destination wedding, the save the date matters more than the invitation. It's the message that makes people book. Our guide to destination save the date wording has examples that mention travel and hotels.

Too early, too late: the edge cases

Can you send save the dates too early?

Yes. More than about 12 months ahead for a local wedding, guests tend to forget, and the risk that something changes on your side grows. Paperlust's guide puts the outer limit at around 14 to 16 months. If you announce very early, plan a reminder: a short message or the invitation itself.

What if you're already late?

If you're inside 6 months for a local wedding, send the save the date now, or skip it and send the invitation early. For a destination wedding inside 9 months, send it this week and include whatever travel information you already have, so guests can start booking.

Long engagements

With 18 months or more ahead of you, there's no reason to rush. Send save the dates around the 8 to 12 month mark, once the venue is signed.

Where digital save the dates change the math

The ranges above were built around printed cards. A printed save the date needs design, proofing, printing, addressing and postage: often 2 to 4 weeks between the decision and the moment the card lands in a mailbox.

A digital save the date removes that gap. Once the design is ready, it goes out by text, WhatsApp or email the same day, and it arrives the same day. Three practical consequences:

1. You can send at the right moment rather than when the printer is ready. A design from our collection is delivered within 3 business days of the order, so the countdown starts when you decide.
2. Guests abroad receive it as fast as guests next door. International mail can take 1 to 3 weeks; a link takes seconds.
3. The date goes into their calendar right away. Our save the dates include an “add to calendar” button (and, on some designs, a countdown), so the date doesn't sit on a fridge door waiting to be entered.

What doesn't change is the notice your guests need. A digital save the date sent four months before a destination wedding is still late. The comparison of costs and etiquette is in our guide to digital vs. paper save the dates, and the practical steps for sending are in how to send save the dates by text, WhatsApp and email.

Save the date, invitation, RSVP: the full sequence

Think of the three messages as one sequence:

1. Save the date: the date and the place, nothing more. Guests block the weekend and, if needed, start booking travel.
2. Invitation: the full details. Times, venue, dress code, accommodations, schedule, and how to RSVP.
3. RSVP deadline: the date you need final answers, usually set by your caterer and seating chart.

Some couples skip the first step. That works for a short engagement or a small local wedding. For anything involving flights, the save the date is the step guests remember.

A simple checklist before you send

• The date and city are final, and the venue contract is signed or close to it.
• The guest list is final, including who gets a plus-one.
• You have a current phone number or email for every household.
• If guests travel, you know at least the nearest airport and a hotel area.
• You have decided whether the wedding website goes on the save the date or only on the invitation.

Once all five are true, send. The exact week matters much less than sending to the right people with the right information.