What you want the card to say decides which of these illustrated save the dates fits.
A couple with a dog or cats should draw them, a garden wedding calls for a garden landscape scene, a venue or villa deserves its own architectural drawing, and a trip abroad or a coastal wedding belongs with a rolling landscape or a waterfront view.
The ideas range from a custom illustrated card to a couple in a convertible, and the right timing follows the distance, so check the "When to Send Save the Dates" section before you order.
1. Custom Illustrated Cards
A portrait of the two of you is the most personal thing a save the date can carry, and it works because nobody else has your faces.
Ask the illustrator to match the outfits and hair you plan to wear, so the card still looks like you by the time the wedding arrives.
Keep the date large and plain. A portrait gives the eye plenty to do already, and a date like 09.06.2024 should be the first thing a guest reads.
Custom work costs more than a template, so ask the artist for a quote that covers the print run too, and get it in writing before you pay a deposit.
2. Illustrated Save the Dates with Dog
Die-cut cards cut to the outline of a dog make a pile of mail that nobody can mistake for a bill. The shape does the talking, so the printing can stay minimal: "SAVE the DATE" and your details, nothing more.
Die-cutting usually costs extra over a standard rectangle, and a pet-shaped card needs a printer who offers custom shapes. Ask for a quote before you fall for the idea.
I would pick this if your dog is a true member of the household. Match the shape to the real coat color.
3. Portrait with Pet Cats
Cats rarely pose for photos, which is the best argument for drawing them. An illustrator can place all three in one frame, tucked into a floral wreath, with no treats or retakes involved.
Send clear photos of each cat from the front, plus a few of their markings, so the likenesses hold up. Tell the artist about any props you want in your hands too.
I like this best for couples whose pets are the closest thing they have to a household crowd. Skip it if money is limited; each added figure usually adds to the artist’s time.
4. Watercolor Dinner Table Setting
A table set for 2 says "dinner party" before a single word is read, and watercolor keeps it soft. Wine, flowers and candles carry the mood, which suits a small, intimate wedding better than a big banquet.
Put the real details in the lettering: names, the date written out in words and the address. That wording makes it feel like an invitation to dinner rather than a notice.
Ask the illustrator for a flat digital file as well as the painting, since scans of originals can lose the pale washes in print. Uncoated, textured paper is my pick for this look.
5. Illustrated Venue and Villa Architecture
If the venue is already booked, paint the venue. A watercolor of the villa tells guests where they are headed and sets expectations for dress and mood before the invitation lands.
Send the artist several photos of the building from different angles, ideally in good daylight, and pick the one view that reads best at card size. A cluttered facade will turn muddy when it is shrunk.
Check first whether the venue has rules about using its image on printed material. Naming the place in plain type on the card is a good backup, since guests need to find it too.
6. Illustrated Garden Landscape Scene
Formal gardens, with their clipped hedges and statues, translate well to a small card because the shapes are bold and the geometry is clear.
Color is the lever here: choose a palette that echoes your wedding flowers and the card becomes a first look at the day.
Keep the date compact and well spaced, as in 18 | 07 | 26, so it sits calmly in the scene instead of fighting it.
I would choose this for a garden or estate wedding. For an indoor venue, the scene promises something guests will not get.
7. Couple in a Convertible Illustration
A license plate is the smartest place to hide your date. On a red vintage convertible, "A&A JUNE 3 2026" reads as a joke first and information second, which is a friendly way to get guests to check their calendars.
Ask the illustrator to put your initials and the full date on the plate, and keep the plate large enough to read at card size.
A winding road gives the car somewhere to go, so choose a background that hints at your wedding location.
I would pick this for a couple who loves a road trip. Check the plate’s lettering on the proof before you print.
8. Destination Rolling Landscape Illustration
Rolling hills and cypress trees tell guests the destination before they read a word. For a Tuscan wedding, a landscape card does that work better than a photo, and the soft green keeps it calm.
Name the place in plain type, as "VAL D’ORCIA, TUSCANY" does here, and use a line like "SAVE THE WEEKEND" to signal that guests are traveling for more than one day.
Put the date range right alongside it so nobody has to guess.
Send the artist photos of the region you really mean. Winding roads and a single house give the eye a place to rest.
9. Waterfront Coastal Destination Illustration
Water and a villa on its shore make a card that feels like a postcard, and that is the whole charm of a Lake Como save the date. Watercolor handles the blue so lightly that the building stays the star.
Pair the painting with small extras: vintage stamps, old letters and pearls, as in this set, help the card feel collected rather than printed. Choose one or two, since each added piece crowds the date.
I like this for a couple marrying abroad. Print the place name in clear type, so guests can start looking at flights right away.
When to Send Save the Dates
Send save the dates 4–6 months before the wedding for local guests, and 9 months ahead for a destination wedding. Travelers need that extra time to book flights, request days off and plan around the cost.
If your date lands in peak wedding season or around a holiday or school break, send these earlier than the usual window, since guests’ calendars fill up fast in those months.
An early card gets your date onto calendars before other plans claim it, which means fewer clashes and fewer disappointing no-shows.
If your guest list is still shifting, I would mail to the people you are sure about first. Nobody minds getting a card a little early, but a guest who hears late may already be booked.
Information to Include
A save the date has 4 jobs: your names, the wedding date, the location, and a line saying a formal invitation will follow. Anything beyond that can wait.
A line saying a formal invitation will follow is worth including, because it heads off the worry that the save the date is the only notice guests will get.
Without it, guests may wonder whether this card is the invitation, or whether they have been left off a later mailing.
If you have not settled on a venue, use the city or region.
A vague location is fine; a wrong one is not. I would also check the spelling of every name before printing, since a typo on a card sent to 100 households is costly to fix.
Design Considerations
Pick an illustration style that matches your taste and the look of the day, so guests can read the mood from the card before they get to a single detail.
Formal, relaxed or playful: an illustrated card can carry any of the three, so choose the tone that sounds like the two of you.
Match the tone to the event. A black-tie evening calls for restrained type, while a backyard party can handle something looser.
Because the invitation comes later, I treat the save the date as the first page of a set. Pick colors and a typeface you will be happy to repeat, so the 2 pieces look related when they arrive months apart.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far in advance do you send out save the date invitations?
Local guests should get theirs 4–6 months out; for a destination wedding, send them around the 9-month mark.
Anyone traveling needs that lead time to price flights, ask for time off and set aside the money. Peak season, holidays and school breaks call for an even earlier mailing, because calendars fill fast then.
Do you need to follow a specific design or style for save the dates?
No strict rules apply, so choose the style that fits your taste and the look of the day. Formal, relaxed or playful all work with an illustrated card, as long as the tone matches the event.
Because the invitation shows up months later, I’d choose colors and a typeface you won’t tire of, so the 2 pieces clearly belong together.
What is the average cost of a wedding save the date?
I can’t give a reliable average figure here. Get a written quote that covers the full print run before you pay any deposit.
Where can I find handmade save the dates?
Hire an illustrator for a custom card. Portraits of the two of you, your pets, your venue or a destination landscape are all things an artist can paint or draw.
When you ask an artist for a quote, make sure printing is included and ask for a flat digital file too, because scans of original paintings can wash out pale colors on press.
