The Complete Save the Date Guide for Your Wedding

Around 170,000 weddings take place in Spain each year, according to the INE, and the vast majority are concentrated between May and October. That means your guests will almost certainly receive more than one wedding invitation in the same summer. The save the date exists precisely so nobody has an excuse: it arrives months before the formal invitation and asks one implicit question, can you keep this day free?

In this article we cover exactly what a save the date is, when to send it, what it should and should not include, which formats are available and how much you can expect to spend.

Key takeaways

• When to send it: between eight and twelve months before the wedding; fourteen months out if you have international guests.
• What to include: the couple's names, the full date, the city or region, and a note that the formal invitation will follow.
• What not to include: the ceremony time, dress code, menu or confirmation instructions. All of that belongs in the formal invitation.
• Formats: physical card (between £100 and £220 for a run of 100), digital (between £25 and £130), personalised magnet (between £70 and £160) or an announcement video shared by private message.
• Golden rule: finalise your attendee plans first. Sending a save the date to someone who will not ultimately receive an invitation is an extremely uncomfortable situation to manage.
• Wedding website: including the URL on the save the date lets you share more information without overloading the card itself.

What a save the date is and what it is for

A save the date is a communication that goes out before the formal wedding invitation. Its sole purpose is to prompt guests to block the date in their diaries before committing to something else. It is an advance notice, not a formal invitation. It does not outline the programme, and it is an entirely separate piece from the invitation, which carries its own weight and content.

The format can be a physical card, an email, a WhatsApp image, an animated digital card or even a fridge magnet. The format matters less than the moment it arrives and whether it contains the minimum information guests actually need.

When to send it

The general rule is between eight and twelve months before the wedding, but there are nuances worth considering.

If the wedding is during peak season (June, July or September in particular) or at a destination guests need to travel to, send it twelve months out. Families with children need to coordinate summer camps, work leave and accommodation. The earlier they know the date, the better placed they are to plan.

If the wedding is on a weekday or during the quieter season, eight months is more than enough. Competition with other weddings is lower and the logistics for guests are simpler.

If you have international guests, consider sending the save the date even earlier, fourteen or sixteen months in advance. International flights and organising time off require considerably more forward planning.

What makes no sense is sending it too late. Less than four months before the wedding, the formal invitation should already be on its way.

What to include (and what to leave out)

The save the date lives by brevity. Include only the essentials:

• The couple's names
• The full wedding date
• The city or region where it will be held (the exact venue address is not necessary at this stage)
• A note that the formal invitation will follow
• Optionally, the URL of your wedding website if it is already live

Nothing else. No ceremony time, no dress code, no menu, no confirmation instructions. All of that information belongs in the formal invitation, which will go out two to four months before the wedding.

A common mistake is overloading the save the date with details that have not yet been finalised. If the venue could still change, do not include the exact address. If the schedule is yet to be confirmed, do not mention it. Keeping things simple also protects you against last-minute changes.

Formats: physical, digital and the options in between

Physical card

This remains the most appreciated format for formal weddings. It can be a simple card between 10 x 15 cm and A5, a folded card, or something more creative such as a magnet, a postcard or a card with a kraft envelope. Prices for runs of between 50 and 150 units vary considerably depending on paper stock, print finish and whether envelopes are included.

Postage adds up quickly for larger gatherings, so factor that into your budget from the start.

Digital save the date

A well-executed design created in Canva, Adobe Express or commissioned from a graphic designer can be sent by email or WhatsApp at minimal cost. The price of a bespoke design from a freelance designer typically sits between £45 and £180 for the finished file.

The advantage of the digital format goes beyond cost savings: it can include a direct link to your wedding website and arrives instantly. The drawback is that it can get lost among other emails or fail to convey the same tone as a beautifully printed physical piece.

Video or announcement reel

Some couples opt for a short video, filmed at the place where they met or at the venue where the wedding will be held, which they share on social media or by private message. It works beautifully as a complement to the formal save the date, but rarely replaces it entirely.

Confirm your attendees before you print anything

Before ordering a single card, your attendee plans need to be essentially finalised. Sending a save the date to someone who will not ultimately receive an invitation is a very difficult situation to manage, and it tends to generate conversations nobody wants to have at Christmas dinner. If you are still debating who is in and who is out, wait.

More on building that list without family conflict: lista-invitados-boda.

Design: getting the tone right

The save the date is the first piece of stationery your guests receive from you. It sets the visual style for the entire wedding before the invitation even arrives. For that reason, it is worth making sure the aesthetic is consistent with the rest of your stationery and with the overall feel of the celebration.

Some useful pointers:

Typography: a combination of an elegant serif with a clean sans-serif works for almost any wedding style. Avoid using more than two type families on the same piece.

Colour: if you already have a wedding palette, use it. If not, neutral tones (ivory, warm beige, sage green, terracotta) are the safest choices and the ones that age best in photographs.

Photography: including a couple photo on the save the date is very common, particularly in digital formats. For physical cards, it depends on your print budget: a full-colour photo on quality paper stock increases the cost noticeably.

Language: if you have international guests, consider a bilingual design or two separate versions.

How much it costs

Prices vary considerably depending on format and quantity. These are indicative figures for 2024 and 2025:

• Physical card with standard design (run of 100 units): between £100 and £220 for printing, plus postage per card.
• Bespoke design by a freelance designer: between £45 and £260, depending on complexity and the designer's experience.
• Personalised magnets (run of 100 units): between £70 and £160.
• Digital save the date (design plus file): between £25 and £130.

For a wedding with between 80 and 120 guests, the total save the date budget (design, printing and postage) typically falls between £220 and £450 for the physical format, and between £45 and £175 for digital.

Accommodation: give guests time to plan

If the wedding is at a rural venue outside the city or at a destination that requires an overnight stay, the save the date is the perfect moment to mention that accommodation information will follow. You do not need to provide details yet, but flagging that guests will need to book somewhere to stay makes a real difference. The earlier they know, the less stress for everyone and fewer last-minute headaches.

Many couples block a room allocation at hotels near the venue and communicate the details with the formal invitation. More on how to manage this: alojamiento-invitados-boda.

Common mistakes

Sending it before the venue is confirmed. If the city could still change, wait. If only the exact address within the same city might change, you can go ahead and simply include the city name.

Including a confirmation deadline on the save the date. All of that information belongs in the formal invitation, which is a separate piece sent at a separate moment.

Sending it to people who are not yet confirmed on your attendee list. Once someone receives a save the date, the expectation is set. Managing that conversation afterwards is far harder than waiting a few more weeks to send it.