When to send save-the-dates
Enter your first event date to see the day to send save-the-dates by. No sign-up.
Prefilled with Anaya & Rohan's mehndi. Change either field.
Your wedding date, or for a multi-day wedding the first festivity guests attend, such as the mehndi.
How the calculator works
Step 1: Enter the first event
Your wedding date, or the mehndi or welcome dinner for a multi-day wedding.
Step 2: Say who travels
Mostly local guests, or many flying in for a destination or out-of-town weekend.
Step 3: Read the send-by date
The latest day to send save-the-dates, the earliest, and when invitations follow.
The numbers:
send-by date = first event date − 6 months (mostly local) or 8 months (many travel)
Send them from your guest list
In PlanMe, each function is called a festivity. Put the city and dates on your wedding website, send save-the-dates straight from your guest list, and add the send-by date as a checklist task. Closer to the wedding, email or text guests by tag or RSVP status.
Where the timing comes from
The Knot's save-the-date guide puts the sweet spot at six to eight months before the wedding, closer to eight for a far-flung location or a holiday weekend. It says to send no later than six months out, to keep it under a year, and to skip save-the-dates once you are under four months out.
Zola's guide to when to send save the dates gives 4 to 6 months for a local wedding and 8 to 12 months for a destination wedding. The calculator uses 6 months for mostly local guests, which meets both, and 8 months when many guests travel, with 12 months as the earliest.
For invitations, The Knot's invitation timeline says six to eight weeks before the wedding, eight for a destination wedding and nine to 10 for guests overseas. From there, the RSVP deadline calculator sets the reply-by date from your caterer and hotel cut-offs. If you are still signing vendors, the vendor booking timeline gives a book-by date for each one. Sign the venue before any save-the-date goes out.
Related
Save-the-date questions
When should you send save-the-dates?
The Knot puts the sweet spot at six to eight months before the wedding, and no later than six months. Zola says 4 to 6 months for a local wedding and 8 to 12 months for a destination wedding. The calculator uses 6 months when most guests are local and 8 months when many are flying in, so the date it shows is the latest safe day to send.
How does the save-the-date calculator work?
Send-by date = the date of your first event minus 6 months (mostly local guests) or 8 months (many guests traveling). The earliest date is 8 or 12 months out, and invitations go 8 weeks before. In the Anaya & Rohan example, the mehndi is on Friday, November 12, 2027, and most guests fly in, so save-the-dates go out by Friday, March 12, 2027, and invitations by Friday, September 17, 2027.
Which date should I use for a multi-day wedding?
Use the first event guests travel for, such as the mehndi or a welcome dinner, not the ceremony. Guests book flights and time off for the whole weekend, so the clock starts at the first day they need to be there.
When do invitations go out after save-the-dates?
The Knot says six to eight weeks before the wedding, eight weeks for a destination wedding, and nine to 10 weeks for guests overseas. Zola's timeline also puts invitations at 8 weeks. The calculator shows the 8-week date under your save-the-date date.
Is it ever too late to send save-the-dates?
The Knot says that under four months before the wedding, save-the-dates no longer make sense, and you should go straight to invitations. It also suggests keeping save-the-dates under a year out so the date stays on guests' radar.
Is the calculator free, and is my data saved?
Yes, it is free and needs no sign-up. It runs in your browser and nothing is uploaded. Your last entries are kept on this device only.