Save the Date Cards

What it's for

A save the date goes out months before the invitation so guests can hold the day, book a hotel and ask for time off. Couples send them for weddings; families send them for reunions and milestone anniversaries; schools, nonprofits and companies send them for galas, fundraisers and conferences. Put a photo or a bold date on the front, keep the words short, and we will go over the proof with you so the names and the date are exactly right before anything prints.

Sizes, paper and printing

Save the dates are printed in full color on thick card stock, on one side or both. Choose 4 by 6 inches, which mails as a postcard, or 5 by 7 inches and A2, 4.25 by 5.5 inches, which go in an envelope; any of them can stand tall or lie wide at the same price. Design yours online from a save the date template, start from your own photo, or upload a finished file.

Why send a save the date

An invitation tells guests the details; a save the date simply claims the day. It matters most when people will travel, when the date falls on a holiday weekend or in a busy season, and when the guest list is large enough that some guests only hear from you by mail. It also gives you an early address check: cards that come back tell you which addresses to fix before the invitations go out.

Photo or type

An engagement photo on the front, full bleed with the names and the date over a clear patch of sky or wall, is the most popular look. Type-only designs, with the date set large in a serif or a script, are just as classic and suit a formal event, a reunion or a business gala. The templates offer both, and every color and font can be changed to match the invitation you plan to send later.

Choosing a size: postcard or card and envelope

The 4 by 6 card mails as a postcard with a postcard stamp, with no envelope to stuff or seal. The front carries the design, and the back holds a short note on the left with the address side kept clear. The 5 by 7 and A2 sizes go in an envelope, which protects a photo on the way and leaves the whole back free for a message, a hotel block or a wedding website.

Mailing them yourself

On a 4 by 6 postcard, the right half of the back is the address side: keep it clear of words and pictures, write or print the address in the middle, and put the stamp in the top right corner. Put your return address in the top left so undeliverable cards come back to you. Mail one to yourself first to see how it arrives.

Matching the invitation

Guests remember the look of the save the date, so let the invitation echo it: the same two colors, the same fonts, perhaps the same photo on the back. Design both in the same designer and we keep your files, which makes it easy to order the invitations a few months later in the same style. A thank you card to match finishes the set.

How ordering works

Design it online: start from one of our templates or your own logo, or upload a print-ready file in the designer, and see the price for every quantity as you go. The price is for the whole order, from 25, and the more you order, the less each one costs. We check every file and send a proof within 1 business day, and nothing is made until you approve it. It is ready to pick up or ships 4 to 6 business days after you approve the proof. Rush orders are printed the next business day, with no separate proof: the design on your screen is what prints. See how rush printing works. Pick it up free at our Hopewell Junction shop, or we ship it anywhere in the US.

Questions about save the date cards