25 Of The Best Save The Date Ideas To Impress Your Wedding Guests From The Get-Go

Save the dates are the perfect way to start wedding planning, post the exciting engagement.

Once you've chosen your wedding location and set a date, it's important to keep your guests in the loop by sending them a friendly save the date card, to give them a chance to keep the day free, even if you haven't yet got many more details to give them. 'The goal with invitations and save the dates is to ensure your guests have the information they need, when they need it. This should be your key consideration when planning how to communicate with your guests,' explains Matthew Shaw, founder of the luxury creative studio Sauveur, which produces large-scale events and weddings.

As per tradition, a save the date card usually includes both partners' names, the date and location of the wedding with a note that future details regarding timings, carriages, dietary requirements and presents will arrive in due course.

Often, soon-to-be-wedded couples debate whether there's much point in sending out Save The Dates if they're planning on posting invitations anyway. But Shaw says he would always recommend sending a save the date to guests, unless it's a small weddin whereby you might be able to include everything in one go and simply opt for an invitation. He notes: 'The key consideration to keep in mind is what information you have ready to share with guests versus what information they need, since this will highlight if you should be sending a save the date. You should also not expect responses to a save the date as you are merely informing people when the event will take place. Some guests may respond if they definitely know they cannot attend but most guests will wait to receive an invitation.

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'If you are inviting guests to different parts of your day do bear this in mind when preparing your save the dates. If you have church guests only you may want to make this clear so they don’t save a whole day for you when you only intend them to join part of it. Information is key and your guests will thank you for it!'

Nowadays, there are loads of save the dates ideas, and they come in all shapes and sizes, from bookmarks to cocktails stirrers. When it comes to allocating budget for Save The Dates, Shaw suggests keeping costs to a minimum. If you have someone designing your invitations you will likely want them to prepare a save the date for you so everything forms part of the same aesthetic,' he says .'Alternatively, there are numerous templates available online as well as great online services for designing and sharing save the dates.'

As for when you should send out Save The Dates, Shaw explains that they will probably be the first time you communicate your wedding to your guests. As a result, he notes that 'they should be sent out between 6 and 12 months before your wedding'. 'Once you have your venue and date confirmed I would suggest sending your save the date towards the top end of that to ensure it is firmly in people’s diaries,' he adds, noting that tradition states invitations are sent out six to eight weeks prior to a wedding.

Here is a list of the best save the date ideas for a wedding: