Save-the-Date Text Message Examples

A save-the-date has one job: get your date into people’s calendars before they book something else. A text does that well, as long as it is short, clearly from you, and has everything a guest needs to plan: who, when, roughly where, and a link for later.

When to send it

Joy’s guide suggests six to eight months before the wedding, and eight to twelve months for a destination wedding; Paperlust suggests ten to twelve months for destinations. If guests need passports, flights or time off, earlier is kinder.

What to include

Both your names, so nobody has to guess who “we” is.
The date, written out with the day of the week.
The city and state (the venue can wait).
“Invitation to follow”, so nobody thinks this is the invitation.
A link they can come back to: the same link will become your invitation later.

Texts for close family

Mom, Dad: it’s official! Liam and I are getting married on Saturday, June 12, 2027, in Hudson, New York. Save the date, and we’ll send the full invitation later: emma-and-liam.honored.page

Grandma, we have a date! June 12, 2027, in Hudson. We wanted you to hear it from us first. All the details will be here: emma-and-liam.honored.page ❤️

Texts for friends

Save the date! Emma & Liam, June 12, 2027, Hudson NY. Invitation to follow, but block the weekend now: emma-and-liam.honored.page

We’re getting married!! 6.12.27 in Hudson, NY. Mark it, tell your boss, start stretching for the dance floor. Details: emma-and-liam.honored.page

For coworkers and acquaintances

Keep it a little more formal, and only send it to people you plan to invite:

Hi Priya, Liam and I are getting married on Saturday, June 12, 2027, in Hudson, New York, and we’d love for you to be there. A formal invitation will follow. Save the date: emma-and-liam.honored.page

Group chats: careful

A family group chat is tempting, but a save-the-date sent to a group can leave out someone who expected to be in it, or include someone who is not invited. Send it one person (or one household) at a time; most phones let you send the same message to several people individually. If you do use a group, make sure everyone in it is invited, partners included.

Destination weddings: add the travel facts

For a destination wedding, a save-the-date is really a travel notice. Say where, and what guests should check now.

Save the date: Avery & Liam are getting married in Kennebunkport, Maine, on Saturday, August 21, 2027! Closest airports are Portland and Boston; we’ll share a hotel block soon. Everything will be here: avery-and-liam.honored.page

We’re getting married in Mexico! Saturday, March 6, 2027. Please check your passport is valid for the trip, and watch this link for hotels and the full invitation: ana-and-diego.honored.page

Email version

For guests who live in their inbox, or relatives who do not text, the same words work with a subject line:

Subject: Save the date: Emma & Liam, June 12, 2027

We’re getting married on Saturday, June 12, 2027, in Hudson, New York, and we’d love you to be there. A formal invitation will follow. In the meantime, our website has the date and, soon, everything else: emma-and-liam.honored.page

With love, Emma and Liam

Make the link look good in the message

When you paste a link into Messages, iMessage shows a preview card. Apple’s guidance is that previews do not run JavaScript and should not rely on text inside the image, and that the site name should not be in the title. Honored follows that: your link preview shows your names, your date and city if you allow it, and your design’s artwork. Send it to yourself first to see how it looks.

One link, from save-the-date to invitation

In Honored, choose “Save the date” in the Date and mode step. Guests see your names, date and city, with “Formal invitation to follow” if you like, and no RSVP yet. When you are ready, switch the same link to the full invitation from your dashboard; anyone who saved it gets the schedule, travel details and RSVP without a new link.

Checklist

Sent six to eight months out (earlier for destinations).
Both names, the full date, the city, and “invitation to follow”.
Sent to each invited household, not to mixed group chats.
A link you have tested on your own phone.

Questions couples ask

When should you send save-the-dates?

Joy suggests six to eight months before the wedding, and eight to twelve months for a destination wedding; Paperlust suggests ten to twelve months for destinations.

What should a save-the-date text include?

Both your names, the date with the day of the week, the city and state, “invitation to follow”, and a link guests can come back to.

Can I send a save-the-date to a group chat?

It is safer to send it one person or household at a time. A group message can leave out someone who expected to be in it, or include someone who is not invited.

Save-the-date messages for text, group chat and email