Save the dates?

I think in general save the dates more than a year in advance can confuse at least a couple of people who will first think it’s that date of the current calendar year. But once you’ve passed that date, even if it’s on the early side, it’s not going to cause any issues (*as long as your guestlist is firmly set in stone and your venue is booked).


Also worth mentioning, it’s fine to give people some details before save the dates are out. We told the date to some of our farther away relatives ahead . In fact I feel a lot of people knew the date before the save the date! We still mailed them to everyone so they had our website with hotel information/etc

My whole family is traveling for mine, so once I had a date, I just texted them or called and let them know. Then we sent traditional save the dates in January.

I would just tell them the date and location via word of mouth!

So I have a similar situation - certain groups of family are going to have to plan a lot more than others. My plan is to order my save-the-dates when I have the details and pictures done. Then I can send them to those particular people early. (They're family. I'm not exactly worried that they'll throw them away or something) The rest of our guests will get the save-the-dates on our normal timeline.

An alternative is to just provide the details to those guests without sending the actual save the dates. Date, location, recommended hotels, etc. Something so they can plan their flights and hotels. Best of luck! I hope it works out.

Save the dates were traditionally given by word of mouth as soon as the couple set a date. The new rules surrounding postcard save the dates have pushed the word of mouth method to the wayside. Do what works for you but make sure you still follow up with a paper invite for everyone at 6-8 weeks before the wedding regardless.

Since it’s only 4 family members, you don’t necessarily have to send out formal save the dates. I would just call or text them and inform them of the date. What I did was made a template of save the dates and texted/emailed those who needed extra time to plan.

It's totally OK to give them the date! As long as you're sure they will be on the final guest list, you're fine to do that. I wouldn't send the written STD more than a year ahead.

Lol my fiancé's family hounded us about save-the-dates as well. If you have your venue booked, and you're sure you'll have the space to invite those family members, then I'd just tell them the date and place. Maybe even a few hotels nearby if you don't have a block of rooms yet or aren't planning to arrange a block.