Safety first: Prices are examples with an as-of date. Always confirm with your own vendors. Please read our editorial guidelines before you start.
Key takeaways
- Send save the dates 6 to 8 months before the wedding; 8 to 12 months for destination or holiday weekend weddings.
- Under 4 months out, skip save the dates and send invitations.
- Send one per household: 100 guests is often closer to 50 or 60 cards. Our example uses 55.
- For 55 households, our examples run from $0 (digital) to about $155 (printed card in an envelope), postage included.
- Postcards get the $0.65 rate only between 3.5 x 5 and 4.25 x 6 inches; letters are $0.82 (USPS, from July 12, 2026).
In this post9 sections
When to Send Save the Dates: The Short Answer
Send save the dates six to eight months before the wedding, which is the window The Knot recommends. For a destination wedding, or one on a holiday weekend, send them eight to twelve months ahead so guests can book travel and time off.
If the wedding is less than four months away, skip save the dates and send the invitations instead. Sending more than a year ahead is usually too early: plans change, and guests forget. Below is a send-by table for every wedding month, plus what 100 guests' save the dates actually cost with 2026 postage.
Quick Facts
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Standard timing | 6 to 8 months before the wedding |
| Destination or holiday weekend | 8 to 12 months before |
| Too late for save the dates | Under 4 months: send invitations instead |
| Invitations follow | Usually 6 to 8 weeks before the wedding |
| Postcard stamp | $0.65 (USPS, from July 12, 2026) |
| Letter stamp (1 oz) | $0.82, plus $0.29 per extra ounce (USPS, from July 12, 2026) |
| Who gets one | Everyone you will invite, one per household |
Postage figures are from the USPS price list in effect from July 12, 2026. Check it again before you mail, because USPS changes prices once or twice a year.
Send-By Dates for Every Wedding Month
Find your wedding month, then mail inside the window. The dates assume a wedding in the middle of the month and the standard six to eight month rule. Today is October 2026, so the first rows say what to do if you are already inside the window.
| Wedding month | Mail window | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| January 2027 | Window passed | Skip save the dates; mail invitations by late November |
| February 2027 | Window passed | Send invitations early, or a digital save the date this week |
| March 2027 | July to September 2026 | Late: send a digital save the date now |
| April 2027 | August to October 2026 | Send now |
| May 2027 | September to November 2026 | Send by mid-November |
| June 2027 | October to December 2026 | Send by mid-December |
| July 2027 | November 2026 to January 2027 | Send by mid-January |
| August 2027 | December 2026 to February 2027 | Send by mid-February |
| September 2027 | January to March 2027 | Send by mid-March |
| October 2027 | February to April 2027 | Send by mid-April |
| November 2027 | March to May 2027 | Send by mid-May |
| December 2027 | April to June 2027 | Send by mid-June; earlier for holiday dates |
Destination, Holiday and Short Engagements
Destination weddings: send eight to twelve months ahead. Guests need time for passports, flights and time off. Vistaprint's guide suggests nine to twelve months for travel weddings.
Holiday weekends: Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and the December holidays fill guests' calendars early. Send at the eight month end of the window, or earlier.
Short engagements: if the wedding is four to six months away, send save the dates right away, and a digital one is fastest. Under four months, go straight to invitations.
How Much Do Save the Dates Cost? 4 Formats for 100 Guests
Save the dates go one per household, not one per guest. Our example uses 100 guests in 55 households, so 55 cards. Postage is the only fixed price here; the printing figures are example prices as of October 2026, so swap in your own quotes.
| Format | Printing (example) | Postage | Example total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Digital (email or wedding website) | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Postcards printed at home | About $30 for cardstock and ink | 55 x $0.65 = $35.75 | About $66 |
| Postcards ordered online | Example $1.25 a card = $68.75 | 55 x $0.65 = $35.75 | About $105 |
| Card in an envelope, ordered online | Example $2.00 a card = $110 | 55 x $0.82 = $45.10 | About $155 |
Two rules change the postage line. A card only gets the postcard rate if it is rectangular and between 3.5 x 5 inches and 4.25 x 6 inches; anything bigger pays the letter rate. Square envelopes, magnets and lumpy envelopes need extra postage as nonmachinable mail, so take one finished piece to the post office and have it weighed before you buy stamps.
What to Put on a Save the Date
Save the date checklist
Leave off registry details, which belong on the website, and the full schedule, which belongs on the invitation. For the invitation itself, the invitation wording guide has wording for every family situation.
Budget Save the Date Ideas Without a Photo Shoot
Pinterest is full of save the dates built around an engagement shoot, but you do not need one.
Type-only postcard: your names, the date and the city in one serif font on a cream card.
Illustration of the venue or city: a simple line drawing of the place reads as personal.
Pressed flower or botanical print: a scanned leaf or sprig behind the text.
Calendar-page design: a month grid with your date circled.
Digital save the date: a free design from your wedding website, sent by email.
Myths vs Reality
| Myth | Reality |
|---|---|
| Earlier is always better | More than a year ahead is usually too early; plans and addresses change |
| Every guest gets their own card | One card per household is the norm |
| You need engagement photos | Type-only, illustrated and digital designs work just as well |
| Save the dates are required | They are optional; under four months out, skip them |
| Any postcard gets the postcard rate | Only rectangles from 3.5 x 5 to 4.25 x 6 inches do |
Save the dates are one line on the full 12-month wedding planning checklist. If the address list is the hard part, the Wedding Guest List and Seating Planner keeps households, addresses, RSVPs and tables in one place, and the free wedding planning checklist shows what comes next.
Frequently asked questions
How far in advance do you send save the dates?
Six to eight months before the wedding is the standard window. For a destination wedding or a holiday weekend, send them eight to twelve months ahead.
Is 4 months too late for save the dates?
At four months it is borderline, so send a digital one right away. Under four months, skip save the dates and send the formal invitations early.
Do you need to send save the dates?
No. They are optional. They help most when guests need to travel or book time off. A free digital save the date covers the job for many couples.
Can you send save the dates by email?
Yes. A digital save the date costs nothing, and many wedding websites include free designs. Mail paper ones to guests who do not use email.
When do invitations go out after save the dates?
Usually six to eight weeks before the wedding, with an RSVP deadline about three to four weeks before the date.
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