Save the date postcards: when to mail them and what they cost

Step by step

1. 1

   Set the date and the guest list

   A save-the-date is a promise of an invitation, so only send one to people you will invite. Lock the date and the city first; the venue and time can follow on the invitation.

2. 2

   Create the event page the QR code will open

   Make your RSVP page before the card. The postcard prints once, but the page behind its QR code can change: add the venue, hotel block or registry later and every card already on a fridge points to the update.

3. 3

   Pick a postcard template

   Choose Save the Date and one of the templates. Your event's photo, colors and fonts carry onto the card, and you can edit every line of text and swap photos right on the card.

4. 4

   Collect mailing addresses

   Add an address field to your RSVP form, import a spreadsheet or your phone's contacts, or send guests a link where they type in their own address. Addresses that come in join the order automatically.

5. 5

   Choose the mail date

   Count back from when you want cards to arrive and allow 6–8 business days in the mail. You can schedule the mail date up to 180 days ahead; the cards print and mail that day.

6. 6

   Check the proof, then track delivery

   Preview each guest's card with their name and address, scan the QR code from the proof, and pay. After that the order page tracks every card from printing to delivered.

When to mail save-the-date postcards

The usual rule of thumb is earlier for events that need travel and time off, later for local ones. These are mailbox dates, so mail the cards a week and a half before them.

• •Destination wedding or a holiday weekend: 8 to 12 months before
• •Wedding: 6 to 8 months before
• •Milestone birthday, anniversary, reunion or bar/bat mitzvah: 3 to 4 months before
• •Graduation party, shower or company event: 6 to 10 weeks before
• •Less than 6 weeks out: skip the save-the-date and send the invitation

How long postcards take to arrive

Plan on 6–8 business days from the mail date to the mailbox, printing included. Postcards travel USPS First Class, the fastest class available for them, but they are printed first and that takes a few of those days.

That window comes from a real order, not a brochure: a card we mailed on a Monday was delivered the Tuesday of the following week, 6 business days later and a day after the printer's own estimate. Cards in one order travel separately, so a batch of fifty lands over a day or two rather than all at once.

International postcards take about a week longer on top.

What to put on a save-the-date postcard

Five things fit on a postcard and five are enough. Everything else belongs on the invitation or the event page.

• •Who: the names of the people hosting or being celebrated
• •What: wedding, 50th birthday, family reunion
• •When: the full date, with the year
• •Where: city and state — the venue can wait
• •What next: 'Invitation to follow' and a QR code or short link for details

Add a QR code so the card can RSVP

A printed card cannot be edited after it mails, which is the best argument for putting a QR code on it. Guests scan it with their phone camera and land on your event page, where the details stay current and they can reply without an app or an account.

Keep the code at least 2 cm (0.8 in) square with clear space around it, and scan it from the printed proof before you pay.

What save-the-date postcards cost

A 4×6 postcard printed and mailed is $1.99 each for 1–24 cards, $1.79 for 25–74 and $1.59 for 75 or more. Postage, printing and addressing are included, so fifty save-the-dates cost $89.50. Larger 6×9 and 6×11 cards cost more.

Cards attached to a paid event plan get a discount, and a paid plan can also print the same design at home for free: two 4×6 cards per letter sheet with crop marks.

If the date changes after you mail

It happens. Update the event page first, since every QR code already points there. Then mail a Change the Date card: the same design and recipients, with the old date struck through and the new one beside it.

Frequently asked questions

When should you send save-the-date postcards?

Send save-the-dates 6 to 8 months before a wedding, 8 to 12 months before a destination wedding, and 2 to 4 months before most other events. Mail them about a week and a half before you want them in mailboxes.

How long do postcards take to arrive?

Printed and mailed postcards usually arrive 6–8 business days after the mail date, printing included. A card we mailed on a Monday was delivered the Tuesday of the following week. International postcards take about a week longer.

Can a save-the-date be a postcard?

Yes. A postcard is a popular format for a save-the-date: it needs no envelope, costs less to mail than a card in an envelope, and the date is visible the moment it is pulled from the mailbox.

How much do save-the-date postcards cost?

With RSVPlinks a 4×6 save-the-date postcard is $1.59 to $1.99 each depending on quantity, with printing, addressing and First Class postage included. There are 89 card templates to start from.

Do you put an RSVP on a save-the-date?

Not a reply-by date; that belongs on the invitation. A QR code or link to the event page is useful though: guests can see details as you add them, and early replies give you a first headcount.

Do I need my guests' addresses first?

Yes, for cards mailed to each guest. You can collect them with an address field on your RSVP form, a link guests fill in themselves, or a spreadsheet or phone-contacts import. Or print the cards at home and hand them out.

Set one up for your event

• Wedding RSVPs
• Wedding Rehearsal Dinner RSVPs
• Graduation Party RSVPs
• Baby Shower RSVPs