Planning Your Perfect Wedding: Save The Date Timeline

Sending out save the dates is a great way to let your guests know your wedding date well in advance so that they can plan appropriately. Experts recommend sending out save the dates around 8-10 months before you plan to say I do. For a typical wedding, this is the ideal timeline, but if you're planning a destination wedding, you may want to send them out earlier, no later than 10 months before your wedding. The sweet spot is to start spreading the news six to eight months ahead of the ceremony, but if you're getting married at a far-flung locale or over a holiday weekend, you may want to skew more toward eight months.

When to send save the dates

The ideal time to send out save the dates is six to eight months before the wedding. This is to give your guests enough time to book travel, save money and ask for days off work. If you are planning a destination wedding, you should send out save the dates earlier, no later than 10 months before the wedding. This is because destination weddings require a lot of planning and guests need the additional months to get all their ducks in a row.

If you wait too long to send out save the dates, you may discover that some loved ones already have plans that are either impossible or impractical to change. It's also important to send them only to people you absolutely must have at your wedding. There are many posts on wedding forums mentioning that people have sent a save the date to someone and no longer wish to invite them.

The general rule is to send save the dates 8 to 12 months prior to your wedding. However, if you are getting married at a far-flung locale or over a holiday weekend, it's recommended to skew more towards eight months. This will give your guests plenty of time to book travel, save money and ask for days off work.

It's also important to consider the distance that family and friends will come from to be able to attend your wedding. If you give them enough notice, you may be surprised by the distance that family and friends will come from to be able to attend your wedding!

How long before the wedding

Save the dates should be sent out 8 to 12 months before the wedding. Experts recommend sending them out 8 to 10 months before the wedding, especially if it's a destination wedding. This gives guests plenty of time to book travel, save money, and ask for days off work.

If you're planning a destination wedding, it's best to send out save the dates no later than 10 months before the wedding. This is because destination weddings require a lot of planning and guests need the additional months to get all their ducks in a row.

For a typical wedding, it's best to send out save the dates 6 to 8 months before the wedding. This gives guests enough notice to plan their attendance and make travel arrangements.

It's important to note that sending out save the dates too early can be a mistake. If you wait too long to send out save the dates, you may discover that some loved ones already have plans that are either impossible or impractical to change.

Additionally, it's best to send save the dates only to people you absolutely must have at your wedding. There are many posts on wedding forums mentioning that people have sent a save the date to someone and no longer wish to invite them.

How early is too early

Sending out save the dates is a great way to let your guests know your wedding date well in advance so that they can plan appropriately. However, there are some easy errors you’ll want to avoid when creating these wedding reminders.

Experts recommend sending out save the dates around 8-10 months before you plan to say, "I do". This may sound early, but keep in mind that your guests have planning of their own to do. Depending on guests’ personal situations and professional obligations, they may need to request off work, arrange for child care, make travel plans, or save up for hotel costs or your gift. You also want to have "first dibs" on your chosen date. If you wait too long to send your save the dates out, you may discover that some loved ones already have plans that are either impossible or impractical to change.

There's a sweet spot when it comes to sending out save the dates. Start spreading the news six to eight months ahead of the ceremony for the ideal save-the-date timeline. This gives wedding guests plenty of time to book travel, save money and ask for days off work. Any later than that and they won't have enough lead time to do those things.

If you're planning a destination wedding, the same general save the date rules apply, but you’ll want to err on the earlier side of the window mentioned earlier. That means sending out save the dates no later than 10 months before your wedding. Some couples try to give their guests 11 months or even a year to plan. That may seem like too much time (and in some cases, it can be, as we’ll discuss shortly), but destination weddings require a lot of planning and guests need the additional months to get all their ducks in a row. When destination weddings require guests to travel outside their current country of residence, a quick flight becomes a complex trip that may necessitate new passports, visa applications and pinching pennies to save enough money to cover plane tickets, hotel rooms, outfits for a different climate, a car rental, and other travel expenses.

If most of your guests are local to your venue, you can send out save the dates 6-8 months before the wedding. We didn't even send them for my 1st wedding because the farthest people were coming from was 2 hours away.

How to plan destination weddings

If you're planning a destination wedding, the same general save the date rules apply, but you’ll want to err on the earlier side of the window mentioned earlier. That means sending out save the dates no later than 10 months before your wedding. Some couples try to give their guests 11 months or even a year to plan. That may seem like too much time, but destination weddings require a lot of planning and guests need the additional months to get all their ducks in a row. When destination weddings require guests to travel outside their current country of residence, a quick flight becomes a complex trip that may necessitate new passports, visa applications and pinching pennies to save enough money to cover plane tickets, hotel rooms, outfits for a different climate, a car rental, and other travel expenses.

For a typical wedding (meaning not one arranged last minute or set in a far-off locale), experts recommend sending out save the dates around 8-10 months before you plan to say, “I do.” This may sound early, but keep in mind that your guests have planning of their own to do. Depending on guests’ personal situations and professional obligations, they may need to request off work, arrange for child care, make travel plans, or save up for hotel costs or your gift. You also want to have “first dibs” on your chosen date. If you wait too long to send your save the dates out, you may discover that some loved ones already have plans that are either impossible or impractical to change.

There's a sweet spot: Start spreading the news six to eight months ahead of the ceremony for the ideal save-the-date timeline. This gives wedding guests plenty of time to book travel, save money and ask for days off work. Any later than that and they won't have enough lead time to do those things.

As a general rule, it's best to send Save the Dates 8 to 12 months prior to your wedding (send them earlier for a destination or holiday weekend). Given enough notice, you may be surprised by the distance that family and friends will come from to be able to attend!

Make sure you only send them to people you absolutely must have at your wedding - there are many, many posts on here mentioning that people have sent a save the date to someone and no longer wish to invite them.

How to plan local weddings

When planning a local wedding, it's important to consider the timing of your save the date invitations. Experts recommend sending out save the dates around 8-10 months before your wedding, but this can vary depending on the location and the number of guests.

For local weddings, a good rule of thumb is to send save the dates 6-8 months in advance. This gives your guests enough time to plan their attendance, book travel (if necessary), and make any necessary arrangements. It's important to remember that your guests may have their own planning and commitments, so providing them with ample notice is crucial.

When sending save the dates, it's best to only include people who you absolutely want at your wedding. This can help avoid any unwanted surprises later on. Additionally, if you're planning a local wedding, you may want to consider sending save the dates earlier than 8 months to give your guests more time to prepare.

Keep in mind that sending save the dates too early can also have its drawbacks. If you send them too soon, you may find that some guests already have plans that conflict with your wedding date. This can be frustrating for both you and your guests, so it's important to strike a balance.

In summary, for local weddings, aim to send save the dates 6-8 months before your wedding, but be flexible and consider the needs of your guests. By providing adequate notice, you can help ensure that your local wedding is a success and that your guests can attend without any major conflicts.

Frequently asked questions