Unique Save the Date Wording Ideas: How to Announce Your Big Day
One of the most magical things about weddings is seeing all your family, friends, and other loved ones gathered together in one place. To make sure your favorite humans are standing with you on your big day, you want to get your save the dates out as early as possible. So what’s the next step on your soon-to-be-wed to-do list? Determine your unique save the date wording, and get the calendars of your loved ones blocked off — stat.
If you’re deciding on what to say on your save the date, here’s the golden rule: Short really is sweet. Below, we’ll explain what information to cover and give some sample language to use on your save the date cards — plus some lovely designs to inspire you.
What Is a Save the Date Card?
A save the date card is your opportunity to give your wedding guests a heads up about your upcoming nuptials. It’s like a pre-wedding invitation, so your friends and family members know when your big day is happening. It’s an essential part of your wedding planning checklist.
Sent months before your big day, a save the date card gives your guests ample time to request off work, make the necessary travel plans and lodging arrangements, and ensure they don’t overextend themselves with other plans. It also helps you, the happy couple, to ensure everyone you love is standing with you on your big day.
When to Send a Save the Date
When it comes to save the date etiquette, sending them sooner rather than later is preferable. Sending out a save the date months in advance allows your friends, family, and other loved ones to reserve that particular day (or entire weekend) on their calendar.
If you have guests coming in from out of town, you want to give them plenty of time to request off work, book hotels, and buy plane tickets. Usually, three to four months prior to your wedding is enough advance notice for local weddings, while six months to a full calendar year is good for destination wedding save the dates.
While you want to give guests as much notice as possible, you need to make a few decisions before your save the dates go out. Above all else, there is one item you should strike off your wedding to do list beforehand: your guest list. If you ask a friend to block off their calendar for your big day, they’d better be invited — it’s poor etiquette to send a save the date and no wedding invite.
How Online Save the Dates Make Wedding Planning Easy
Using an online save the date card does more than save you time, money, and paper. By sending a digital save the date, you can automatically add your wedding day to your guests’ calendars. That way, you don’t run the risk of guests writing down the wrong date, blocking off the wrong weekend in their planner, or losing RSVP cards.
Plus, by sending your save the dates through Greenvelope, you can easily connect with guests through text updates. This allows you to answer questions about lodging, send reminders, or respond to last-minute updates all in one place.
Save the Date Wording: What to Cover
When deciding on what to write for your save the dates, there are several areas you’ll want to cover. Most save the dates are brief and to-the-point, although you can have a bit of fun with language (space permitting).
Here are four areas you may want to cover on your save the date card:
- The names of the couple: Write out the full names (including middle names, if you prefer) of both individuals. For heterosexual couples, traditionally the bride’s name is written first, but there are no real rules here — write your names in whichever order you prefer.
- The date: Write the date of your big day. You don’t need to include a time for the ceremony or reception, as that will follow on the invitation.
- The location: Usually, you can simply write a city and state or country for the save the date. The location of the wedding venue will be included on the wedding invitation.
- The wedding URL: If you have a wedding website, it’s nice to include the URL on your save the date. A wedding website offers wedding details, including hotel and other lodging options, dress code, your love story, details on the wedding party, and the gift registry.
- Formal invitation to follow: Let your guests know that a formal invitation will arrive in their inbox closer to the wedding date, so they don’t need to RSVP now.
Traditional, Modern, and Unique Save the Date Wording Ideas
How you phrase your save the date wording is truly up to you. If you’re throwing a formal wedding, spell out the location and the full names of the couple. If your guests are expecting something a bit more casual, don’t hesitate to get a little playful with the wording.
Here are some examples of what to say — from formal invitation wording to unique save the date wording. We’ve paired these wording examples with some of our favorite save the date templates, so you can visualize how your words will look on an actual design.
Formal or Traditional Wedding Save the Date Wording
Design: Anupama Srivastava
Matching save the date: Lovely Anemones Save the Date
If you’ve chosen a traditional theme and want wedding stationery to match, look for a save the date example with elegant fonts, stunning florals, and a formal vibe.
Here are two examples of formal wording:
Kindly reserve
October 24th, 2027 for the wedding uniting
Sasha Kathryn O’Brian and Timothy Allen Patrick
Chicago, Illinois
Formal wedding invitation to follow
***
Brittany Johanna Amundson and Joshua Robert McCarthy
Request your presence at their wedding ceremony
December 5th, 2026
New York, New York
Formal invitation to follow
Modern Wedding Save the Date Card Wording
Design: Claudia Owen
Matching save the date: Love Heart Save the Date
For a contemporary feel, choose a save the date that lets you showcase an engagement photo or one that has a minimalist feel.
Here are two modern wording examples:
5.2.26
Save the date
Ryan + William
Washington, DC
Official invitation to follow
ryanwillwed.com
***
Alesha + Thomas
2.20.27
San Francisco, California
Formal invitation to follow
Playful Save the Date Invitation Wording
Design: Kid Collective
Matching save the date: Doodle Hearts and Stars Save the Date
For a playful save the date design, you could choose a photo card or a fun illustration. Add a light-hearted one-liner to open things up or send your guests off with a pun.
Try these fun bits of wording:
Liz and Chris are getting hitched!
9.19.26
Austin, Texas
Formal invitation to follow
***
Jess + Tess
6.5.27
Dubuque, IA
There’s an open bar. If you need to know anything else, visit:
JessandTess.com
Unique Save the Date Wording
Design: Claudia Owen
Matching save the date: Center Stage Initials Save the Date
For unique save the date wording for your special day, choose a design that feels just as personal. We love this playful and bright save the date, where you can customize the initials to match your own.
Bring some flair with these unique save the date wording examples:
We’ve always known … now we’re making it official!
Piper + Giovanni
Always and forever
7.5.26
Los Angeles, CA
Invite coming soon
***
Grab your plane tickets, it’s time for a wedding!
Watch as we wed in the city of love
Michael + Pierre
3.6.26
Paris, France
Invite to follow
Delight Your Loved Ones with Unique Save the Date Wording
Save the date cards don’t need to contain a lot of detail, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun with the wording. Use our save the date ideas to help you find the perfect way to let your loved ones know a wedding invite is on the way, whether you want more traditional or unique save the date wording.
If you’re looking for designs that are just as special as the two of you, look no further than our collection of online save the date cards. Each one can be customized, giving you full control over how the card looks and feels.
