Save the dates usually go out six to eight months before the wedding, or eight to twelve for a destination wedding. The printing is the easy part. The hard part is the list of addresses, and it needs a head start.
Here is how to get addresses for save the dates in time, worked backwards from the day you mail them.
Start ten weeks before mailing day
Addresses trickle in. The first half arrive in a day or two, the next quarter after a reminder, and the last few take a phone call. Ten weeks gives every group time to answer without a scramble.
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| 10 weeks before mailing | Finish the guest list. Ask both sets of parents for the addresses they already have. |
| 9 weeks | Send your address link to everyone else, one person per household. |
| 8 weeks | Order your save the dates. You know your household count now, so order that many plus 10% for mistakes. |
| 7 weeks | First reminder to anyone who hasn't answered. |
| 5 weeks | Last call by text, then a phone call or a word from a mutual friend. |
| 3 weeks | Check every address and print or address your envelopes. |
| Mailing day | Mail them. Note anyone still missing and keep chasing for the invitation. |
Mailing on a tight schedule? Squeeze it to six weeks: link and parents in week one, reminder in week two, last call in week three.
Related: Save the date timeline that actually works →
What to collect from each household
A save the date needs less than an invitation, but ask for everything once so you never ask twice:
- Every name at the address, spelled the way they spell it, with titles if you're using them (Dr., Mr. and Mrs.).
- The full mailing address, including the apartment or unit number, which is the part most often left off.
- An email or phone number, so you can send updates and reach them if a card comes back.
- Kids and plus-ones, if you're inviting them, so the envelope names everyone.
An address collector asks for all of this in one go. With PlanSeats, guests add everyone in their household, search for their address as they type, and watch their envelope fill in, so you see exactly how it will print.
Once the names are in, our guide on how to address save the date envelopes covers what to write on the front.
The fastest way to ask
Send one link, not a question. When guests type their own address into a form, you skip copying addresses out of 40 text threads, and you get fewer typos.
Not sure what to say? We wrote 12 copy-paste texts for asking for addresses, for parents, friends, plus-ones and the guests who never reply. For every method, from your parents' address book to a Google Form, see the best way to collect addresses for your wedding.
Digital save the dates
If you're sending save the dates by email or text, you still need mailing addresses for the invitations. Collect them now anyway: put your address link right in the digital save the date. One message announces the date and asks for the address.
Check the addresses before you print
A returned save the date costs you a reprint, postage and a few weeks. Before you print envelopes:
- Look for missing unit numbers and ZIP codes.
- Double-check anything that came from an old holiday card list.
- Watch for duplicates, such as "Bob" and "Robert" at the same house.
- For guests abroad, make sure the country is on its own line.
PlanSeats flags likely duplicates in your guest list so you can merge them in one click.
The stragglers
There will be three or four. Some ideas that work:
- Ask someone close to them. A sibling or best friend often knows the address, or can get it in one text.
- Call. A two-minute call beats a fourth text.
- Mail it to a parent. For a college student or someone mid-move, a parent's address is fine for a save the date.
- Send a digital one. If the paper deadline passes, email or text the save the date and keep chasing the address for the invitation.
Plan for people who move
Six months is long enough for someone to move. Give guests a way to update their address before the invitations go out. With PlanSeats, the thank-you screen tells guests to open the same link again if they move, and send their new address.
Start your list today
The couples who mail on time are the ones who started asking early. Finish the guest list, send one link, and remind people twice.
Make your address link with PlanSeats →
Collecting addresses is free, with no limit on guests.