Save the Date and RSVP Card Wording: Examples and Timings

The save the date and the reply card are the two smallest pieces of wedding stationery, and the two that cause the most questions. When should they go out? How much should they say? What happens if someone does not reply? This guide answers those questions and gives you wording you can adapt.

The order of wedding stationery

It helps to see the whole sequence first:

• Save the date: announces the date and place so guests can keep it free.
• Invitation: the formal invitation with full details of the ceremony and reception.
• Reply card (RSVP): returned by the guest to say whether they are coming, and sometimes their meal choice.
• Details card: optional, with directions, accommodation, timings, dress code or a website address.
• Thank-you card: sent after the wedding.

Not every wedding needs all of these. A small wedding might skip the save the date entirely. A couple collecting replies online might replace the reply card with a single line on the invitation.

When to send each piece

These are common guidelines rather than fixed rules, and they vary with your guest list.

• Save the dates: six to twelve months before the wedding is typical. For a destination wedding, a wedding during the summer holidays, or one with many overseas guests, closer to twelve months is kinder.
• Invitations: around three months before in the UK, and six to eight weeks before in the US is a common recommendation. Send earlier for destination weddings.
• Reply deadline: four to six weeks before the wedding. Check when your venue and caterer need final numbers, then set your deadline a week or two earlier.
• Thank-you cards: within a few months of the wedding, ideally sooner.

What a save the date should say

A save the date is not a mini-invitation. It needs only:

• Your names
• The date
• The town or region, and the venue if it is confirmed
• A line saying a formal invitation will follow
• Optional: your wedding website address

That is enough. Times, menus and dress codes belong on the invitation or details card.

Only send a save the date to people you are certain to invite. Once someone has one, they will expect an invitation.

Save the date wording examples

Classic

Please save the date

for the wedding of

Emma Brown and James Patel

Saturday 14 June 2027

Kew, London

Formal invitation to follow

Relaxed

Emma and James are getting married!

Save the date: 14.06.2027

Kew, London

Invitation to follow

Destination wedding

Save the date

Emma and James

are getting married in Tuscany

Friday 10 September 2027

We would love you to join us

Travel details and invitation to follow

For destination weddings, giving guests extra notice is genuinely helpful. If you already know the nearest airport or recommended dates to travel, a website address on the card lets you share that without crowding the design.

Evening-only guests

If someone is invited to the evening only, it is clearer to wait and send an evening invitation rather than a save the date, which could imply an all-day invitation.

What a reply card should ask

Keep the reply card short. Every extra question is another chance for a guest to put it on the kitchen counter and forget about it. The essentials are:

• The guest's name or names
• Accepts or declines
• The reply deadline
• Optional: meal choices, dietary requirements, or a song request

If you are posting reply cards, include a stamped, addressed envelope, or design the card as a postcard with your address on the back. Guests are much more likely to reply when it costs them nothing.

Reply card wording examples

Formal

The favour of a reply is requested

by the first of May

Name(s) ____________________

___ accept with pleasure

___ decline with regret

Relaxed

Kindly reply by 1 May

Name(s) ____________________

___ Wouldn't miss it

___ Will celebrate from afar

Dietary requirements ____________________

With meal choices

Please reply by 1 May

Name(s) ____________________

___ Joyfully accepts

___ Regretfully declines

Please mark your main course

___ Beef ___ Salmon ___ Vegetarian

Online replies

If you are collecting replies through a website or by message, put one line on the invitation or a small card:

Kindly reply by 1 May at emmaandjames.com

or

Please reply to Emma by 1 May on 07700 900123

Use a number or email address you do not mind sharing with every guest.

Handling plus-ones and children on the reply card

The reply card is a common place for confusion about who is invited. A few ways to make it clear:

• Pre-print the guests' names on each reply card ("We have reserved two seats in your honour"), so guests know exactly how many places are theirs.
• Address the envelope precisely. If children are invited, include them by name. If they are not, address the invitation to the adults only.
• Avoid an open "number attending" line unless you are happy for guests to choose.

Chasing late replies

Some guests will miss the deadline. That is normal and rarely rude. A few days after your deadline, send a friendly message:

Hi Sam, we're finalising numbers for the caterer this week. Will you be able to join us on 14 June? No pressure either way. We'd just love to know.

Divide the chasing between the two of you, or ask a parent to contact relatives on their side.

Thank-you card wording

A thank-you card should name the gift or the gesture and say something personal:

Dear Aunt Jo,

Thank you so much for the beautiful serving bowl. It's already been used for our first dinner party as a married couple. It meant so much to have you with us on the day.

With love,

Emma and James

If someone helped with the wedding itself, such as making the cake, arranging flowers or giving a speech, thank them for that specifically.

Keeping it all matching

Guests notice when a save the date, invitation and reply card clearly belong together. Use the same colours, florals and typefaces across every piece, even if the layouts differ.

PrintBloom Studio's invitations include a matching reply card, thank-you tags and address labels with every design. The Stationery Pack adds a save the date, a details card, a thank-you card, a welcome sign, menus and table numbers in the same design, so the whole set matches from the first announcement to the final thank you. You type the wording line by line, leave out any line you do not need, and the printed file matches the preview.