A save the date is the first piece of stationery your guests receive about your wedding, sent 6 to 8 months before the wedding date. It is a heads-up, not a formal invitation. The job is to give guests, especially those traveling from out of town, enough lead time to book flights, hotels, and time off work. Our save the date templates are fully editable in our free browser-based editor. No Canva account, no Photoshop, no software to install. Customize names, the wedding date, the city or venue, and the wedding website link. Swap colors to match your wedding palette and add an engagement photo if your design supports it. Whether you are searching for printable save the date templates, editable save the date cards, or a DIY save the date you can print at home, every template here is built to be customized in your browser and printed at home or at any local print shop. The collection includes the standard 5x7 inch card size that fits A7 envelopes and the 4x6 postcard size that mails without an envelope and reduces postage costs.

Browse Save the Dates by Style

Minimalist Save the Dates

Clean lines, generous white space, and modern serif typography. Pairs with minimalist wedding invitations and suites.

Floral Save the Dates

Watercolor florals and soft botanicals in dusty rose, sage, and blush. Pairs with floral wedding invitations and suites.

Boho Save the Dates

Earthy textures, muted terracotta, and hand-drawn details. Pairs with boho wedding invitations and suites.

Classic Save the Dates

Formal typography and traditional layouts. Pairs with classic wedding invitations and suites.

Rustic Save the Dates

Warm wood tones and hand-lettered scripts. Pairs with rustic wedding invitations and suites.

Sizes and Formats

Every save the date template in this collection is available in the two industry-standard sizes:

• 5x7 inches. The standard wedding card size, fits a standard A7 envelope. Use this size if you want save the dates to feel as substantial as the formal invitation that follows.

• 4x6 inches (postcard). Mails without an envelope at postcard postage rates, which reduces total postage cost by 30 to 50 percent across a guest list of 100+. The trade-off is no return address envelope, which is fine for save the dates since they do not require an RSVP.

All templates download as print-ready PDFs with proper bleed and margins for home printing or professional printing. Recommended cardstock weight is 100lb to 110lb in matte or smooth finish.

Who These Save the Date Templates Are For

These templates are built for couples who want to send a beautiful save the date without spending hundreds of dollars on a custom designer. Most of our customers are 6 to 9 months out from their wedding date and want to give guests enough lead time without committing to the formal invitation design yet. Save the date templates work especially well for couples planning destination weddings, weddings during peak travel seasons, and weddings with a high percentage of out-of-town guests, since these are the situations where guests need the most time to plan. The editable text, swappable colors, and print-ready output make every template scale to any wedding size from 30 guests to 200+.

How to Use Your Save the Date Template

1. Pick a design that matches the wedding invitation style you plan to send 6 to 8 weeks before the wedding. Filter by style above (Minimalist, Floral, Boho, Classic, or Rustic).

2. Open the template in our free browser-based editor. Edit names, the wedding date, city or venue, and your wedding website URL in real time.

3. Add your engagement photo if your design supports it. Save the dates are one of the few wedding stationery pieces where photos work beautifully.

4. Pull color codes from your wedding moodboard so the save the date previews the palette you will use across the rest of your stationery.

5. Choose your size (5x7 card or 4x6 postcard) and download the print-ready PDF.

6. Print on cardstock at home, send the file to a local print shop, or use any online printer. Mail 6 to 8 months before the wedding.

Pairs With

Save the dates are the first piece in a coordinated wedding stationery suite. Couples who buy save the dates here typically also customize matching wedding invitations, RSVP cards, and thank you cards from the same design family. For pre-wedding events, see our bridal shower invitations, bachelorette party invitations, and rehearsal dinner invitations.

Want a Coordinated Package?

If you want the save the date pre-coordinated with the rest of your wedding stationery, browse our wedding invitation sets, which are 5-piece packages that include the save the date alongside the formal invitation, details card, RSVP, and thank you card. Buying a set guarantees every piece matches and saves you the time of choosing each design separately.

Looking for Digital Save the Dates?

If you prefer to send save the dates by email or text instead of mailing paper cards, browse our online wedding invitations collection, which includes digital-first formats designed to share via link. Many couples send digital save the dates to friends and family who are quick to respond, then mail paper save the dates to older relatives and out-of-town guests.

Frequently Asked Questions

When should you send save the dates?

Send save the dates 6 to 8 months before the wedding date for local weddings. For destination weddings, send save the dates 9 to 12 months in advance so guests have enough time to book flights, hotels, and time off work. For weddings during peak travel seasons (summer Saturdays, holiday weekends), send 8 to 10 months in advance. The save the date should always go out before the formal invitation, which is sent 6 to 8 weeks before the wedding.

What should a save the date say?

A save the date should include the names of the couple, the wedding date, the city and state (or country) where the wedding will take place, the words "save the date" or "save our date," a note that a formal invitation will follow, and your wedding website URL if you have one. You do not need to include the venue address, ceremony time, or RSVP information. Those go on the formal invitation that follows. Keep save the date wording short. The job is to give guests the date so they can hold it, not to share full details.

What size are save the dates?

The two standard save the date sizes are 5x7 inches (a card that mails in an A7 envelope) and 4x6 inches (a postcard that mails without an envelope). The 5x7 size feels more substantial and matches your formal invitation. The 4x6 postcard saves on postage (postcard rates are 30 to 50 percent lower than standard letter rates) and is faster to mail since it does not need an envelope. Both sizes are available for every template in this collection.

Do I need to send save the dates?

Save the dates are not strictly required, but they are highly recommended for any wedding with out-of-town guests, destination weddings, weddings during peak travel seasons, and weddings booked more than 9 months out. If your guest list is local and the wedding is less than 6 months away, you can skip the save the date and go straight to the formal invitation. For everyone else, save the dates make a real difference in attendance rates.

Should save the dates match the wedding invitation?

Save the dates do not need to match the wedding invitation perfectly, but they should preview your wedding aesthetic. The simplest approach is to pick save the date and invitation templates from the same style family (Minimalist, Floral, Boho, Classic, or Rustic) and use the same color palette across both. Buying a wedding invitation set guarantees the save the date and invitation match exactly since they are designed as one coordinated package.

Can I print save the dates at home?

Yes. Every template downloads as a print-ready PDF sized for standard home printers and any local or online print shop. We recommend 100lb or 110lb cardstock for 5x7 cards and 100lb postcard stock for 4x6 postcards. Both standard letter-size paper (8.5x11 inches) and tabloid (11x17 inches) work for home printing, depending on how many cards you want to fit per sheet.