Save the Dates8 min read
When to Send Save the Dates (and Is 7 Months Too Late?)
Send save the dates 6–12 months out, or 9–12 for a destination wedding. Your dates by wedding month, what to do at 7 or 4 months, and when to skip them.
By The Veiloria AtelierPublished Updated
Contents
- When to send save the dates: the short answer
- Save the date timing by wedding type
- Your dates by wedding month
- Is 7 months too late for save the dates? Is 4 months?
- Can you skip the save the date?
- When to send wedding invitations after save the dates
- Who gets a save the date, and who doesn't
- Sources
- Frequently asked questions
Send save the dates 6–12 months before the wedding, and 9–12 months before if guests will fly, need a visa or are giving up a holiday weekend. Seven months is not too late for a local wedding; with less than about five months to go, skip the save the date and send the invitation early instead.
Below: your dates by wedding type and month, what to do if you're late, and who gets one. For reply-by and final-numbers dates, see our guide to when to send wedding invitations.
When to send save the dates: the short answer
Send save the dates 6–12 months before the wedding: no later than 6 months for a local wedding, and no later than 9 if most guests travel.
Four published guides, checked 19 October 2026:
| Guide | Local wedding | Destination wedding |
|---|---|---|
| Zola (updated Jul 1, 2025) | 4–6 months | 8–12 months |
| Evite (Dec 8, 2023) | 6–8 months; 4–6 "also acceptable" | Up to a year |
| Greenvelope (updated Oct 15, 2026) | 6–8 months | 8–12 months |
| Stationery HQ (2026 guide) | 6–12 months | Up to 12–18 months |
| Veiloria (this guide) | 6–12 months, ideally about 8 | 9–12 months |
Zola even disagrees with itself: its invitation-timing page (updated September 24, 2025) says 4–6 months in its summary and 7–10 months further down. We say 6–12 because below six months the two sends crowd together, and beyond twelve guests forget.
Save the date timing by wedding type
The farther guests travel and the busier the weekend, the earlier the save the date goes out.
| Wedding | Send the save the date | Invitation follows | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local, most guests drive in | 6–8 months before | 8–12 weeks before | Enough notice to keep the day free |
| Destination, most guests fly | 9–12 months before | 3–4 months before | Flights, leave, rooms |
| Guests need a visa or passport | 12 months before | 3–4 months before | Appointments and processing |
| Holiday weekend or peak season | 10–12 months before | 10–12 weeks before | Calendars and hotels fill first |
| Short engagement (under 5 months) | Skip it | As soon as details are fixed | No room for two sends |
Local wedding
Six to eight months is comfortable when most guests drive in: enough notice, still fresh in mind.
Destination wedding
Nine to twelve months covers flights, leave and rooms. Guests who need a visa should hold the date before their application window opens: a Schengen visa can be applied for no earlier than six months before the trip, and processing normally takes 15 days, sometimes up to 45 (European Commission). Twelve months leaves time to renew passports and book appointments. More in our guide to destination wedding invitations.
Holiday weekend or peak season
Long weekends and popular months fill calendars and hotels early: send at the 12-month end.
Short engagement
With under five months to go, skip it and send the invitation as soon as the details are fixed.
Your dates by wedding month
Find your wedding month for the ideal and latest dates to send save the dates. The earliest is the same date a year before; shift everything if yours isn't on the 15th.
| Wedding on the 15th of | Ideal, local (8 mo) | Latest, local (6 mo) | Latest, destination (9 mo) | Invitation goes out | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | May 15 | Jul 15 | Apr 15 | Oct 23 – Nov 20 | MLK Day weekend: send by March |
| February | Jun 15 | Aug 15 | May 15 | Nov 23 – Dec 21 | Presidents' Day weekend: send by April |
| March | Jul 15 | Sep 15 | Jun 15 | Dec 21 – Jan 18 | Spring break, if guests have children |
| April | Aug 15 | Oct 15 | Jul 15 | Jan 21 – Feb 18 | Easter and Passover: check the year's dates |
| May | Sep 15 | Nov 15 | Aug 15 | Feb 20 – Mar 20 | Memorial Day weekend: send by July |
| June | Oct 15 | Dec 15 | Sep 15 | Mar 23 – Apr 20 | Peak season: lean early |
| July | Nov 15 | Jan 15 | Oct 15 | Apr 22 – May 20 | Fourth of July weekend: send by September |
| August | Dec 15 | Feb 15 | Nov 15 | May 23 – Jun 20 | Ideal date hits the holidays: send by Dec 1 |
| September | Jan 15 | Mar 15 | Dec 15 | Jun 23 – Jul 21 | Labor Day weekend: send by November |
| October | Feb 15 | Apr 15 | Jan 15 | Jul 23 – Aug 20 | Peak fall (autumn) month: lean early |
| November | Mar 15 | May 15 | Feb 15 | Aug 23 – Sep 20 | Thanksgiving weekend: send by January |
| December | Apr 15 | Jun 15 | Mar 15 | Sep 22 – Oct 20 | Holiday season: lean toward 12 months |
A worked example. Our demo couple Ebba and Hugo marry in Dalarna on June 25, 2027: Midsummer Eve, the Friday of Sweden's midsummer holiday weekend, with an invitation in English, German and Arabic for guests flying in. Destination plus holiday weekend: the save the date goes out between June 25 and September 25, 2026, the invitation between late February and late March 2027, with replies due May 15.
Their design, Solstice, is a maypole whose ribbons guests unwind with a turn. Every one of Veiloria's 43 designs has a matching digital Save the Date: the same opening, ending on your names, the date and the place, "Formal invitation to follow" and an Add to calendar link.
Is 7 months too late for save the dates? Is 4 months?
Seven months is not too late for a local wedding; four months is too late for a separate save the date.
| Time to the wedding | Verdict | What to send now |
|---|---|---|
| More than 12 months | Early | Wait, unless guests need visas |
| 12–9 months | Ideal if guests travel | Save the date |
| 8–6 months, local | Ideal | Save the date |
| 8–6 months, destination | Late but workable | Save the date this week, with the nearest airport |
| 5 months | Borderline | A save the date only if the invitation details aren't fixed |
| 4 months or less | Too late | The invitation, now |
What to do if you're late
- Settle the guest list first.
- Call or message guests who fly before it arrives.
- Send to everyone on the same day, so nobody hears second-hand.
- Add one travel line: the nearest airport, or the town to stay in.
- Send the invitation at the 12-week end of its window.
A late save the date needs no apology:
Margaux and Henri are getting married on Saturday, September 18, in the Loire Valley. Please save the date: the invitation follows in June.
More messages in our save the date wording bank.
Can you skip the save the date?
Yes. A save the date is optional: skip it for a short engagement, a small local wedding, or guests who already know the date.
Then send the invitation earlier: Evite suggests 3–4 months before the wedding when no save the date went out (December 2023). For what each piece carries, see save the date vs wedding invitation.
When to send wedding invitations after save the dates
Send the invitation 8–12 weeks before the wedding, usually 4–9 months after the save the date (3–4 months before for a destination wedding). When to send save the dates and invitations, in one line: 6–12 months, then 8–12 weeks.
| Save the date sent | Invitation sent | Gap |
|---|---|---|
| 12 months before | 12 weeks before | About 9 months |
| 8 months before | 10 weeks before | About 5½ months |
| 6 months before | 8 weeks before | About 4 months |
Keep at least two months between them, or the invitation reads like a repeat.
A digital save the date can hand over to an invitation in the same design. At Veiloria, a Save the Date ordered on its own can be upgraded to the full invitation later, at the same web address.
Who gets a save the date, and who doesn't
Send a save the date only to people who will certainly receive an invitation. You can't politely take it back.
Send one to:
- Every confirmed household, including parents and the wedding party.
- Plus-ones you've decided on, by name: "Sofia and Marco", not "Sofia and guest".
- Children you're inviting, named, so an adults-only wedding is clear from the start.
Leave off anyone on a maybe list, and vendors: they have contracts.
Sources
All checked 19 October 2026.
- Zola, save the dates (July 1, 2025) and invitations (September 24, 2025)
- Evite, when to send wedding invites (December 8, 2023)
- Greenvelope, timing guide (October 15, 2026)
- Stationery HQ, etiquette guide for 2026
- European Commission, applying for a Schengen visa
Frequently asked questions
How far in advance should you send save the dates?
Send save the dates 6–12 months before the wedding: about eight months for a local wedding, 9–12 for a destination wedding, holiday weekend or peak-season date.
Is 7 months too late for save the dates?
No. Seven months is inside the 6–12 month window for a local wedding. For a destination wedding it's late but workable: send them this week, with the nearest airport.
Can you skip save the dates and just send invitations?
Yes. Save the dates are optional, and short engagements and small local weddings often skip them. Send the invitation earlier instead, about 3–4 months before.
Do you send save the dates to everyone who is invited?
Send one to everyone you're certain to invite, and no one else. Every save the date must be followed by an invitation, so leave the maybes off.
How long after the save the date should the invitation follow?
The invitation follows 8–12 weeks before the wedding, usually 4–9 months after the save the date. Keep at least two months between them so the invitation doesn't read as a repeat.
When should you send save the dates for a destination wedding?
Send destination save the dates 9–12 months before the wedding, or a full 12 months if guests need visas or new passports. The invitation follows 3–4 months before the day.
