Do i have to do save the dates?

You don't send invitations more than 6-8 weeks ahead - people will lose them. If a lot of people are traveling, then you'll probably want to do some kind of a STD. It doesn't have to be super formal though, it can be an e-mail or a phone call. Just remember everyone who gets a STD also gets an invitation, so if you're on the fence about your guest list, then make sure you only send STDs to VIPs

If you have a lot of guests traveling I would definitely suggest doing save the dates so that they have plenty of time to plan, save money, request off work, book accommodations, etc. The actual invitations should not be sent out any earlier than 8-10 weeks max though (local weddings usually send out invitations 6 to 8 weeks in advance, but it is acceptable to send them a little earlier with destination weddings

I agree that if you require hotel bookings and travel, I'd do a Save The Date.

I would say if you have a large group of people that need to travel I would send them just so they can start making their travel plans. But if majority of your guests are semi local I wouldn't do the expense

Since many guests will be traveling, you should notify them the date and city somehow. It doesn't have to be a $$ paper card, though. You can do an email, or phone call for those who don't use email.

I echo what others have said above - I know Minted does free online invitations (some of which are aesthetically beautiful by the way), and I bet you could create a free Save the Date "invite" to send to your guests electronically. That way it saves money and gets the message out quick I would hold off on sending the official invitations until you're a little closer to the date for the reasons others have pointed out.

You don't have to do Save the Dates - they are completely optional. However, they are usually sent exactly for the purpose you describe above - so people can begin making plans for their travel arrangements. Normally Save the Dates are sent about six months before the wedding, so if your wedding date in October is correct, you are right on time and not behind at all! It is too soon to send invites - these will get overlooked or forgotten by some this far in advance. You will want to target sending these more like 8-12 weeks before your wedding date.

If you're wanting to have people book hotels and give them as much notice as possible, I would do some sort of Save the date. We did simple post card ones with the date/location and our wedding website on them using zola. It was pretty cheap, they usually have a promo code SAVE50 to get 50% off their save the dates, most invite sites have something similar. Since we did post cards, postage was cheaper too.

I didn’t understand the whole ‘Save the Date’ thing either until I realized, you’re just letting them know this is when you’re getting married and where, and to have that day free for the both of you. And then invites follow sometime for formally invite them to your wedding and they can let you know if they are coming or not.

Our wedding is October 8th and I just got our Save the Dates printed. I'm hoping to work on them this weekend. You definitely have time to get them out if you hurry. If you don't send them, then I'd spread info around to everyone by calling or texting and just send the invites out in a normal timeline.

A save the date doesn’t have to be an $$$ postcard or magnet. Your parents and grandparents did save the dates via telephone and word of mouth 6 months before the wedding, which are still effective today. If you want guests to be aware of hotel blocks and make travel arrangements immediately, then you need to call/text/email or have a conversation in person.


Be aware that not everyone will use hotel blocks. Unless it’s in peak tourist season and only one hotel in the area, guests often find better rates they can afford elsewhere.

I sent my save the date via e-vite. This linked my wedding website where people could find all my travel into. It didn't ask or allow guests to rsvp, just view the info I wanted them to know right now so they could make arrangements.

I am not doing save the date cards but I will be creating a Facebook event and inviting everyone on there as a save the date. I will send out the actual invitations when it gets closer.

You can just let the VIP's know by text or phone. A STD isn't really necessary.

I am so glad we did Save The Dates! It was especially helpful because we knew a better count of who would be there early on and could budget and book rentals easier.


I also agree that if you send you invite this early that your guests might loose them. 6-8 weeks is the right time frame for invites but about 6 months out is ideal for Save The Dates. Our guests who traveled and or had to take time off of work really appreciated the advanced notice.

I did a save the date via text and then sent out my invitations early. It has worked just fine.