Save the Date Wording: 30 Examples to Copy and Send (PH)
Thursday, August 20, 2026
Quick answer
A save the date needs both names, the words save the date, the wedding date, the city and a line saying the invitation will follow. Leave off the RSVP, times, dress code and full venue address. Send it 6 to 8 months ahead, or 8 to 12 months if guests must travel.
A save the date has one job: put your wedding on other people's calendars before they fill up. It is not a small invitation. It carries less on purpose, because most details are not settled yet.
Below are the five lines it needs, what to leave off, 30 copy-ready examples and when to send them. Full invitation wording is in wedding invitation wording examples.
The five lines it needs
Bliss & Bone says every save the date needs four elements: the couple's names, the date, the city and a line saying a formal invitation will follow. We add the words "save the date", so nobody mistakes it for the invitation.
| Line | Example |
|---|---|
| Both your names | Andrea Salazar and Miguel Reyes |
| The words "save the date" | Save the Date |
| The date | Saturday, January 23, 2027 |
| The city | Tagaytay, Cavite (city, not the full address) |
| A closing promise | Invitation to follow |
A sixth line is optional: the link to your wedding page, if you have one. Bliss & Bone calls it recommended but optional.
The city line matters. Guests use it to decide on leave, a flight or a room, and a guest in Cebu reads "Tagaytay" very differently from a guest in Manila. The exact venue can still change, so name the place, not the address.
What to leave off
| Leave off | Why |
|---|---|
| RSVP details | Bliss & Bone: asking for a reply now confuses guests about whether an invitation is coming |
| Venue address, dress code, hotel details | Bliss & Bone: these belong on the formal invitation |
| Ceremony and reception times | Our advice: they shift while the church and venue confirm |
| Gift or registry information | Our advice: it belongs with the invitation, if anywhere |
| Your full guest list | Our advice: send it person by person |
Two rules of ours follow that table.
- Anyone who gets a save the date gets an invitation. You cannot walk it back without insulting someone, so the early list must be one you are sure of.
- Do not name a church the parish has not confirmed. Announce only what is locked. Our church wedding requirements guide covers how early to reserve.
Formal save the date wording
Use these with a printed or traditional invitation to follow.
Save the Date
[Full name 1]
and
[Full name 2]
[Weekday], the [day] of [Month]
[Year in words]
[City, Province]
Formal invitation to follow
[Name 1] and [Name 2] are to be married.
Please keep [Month] [Day], [Year] free.
[City, Province]
A formal invitation will follow.
Mr. and Mrs. [Bride's Surname] and Mr. and Mrs. [Groom's Surname]
announce the upcoming marriage of their children,
[Name 1] and [Name 2].
Save the date: [Weekday], [Month] [Day], [Year]
[City, Province]
Formal invitation to follow
[Name 1] and [Name 2]
will be married in a civil ceremony
on [Weekday], [Month] [Day], [Year],
followed by dinner in [City].
Please save the date. Invitation to follow.
Warm and plain save the date wording
The default for most weddings. Short enough to read on a phone without scrolling.
Save the date!
[Name 1] & [Name 2] are getting married
[Weekday], [Month] [Day], [Year]
[City]
Invitation to follow
We are getting married!
Save the date: [Month] [Day], [Year]
Location: [City]
Invitation coming soon
Mark your calendar: [Month] [Day], [Year].
[Name 1] and [Name 2] are getting married in [City], and we hope you can come.
Invitation to follow.
It is official! [Name 1] and [Name 2] are getting married on [Month] [Day], [Year] in [City]. Save the date, and watch for our invitation.
Save the date messages for Messenger, Viber and SMS
Written to survive being copied and forwarded by a tita.
Hi, Tita [Name]! [Name 1] and [Name 2] are getting married on [Weekday], [Month] [Day], [Year], in [City]. Please save the date. The invitation with the full details will follow. We would love to have you there.
Hi [Name], it's [Your Name]. I am getting married on [Month] [Day], [Year] in [City]. Please save the date. The invitation will follow.
Hi everyone! Save the date: [Name 1] and [Name 2] are getting married on [Month] [Day], [Year] in [City]. Invitation to follow.
Hi [Name]! Big news: we are getting married on [Month] [Day], [Year]. Please keep the date free. More details soon.
Hi [Name], we are getting married on [Month] [Day], [Year] and want you to hear it from us first. Please save the date. Invitation to follow.
All but the first fit one SMS with a short name and a date like September 30, 2027. Standard SMS holds 160 characters, per Twilio, so use straight apostrophes and no emoji.
For guests who travel
Relatives abroad and in the provinces are booking flights and filing leave, not just clearing a weekend.
Save the Date
[Name 1] & [Name 2]
[Weekday], [Month] [Day], [Year]
[City], Philippines
Travelling in for the wedding? Flights and rooms fill up early. The full details will follow in our invitation.
Hi [Name]! We are getting married on [Month] [Day], [Year] in [City], Philippines. We are telling you early so you can plan leave and flights. The invitation will follow.
Save the Date
[Month] [Day], [Year]
[City, Province]
If you are coming from far away, please keep the weekend free. We will send the invitation and travel details soon.
Hi [Name]! Our wedding is on [Month] [Day], [Year]. That falls in a busy travel season, so we are sending this early. Please save the date. Invitation to follow.
Small weddings, second marriages and receptions after the fact
We are keeping our wedding small.
Please save the date: [Month] [Day], [Year], [City].
An invitation will follow.
We are having a small ceremony with our families. We would love to celebrate with you afterwards. Save the date: [Month] [Day], [Year], [City]. Invitation to follow.
We were married on [Date]. Please save [Month] [Day], [Year] to celebrate with us in [City]. Invitation to follow.
We are getting married again, and we would love to have you there. Save the date: [Month] [Day], [Year], [City]. Invitation to follow.
For the invitation itself in these cases, see second marriage invitation wording and civil wedding then church wedding order.
Playful save the date wording
Match the tone of the invitation you will send. A playful save the date followed by a stiff invitation reads as a change of plan.
We are getting married and you are invited! Save the date: [Month] [Day], [Year]. [City]. Invitation to follow.
Clear your calendar: [Name 1] and [Name 2] are getting married on [Month] [Day], [Year]. Bring your dancing shoes. Invitation to follow.
Sorry, you cannot say you are busy on [Month] [Day], [Year]. We are getting married in [City]! Invitation to follow.
If the date changes
Tell everyone who got the first one, and say what stays the same.
Change of date: [Name 1] and [Name 2] are still getting married in [City], but the new date is [New Date]. We are sorry for the change, and we hope you can still come. Invitation to follow.
We are postponing our wedding and will share the new date as soon as it is confirmed. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Photo cards and wedding page links
Save the Date
[Name 1] & [Name 2]
[Month] [Day], [Year] | [City]
More details soon: [Link]
Hi [Name]! Save the date: [Name 1] and [Name 2] on [Month] [Day], [Year] in [City]. Our details will be at [Link]. Invitation to follow.
[Name 1] & [Name 2] are getting married on [Month] [Day], [Year].
Save the date and visit [Link] for updates.
Front (over the photo): Save the Date, [Name 1] & [Name 2], [Month] [Day], [Year]
Back: [City]. Invitation to follow. Wedding page: [Link]
When to send it
| Your guests | Send | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Local or domestic | 6 to 8 months ahead | Bliss & Bone |
| Significant travel | 8 to 12 months ahead | Bliss & Bone |
| From the provinces | Treat as travel: 8 months | Our advice |
| Flying in from abroad | 8 to 12 months | Our advice, following Bliss & Bone |
For a Philippine wedding, assume the longer range applies to more of your list than you first think. Relatives working abroad need lead time for leave approvals, and provincial guests plan a long land trip. If either group is a big share of your list, send at eight months. The invitation then follows 6 to 8 weeks out, as in when to send wedding invitations.
You may skip a save the date if your wedding is small, local and under six months away. Bliss & Bone says skipping is common for smaller weddings, intimate celebrations and shorter engagements. Then it says to send the invitation 12 weeks before the wedding, or 10 weeks for a local-only list.
Sending it without printing anything
Send it as a short message, or as one phone-sized image that is easy to forward. Send it person by person, not to a group, so a guest who was not invited never sees who else got one.
Keep a record of who received it. That list becomes your invitation list, and rebuilding it from old chats months later is miserable. The guest list guide covers keeping it in one place.
A published Imbitasyon Ko page always includes an RSVP form, so treat it as the invitation, not the save the date. How to share your digital invitation applies the same etiquette to that later send.
Write your lines once, decide who is on the early list and send. The times, the map, the dress code and the RSVP wait for the invitation, where they will still be correct.
Frequently asked questions
What do you write on a save the date?
Write both names, the wedding date, the city and a line saying an invitation will follow. Bliss & Bone lists those four essentials. We add the words save the date, so nobody mistakes it for the invitation. A link to your wedding page is optional.
When should you send save the dates?
Bliss & Bone says 6 to 8 months before the wedding for local or domestic guests, and 8 to 12 months when guests must travel far. For a Philippine wedding, our advice is to use the longer range if relatives abroad or in the provinces are on your list.
Do save the dates need to include the venue?
Give the city, not the full address. Guests need the city to decide on leave and travel, while the exact venue can still change. Bliss & Bone says the venue address belongs on the formal invitation.
Do you put an RSVP on a save the date?
No. Bliss & Bone says RSVPs belong on the invitation, because asking for a reply now creates confusion about whether an invitation is still coming. A save the date is an announcement.
Do you have to say invitation to follow?
Yes, it is worth including. Bliss & Bone says that without it, guests sometimes treat the save the date as the invitation itself and show up without RSVPing.
Can a save the date be sent digitally?
Yes. A short message with the names, date and city is enough, and a single phone-sized image is easy to forward. Send it to each person separately, so a guest who was not invited never sees who else got one.
Does everyone on the guest list get a save the date?
Send it only to people you are sure you will invite. Our advice is that anyone who gets a save the date should get an invitation, because you cannot walk it back later without insulting someone.