Do you need a separate save the date for your wedding?
Not necessarily. A save the date exists because a paper wedding card can only leave once everything is fixed. A digital invitation can go out early and then grows along: first the date and the location, later the programme, the dress code and the gift list. Then the invitation itself is the save the date.
Last checked on 28 September 2026Why a save the date exists
A wedding card on paper is finished when it is printed. That is why many couples only send it a few months ahead, when the programme, the times and the location are final. Guests want to know the date much earlier, especially if they have to travel or ask for time off. The save the date fills that gap: a card with the date, half a year to a year ahead, and the promise that the real invitation will follow.
The result is that you send something twice, collect addresses twice and pay twice for printing and postage. Couples say they spend on average another € 91 or so on save the date cards, apart from the wedding card itself, according to the cost overview of ThePerfectWedding. What the wedding card itself costs, you can read in what a paper wedding card costs.
Sending the invitation early
A digital invitation does not have to be finished to be sent. With Invitesly you can send as soon as the invitation text and the location are in; the date you already chose when creating the wedding. The day programme, the dress code, the gift list, places to stay nearby and the frequently asked questions you add when the time comes. Guests see it appear on the same link, without you having to send anything again.
Is there news guests really need to know, such as a new start time or a bus that leaves? Then you post an announcement. It appears on the invitation and also goes to the guests by email. And because guests can respond straight away, the guest list fills up early: you see per household who is coming, and anyone who has not responded automatically gets a reminder before the RSVP deadline. How that works, you can read in Guest list and RSVP.
When a separate save the date is still handy
There are good reasons to send one. Is the date fixed but not the location yet? Then the invitation cannot go out yet and a card or message with only the date is the most honest solution. Getting married abroad or having a wedding weekend? Then guests sometimes want to know where they stand a year ahead. And some couples simply want to send something tangible: a save the date on paper is a lovely keepsake. How paper and digital go together, you can read in digital invitation or paper wedding card.
With a wedding planner
Working with a wedding planner? Then the planner can set up the invitation and send it early, while together in the same place you fill in the rest. The planner stays the planner; Invitesly mostly saves the retyping of addresses and answers. More about how a digital invitation works, you can read in what a digital wedding invitation is.
Frequently asked questions
When do you send a save the date?
Usually half a year to a year before the wedding. Getting married abroad, in the summer holidays or on a long weekend? Then earlier: guests need to ask for time off, book a flight or arrange a babysitter.
Can I send a separate save the date with Invitesly?
No, and that is deliberate. With Invitesly the invitation itself is the save the date: you send it as soon as the invitation text and the location are in, and fill in programme, dress code, gift list and the rest later. Guests see that appear by itself on the same link.
What do you put on a save the date?
Your names, the date, the place or region and the line that the invitation will follow. Nothing more is needed. Is it a wedding weekend or a wedding abroad? Then add how many days guests will roughly be away.
Can you combine a paper save the date with a digital invitation?
Yes. A paper save the date is a lovely keepsake for the fridge. Later the digital invitation follows with a link of its own per household, on which guests respond and find everything again.
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