Exactly What to Include on Your Save-the-Date (and What to Omit)

You've celebrated your engagement, planning is underway and now it's time to get your guests in the loop. This preinvitation officially announces your wedding date and lets loved ones know that they'll be invited to the celebration. When it comes to what to include on a save-the-date, simplicity is key. You don't want to overwhelm your guests with details at this point, especially since some aspects of your nuptials might change between your save-the-date send and when invites hit mailboxes.

"The key to an effective save-the-date is striking the right balance between form and function," says Chris Neubauer, founder and owner of event branding firm Yonder Design. "While the design should be visually compelling and reflective of the couple's style, it must also be practical for guests, ensuring they can easily reference the key details."

You can also think of your save-the-dates as a preview of your wedding vibe. The good news: If you choose your save-the-dates from The Knot Invitations (you can filter by all manner of styles, price points, shapes and formats to find your perfect match), you can select a wedding website with a coordinating design to house extra details for guests. And vice versa—create a free wedding website with a design you adore and then see if the matching paper resonates with you. But first, look below to see exactly what to put on a save-the-date and what to leave for your wedding website or formal invite, according to an expert.

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In this article: What to Include | Optional Elements | What To Skip

What to Include on Save-the-Dates

When it comes to the information to include on a save-the-date, it's okay to keep it simple and high level. But don't sleep on the opportunity a save-the-date presents: "A save-the-date should set the tone for the wedding and provide the essential details guests need to mark their calendars," says Neubauer. "Beyond just information, the design itself plays a key role in generating anticipation. The save-the-date is the first glimpse of the wedding aesthetic, making it an opportunity to establish a visual identity that carries through to invitations, welcome gifts, signage and your overall event branding." Find save-the-date inspiration here.

Design: Falak Khoja

Names

While this seems obvious, more distant relatives and friends may not know your partner's name (or full name) and this information will be crucial when it comes to filling out a wedding card, purchasing a monogrammed gift or simply updating an address book. You can use your full names if you're having a larger wedding where some guests might be more removed or you don't know everyone's plus-one. If your affair is super intimate, then you can use first names only for a casual feel.

Wedding Date

This morsel of info is the most essential aspect of what goes on a save-the-date. That means you'll have to know where you'll tie the knot beforehand (and to make sure your venue is all set to go on that given day). If you're relaying info for destination wedding save-the-dates, this might look a little different.

Location

"While the full venue details aren't necessary at this stage, including the city and state (or destination) helps guests begin making travel arrangements," says Neubauer. "If the venue is a well-known estate, resort or landmark, it can be included as an added point of excitement. However, for logistical details like exact addresses, guests should refer to the formal invitation."

Wedding Website

Do you put a wedding website on save-the-dates? Def! You should share your wedding website URL on your save-the-dates so guests can know where to look for more info as it comes up, like your registry and dress code requirements. It's a great detail to add to the reverse side of your save the date, if you're wondering what to put on the back of a save-the-date, as everything else aforementioned should be displayed on the front. Do note that your site doesn't need to be fully completed ahead of your save-the-date send. Just make sure it looks clean and contains any info that guests need early on, like hotel blocks.

All Guest Names on the Envelope

​​Do you put "and guest" on save-the-dates? Yes! It's best to be clear about who's invited to the wedding, even this far in advance. By including the actual names of every intended guest on the envelope, you're less likely to have any assumed invitees (like your cousin's new boyfriend) or general confusion (is your seven-year-old niece invited?).

"Addressing the save-the-date to 'John Smith and Guest' or 'The Smith Family' clarifies who's invited, helping guests plan ahead," says Neubauer. "This also subtly signals the level of formality expected for the event." Communicating who's invited up front also gives families with uninvited kids ample time to plan for child care and out-of-towners time to figure out travel and hotel plans.

Optional Elements to Include on Save-the-Dates

We've covered what should be on a save-the-date at all costs, but there are a few additional details you can play around with once you've covered the basic bits of save-the-date etiquette. "Couples can make their save-the-date truly stand out by embracing elevated design elements and details that create a tactile and immersive experience," says Neubauer. "Beyond aesthetics, professional stationers will help couples weave their personal narrative into the stationery—whether through a meaningful motif, a subtle nod to their love story or materials that reflect their wedding setting."

Favorite Photo

Lots of save-the-date designs have space for a photo, if that's something you'd like to share with your guests. You can select a sweet shot from your engagement session or another favorite moment to display along with your wedding details.

Custom Illustration

"Custom illustrations—such as a sketch of the wedding venue, a watercolor rendering of the destination or even a motif inspired by the couple's love story—can add an artistic and bespoke element," says Neubauer. Adding such a romantic and personal touch will make the card feel as special as if you did DIY save-the-dates (but much more polished).

QR Code

On a save-the-date, what to include are the details that invitees need up front. A great solution: adding a QR code to your save-the-date that drives to your wedding website. You can easily customize any of The Knot Invitations designs to include one.

"Invite to Follow" Line

When it comes to a formal wedding save-the-date, your list of what to include should contain an "invitation to follow" line. You can feel free to omit this line on more casual designs or glean inspiration from these other save-the-date wording examples.

Thoughtful Design Details

Along with figuring out what information goes on a save-the-date, you can also consider optional visual details. "Wax seals, vellum overlays, pressed floral accents or other design details can be thoughtfully added to enhance the tactile experience and transform the save-the-date from a simple announcement into an exciting first impression of the wedding to come," says Neubauer.

Photo: Joel Serrato

What Not to Include on Save-the-Dates

There are a few things that should be left off of a save-the-date, whether as a matter of courtesy and etiquette or just simply because they aren't important. We'll dive into them below. "Save-the-dates should remain streamlined and focused, offering just enough information to excite guests without overwhelming them," says Neubauer. "Overloading the save-the-date with too much text can distract from its purpose: ensuring guests mark their calendars and begin making travel arrangements."

RSVPs

While extra-early RSVPs would ideally give you a head start on your head count, this plan has the potential to backfire, since the excess of cushion time might cause some guests to put off replying and forget altogether. So, you don't put RSVP info on a save-the-date. After all, this is the correspondence that gives guests an opportunity to figure out what their RSVP will be beforehand. This is one of the biggest differences with save-the-dates vs. invitations.

Registry Information

Wondering: "Do you put the registry on save the dates? The answer is no. While your guests will likely want to know where you're registered, it's inappropriate to print this information on your save-the-dates. Guests usually know they can ask you, your family or your friends about registry details, otherwise, the best place to share that info is through your wedding website.

Overly-Specific Details

Don't make your save-the-date too specific—what goes on save-the-dates is supposed to be very high-level. Think of it as a wedding day placeholder for your guests. That means there's no need to include specific details regarding the order of events, exact timing, color scheme, dress code or meal information on your list of what info goes on a save-the-date. All of those details are better suited to the actual invitation or can be included on your wedding website for guests to browse. Ergo, you also don't need any enclosure cards—save those for when you're hashing out your wedding invitation suite cost.

Schedule of Events

Leave this off when it comes to what information goes on a save-the-date. You likely haven't nailed down the deets yet, so it's best to omit them so guests don't feel jerked around—even if you're using something like digital save-the-dates which has a quicker turnaround time.