If your guests are local or you have a small number of guests that have to travel, your save the dates can be sent 4-6 months prior to your wedding. For destination weddings that require most or all of your guests to travel you’ll want to send them 6-12 month in advance. That goes for weddings during peak times, too – like Fourth of July weekend on Martha’s Vineyard, for example.

You literally want your guests to save the date for your wedding, so it goes without saying that the date and location should be included. Details like the time and venue are best saved for the wedding invitation, since you can’t be sure they won’t change. Destination wedding save the dates often include suggested accommodations, must-see attractions, and travel details, and if you’re using a wedding website you’ll want to include that, too. Don’t worry if you don’t have the particulars ironed out yet – the finer details can be included along with your wedding invitations or added to your wedding website as they are finalized.

Because save the dates lack the longevity of other wedding stationery staples they aren’t subject to traditional etiquette rules. What does that mean for you? To start, you can be as formal or informal as you’d like. You can use the save the date to set the tone for your wedding or you can treat it as a separate piece altogether. You can send a short and sweet card or you can send a trifold or grommeted package that provides a detailed glimpse of the celebration to come. There are no tried and true rules that must be followed, so have as much fun (or as little) with your save the dates as you’d like.

With over 300 wedding designs, we have save the dates for every wedding. Browse our save the date gallery or check out save the dates from these Bella Figura couples. All of our designs are customizable and can transform to meet your needs for your special day.