UK Save the Dates: When to Send and Get Addresses

In the UK, send save the dates nine to twelve months before the wedding. Go earlier, up to a year and a half, if guests have to fly, if you've picked a bank holiday weekend, or if the date falls in the school summer holidays. For a small local wedding on a weekday, six months is fine.

The save the date has a second job that's easy to forget. It's the first time you ask every guest for something, so it's the best chance you'll get to collect the email addresses, mobile numbers and, if you're posting paper invitations, the postal addresses you'll need later. This guide covers both: the timing, and how to come out of it with a complete guest list.

TL;DR:

• Nine to twelve months before is the UK norm. Twelve to eighteen if guests are travelling from abroad.
• Bank holiday and school holiday weekends need the earlier end, because guests book leave and hotels early.
• Send one to everyone you're sure of, evening guests included if they'd need a babysitter or a hotel.
• Never send a save the date to someone you might not invite.
• Use it to collect contact details. A digital save the date can gather emails and phone numbers as guests reply. Postal addresses need asking for separately.

When to send save the dates in the UK

For a 2027 wedding, the bank holidays in England and Wales are 3 May, 31 May and 30 August, according to GOV.UK. If yours is on the Saturday before 31 May or 30 August, a save the date this winter is not too early.

Fewer than six months out, you can skip the save the date and let the invitation do both jobs.

Who should get a save the date

Everyone you're certain to invite. The important word is certain: a save the date is a promise that the invitation is coming, and taking that back later is far more awkward than not sending one.

• Day guests: yes.
• Evening guests: yes, if they'd need to arrange childcare, travel or a hotel. Our evening guest etiquette guide goes through the rest.
• Plus-ones: name them on the save the date if you know who they are. If you don't, the invitation can deal with it later.
• Children: if the wedding is adults only, you don't need to say so yet, but don't address the save the date to "the Smith family" if the invitation will only name the parents.
• People you're unsure about: wait. You can always invite them later without a save the date.

If you're inviting day guests and evening guests on different invitations, the save the date can still be one design for everybody. It only asks them to keep the date free. We cover the setup for day and evening guests on one website separately.

How to collect guest addresses with the save the date

Leave this until the invitations are ready and you'll be chasing an aunt for her new postcode and a university friend for an email address that still works.

Emails and phone numbers: ask for them in the save the date

A digital save the date can collect contact details as guests reply. WhiteClover's save the date works like this: you send one link, by WhatsApp, text or email, and guests open it, see your date and leave their name, email and phone number, and then the same for each person they're bringing and any children. Every reply goes into your guest list, so the list builds itself months before the invitations go out.

A few details make it work better:

• Guests get a confirmation email with the date attached as a calendar file, so it goes into Google Calendar, Apple Calendar or Outlook in one tap.
• A plus-one becomes a person with their own contact details, not a row that just says "plus one".
• If you have to change the date, edit the page and the link stays the same. Anyone who already saved the old date in their own calendar needs telling separately.
• Sending it and collecting the details is free, at 40 guests or 400.

Postal addresses: ask separately

WhiteClover's save the date doesn't collect postal addresses. If you're posting paper invitations, ask for addresses in one of these ways:

• Add a line to the message you send with the link: "And if you can, reply with your postal address for the invitation."
• Collect them in a shared spreadsheet or a simple online form.
• Ask one person per family, usually a parent, to gather the addresses for their side.

Ask for the full postcode as well as the street address.

What posting costs

If you post the save the dates or the invitations, budget for stamps. From 7 April 2026 a first class stamp for a standard letter costs £1.80 and a second class one costs 91p, and a large letter costs £3.30 first class. For 100 households:

A standard letter is up to 24cm by 16.5cm, 5mm thick and 100g. A square card or a thick one with a ribbon can push you into large letter rates, so weigh and measure one finished invitation before you buy stamps. Sending the save the date digitally keeps the postage, and the printing budget, for the invitation.

Save the date wording for UK weddings

Simple:

"Save the date! Priya and Tom are getting married on Saturday 29 May 2027 in Bath. Invitation to follow."

Bank holiday weekend:

"Priya and Tom are getting married on the bank holiday weekend, Saturday 29 May 2027, near Bath. It's a popular weekend, so you may want to book somewhere to stay early. Invitation to follow."

Wedding abroad:

"We're getting married in Greece on Saturday 12 June 2027. We know it's a big ask, so we're telling you early. Details on flights and hotels will follow."

With the contact form:

"Save the date for our wedding on 29 May 2027! Tap the link to add it to your calendar and leave your details, so we know where to send the invitation."

For evening guests:

"We'd love you at our evening celebration on Saturday 29 May 2027, near Bath. Invitation to follow."

Common save the date mistakes

The save the date as your first guest list

A save the date in the UK tells guests to keep a date free, and the earlier it goes, the more of them can. Sent nine to twelve months out with a way to reply, it also hands you most of a finished guest list before you've written a word of the invitation.

Start a digital save the date free, send it on WhatsApp, and let the contact details come in while you get on with the rest of the planning.

Frequently asked questions

How far in advance should you send save the dates in the UK?

Nine to twelve months before the wedding. Send them twelve to eighteen months ahead if guests are travelling from abroad, and around twelve months for a bank holiday or school holiday weekend.

Do evening guests get a save the date?

If they'd need to arrange childcare, travel or a hotel, yes. A save the date only asks people to keep the date free, so it's fine to send it to evening guests as well.

Can you send a save the date by WhatsApp?

Yes. A digital save the date is a link, so it works in WhatsApp, a text, an email or a family group chat. Guests open it in their browser, with nothing to install.

How do I collect addresses for wedding invitations?

Ask with the save the date. A digital save the date can collect emails and phone numbers as guests reply. For postal addresses, add a line to your message asking for them, or use a shared spreadsheet or a simple form, and ask for the full postcode.

Do you need to send save the dates if you're sending invitations?

Not always. If the wedding is fewer than six months away, the invitation can do both jobs. Save the dates matter most for summer Saturdays, bank holiday weekends and weddings abroad, when guests need to book early.

Recommended

• Evening Wedding Guests: The UK Etiquette Rulebook
• Day and Evening Guests: Two RSVPs, One Website
• Smart Save the Date and Contact Collector
• Wedding Plus One Etiquette: Who Gets One
• Free Wedding Guest List Template