Digital save the dates
Save the dates that feel like the start of something.
A save the date has one job: get your date into calendars before anything else is decided. It is short by design, which makes every word and every choice of type count. Below are thirteen save the date wording examples, from a classic engraved card to a postponement notice, each shown on a real Bloomvite template. Press Use this wording to start yours. Bloomvite sets a save the date up as an announcement: replies are switched off, the card says an invitation will follow, and each guest gets a personal link that opens it. When the time comes, turn the same event into your invitation and switch RSVPs on. Free for up to 50 people, with no watermark.
Reviewed September 2026. Etiquette and timing are sourced below.
Elena & Marcus
Save the date
Elena Ruiz
and
Marcus Bell
October 14, 2028
Charleston, South Carolina
Formal invitation to follow
Templates we would start with
How it works
- 1
Pick a template
Choose a design, then change the font pair, accent color, and cover photo on a live preview that is the real invitation.
- 2
Add details and guests
Create the event as "Save the date", fill in the date and venue, and add guests by hand, or import a list on Pro or Large.
- 3
Send and relax
Send each guest a personal link from your email or messages. Review replies in the guest list. Pro and Large add reminder emails for eligible pending guests with email addresses.
What to include
- Your names
- First names are enough for a casual card; full names suit a formal one. On Bloomvite the name lines are set larger automatically.
- The date
- The one thing guests must write down. A single date for most weddings, a range for a wedding weekend or a destination trip.
- The place
- City and state, or city and country. The venue can wait for the invitation unless guests need it to book travel.
- Invitation to follow
- A short line that tells guests a formal invitation is coming, so they do not wonder whether this was it.
- Travel help, if needed
- For a destination or out-of-town wedding, a section below the card with hotel blocks and airports saves you dozens of messages.
- What to leave off
- RSVP requests, the schedule, and registry details belong on the invitation or wedding website, not the save the date.
Wording examples you can use
Each example is shown on a real template. "Use this wording" starts your invitation with it, and you change the names and details to yours.
Classic save the dates
Formal wording for a formal wedding, including one sent in the bride's parents' names.
Elena & Marcus
Save the date
Elena Ruiz
and
Marcus Bell
October 14, 2028
Charleston, South Carolina
Formal invitation to follow
Charlotte & William
Please save the date
for the wedding of
Charlotte Ainsley Pierce
and
William Hayes Dunmore
Saturday, the twenty-fifth of September
two thousand twenty-seven
Newport, Rhode Island
Invitation to follow
Anna & Lucas
Mr. and Mrs. George Novak
ask that you save the date
for the marriage of their daughter
Anna Novak
to
Lucas Ferreira
June 5, 2027
Asheville, North Carolina
Modern save the dates
Short lines, numerals, and room for personality, or for a photo of the two of you.
Tessa & Jordan
Tessa & Jordan
10.14.28
Charleston, SC
Invitation to follow
Kai & Ruby
Kai
Ruby
are getting married
Save the date
08.21.27
Brooklyn, New York
Jess & Danny
Clear your calendar
(and your dance card)
Jess Park and Danny Alvarez
are getting married
Saturday, May 15, 2027
Austin, Texas
Details to follow, snacks guaranteed
Maya & Eli
We're getting married!
Maya Brooks and Eli Rosen
Sunday, September 26, 2027
Hudson Valley, New York
Save the date. The invitation will follow in the summer.
Destination and wedding weekend
When guests need to book flights and hotels, the save the date carries more of the load and goes out earlier.
Lina & Paolo
Pack your bags
Lina Haddad and Paolo Russo
are getting married in Oaxaca, Mexico
March 3 to 5, 2028
Hotel blocks and travel tips to follow
Harper & Cole
Save the weekend
Harper Quinn and Cole Matthews
Friday, July 9 to Sunday, July 11, 2027
Big Sky, Montana
Welcome dinner, wedding, and a farewell brunch.
Invitation and travel details to follow.
Amira & Daniel
Save the date
Amira Khalil
and
Daniel Hoffman
Saturday, April 22, 2028
Chicago, Illinois
We are sending this a year ahead so there is time for visas and flights.
Formal invitation to follow
Special situations
An elopement with a party later, a holiday weekend when hotels fill early, and the save the date nobody wants to send but many couples have: a new date.
Nora & Sam
We eloped!
Nora Blake and Sam Okoye
invite you to save the date for a celebration
Saturday, June 17, 2028
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Party details to follow
Claire & Ethan
Save the date
Claire Dubois and Ethan Walsh
Labor Day weekend
Saturday, September 2, 2028
Lake Tahoe, California
Book early, the lake fills up. Invitation to follow.
Rosa & Ian
Change the date
Rosa Martinez and Ian Fletcher
have moved their wedding to
Saturday, October 7, 2028
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Same couple, same place, new date. New invitation to follow.
Etiquette notes
When to send it
The two sources frame it differently. Emily Post says to send save the dates as soon as the wedding date is known. The Knot gives a range of six to eight months before the wedding and suggests the eight-month end when guests are traveling far or the date falls on a holiday weekend. In practice: as soon as your date and city are certain, and no later than six months out.
Sources: [1] Emily Post Institute, [2] The Knot
A save the date is a promise
Both sources agree on the one rule that matters most: anyone who receives a save the date must receive a wedding invitation. Send them only to people you are certain to invite. If your guest list is still moving, wait until it settles, or skip save the dates for the uncertain part of the list.
Sources: [1] Emily Post Institute, [2] The Knot
What it needs to say
Very little. The Knot's summary is that you need your when and where: the date and the general location, not the exact venue. Emily Post notes the location may be included. Everything else, from the RSVP to the schedule, waits for the invitation.
Sources: [2] The Knot, [1] Emily Post Institute
Sending it digitally
Even Emily Post, which still prefers printed wedding invitations, lists an emailed save the date as acceptable. It is the easiest part of the wedding stationery to send online: it is informal by nature, it needs no reply, and it can be corrected if plans change.
Source: [5] Emily Post Institute
How a save the date works on Bloomvite
Choose Save the date when you create an event. Bloomvite switches replies off, adds an invitation-to-follow note, and adds a travel section for you to fill in. Add your guests, then send each one their personal link by email, text, or WhatsApp; the link opens the save the date itself, with nothing to reply to. When it is time for the invitation, change the event type to Wedding, update the wording, turn RSVPs on, and send the links again from your inbox, or keep the save the date as it is and create the invitation as a separate event.
Digital or printed?
Digital save the dates are cheaper, faster, and easy to update if plans change, which is why many couples send them even when the invitation will be printed. Printed cards make a nice keepsake for close family. A mix works well: a digital save the date to everyone, and a printed card to the grandparents. For timing across the whole year, see when to send digital wedding invitations.
When to send it
- As soon as the date is set Emily Post's advice: send save the dates as soon as the wedding date is known. [1]
- 6 to 8 months before The Knot's window for most weddings, leaning toward 8 months for a faraway location or a holiday weekend. [2]
- If your date moves Send a change the date notice right away, before guests book travel, and use the same guest list.
- 6 to 8 weeks before The invitation itself. On Bloomvite, switch the same event to a wedding and turn RSVPs on, or create the invitation as its own event. [3][4]
Pricing
Free
1 event, up to 50 people, every template and RSVP. You share it yourself. No watermark.
$39 per event
Up to 300 people, plus emailed invitations and reminders, seating, CSV import, and QR check-in.
$79 per event
Up to 1,000 people. Everything in Pro.
One-time, no subscription. Full pricing.
Questions
- When should save the dates go out?
- Emily Post says as soon as the wedding date is known. The Knot suggests six to eight months before the wedding, leaning toward eight for a faraway location or a holiday weekend.
- Does everyone who gets a save the date have to be invited?
- Yes. Both Emily Post and The Knot say anyone who receives a save the date must receive an invitation, so only send one to people you are certain to invite.
- Is a digital save the date acceptable?
- Yes. Emily Post lists emailed save the dates as acceptable even though it prefers printed wedding invitations. Send one to each household personally, not as a group message.
- Should a save the date include the venue?
- Not necessarily. The Knot says the date and general location are enough. Include the venue if guests need it to choose a hotel or book travel.
- Do I need a save the date for a small wedding?
- No. Save the dates help guests who must travel or plan around a busy season. For a small local wedding, the invitation alone is fine.
- Can guests RSVP to a save the date?
- No, and they should not need to. Bloomvite switches replies off for a save the date. RSVPs come with the invitation.
- How do I word a change the date card?
- Keep it short and clear: your names, the new date, the place, and that a new invitation will follow. The Change the date example above is a good starting point.
- What does a Bloomvite save the date cost?
- Free for one event and up to 50 people, with every template and no watermark. Larger guest lists are $39 per event for up to 300 people, one-time, no subscription.
Sources
- Emily Post Institute, 21st Century Wedding Trends. Read September 25, 2026, from an archived copy.
- The Knot, Save-the-Date Etiquette: When to Send Them and More. Read September 25, 2026.
- Emily Post Institute, Wedding Planning: 1-3 Months In Advance. Read September 25, 2026, from an archived copy.
- The Knot, When to Send Wedding Invitations: A Definitive Timeline. Read September 25, 2026.
- Emily Post Institute, Wedding Email Dos and Don'ts. Read September 25, 2026, from an archived copy.
Free for 50 people. No watermark, ever.