save the date

What save the date does

Save the Date® is a New York City-based, full-service event planning company and hospitality agency founded in 1994 by Jennifer Gilbert. The firm serves four primary customer segments — corporate, nonprofit, wedding, and social — with a recently added fifth vertical for coming-of-age celebrations (Bar/Bat/B'not Mitzvahs). It has planned over 25,000 corporate events across its history for clients ranging from high-profile public companies and investment banks (e.g., The Jordan Company) to universities (Columbia, University of Rochester, London Business School) and nonprofit organizations (GO Project, Little Kids Rock, Melting Pot Foundation). Service delivery is national and international, spanning the NYC metropolitan area, Hamptons, Connecticut, Washington D.C., Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Orlando, and overseas destinations including Italy, London, and Australia.

The company operates on a services platform rather than a software stack — its website (savethedate.com) is hosted on Squarespace and there are no APIs, SDKs, or proprietary AI/ML systems. Core offerings are organized into three service packages: Full Planning, One Month Out, and A la Carte, with the latter allowing clients to engage Save the Date for discrete needs such as venue finding, planning, vendor connections, or production. The free venue matching service is a flagship client acquisition channel, monetized indirectly through vendor and venue partnerships rather than client fees. Proprietary operational assets include a curated network of thousands of vetted vendors across categories (photography, catering, floristry, entertainment, AV, furniture, SWAG) and a registered Save the Date® trademark.

Revenue is generated through professional services fees on event planning engagements, with pricing customized by event type, scope, and package. Go-to-market is sales-led, relying on direct outreach, website inquiry forms, professional network referrals, and the founder's personal brand (NYT bestselling memoir, TED talk, keynote speaking). The company is privately held, founder-owned, with no disclosed funding rounds, no parent company, and no institutional investors mentioned in source materials. Headcount is reported in the 11–50 range, consistent with a mature boutique agency that has grown organically over three decades rather than via capital infusion.

Name

save the date

Legal name

Save the Date

Website

https://savethedate.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Save the Date® is a NYC-based, founder-owned full-service event planning agency founded in 1994, serving corporate, nonprofit, wedding, social, and coming-of-age clients nationally and internationally, with over 25,000 corporate events planned.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Event Planning Services

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events without Facilities (711320), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events (7113)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Event Budgeting, Compliance & Permitting (HSACAAAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Party Venue Sourcing & Booking Services (HSACACAL), Anniversary & Milestone Celebration Services (HSACACAD), Birthday Party Services (HSACACAA), Incentive Travel Programs & Retreat Events (Offsites) (MPAGAHAH)

Keywords

• Event planning services
• Corporate event planning
• Wedding planning
• Nonprofit fundraising events
• Venue sourcing

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Event Planning Services: Full-service event planning including corporate, nonprofit, weddings, and social events. Services include Full Planning packages, One Month Out packages, and A la Carte options. Pricing is tailored to client needs and event scope.
2. Venue Finding Service: Free venue sourcing service for clients. The company generates revenue through vendor and venue partnerships rather than charging clients for venue referrals.
3. Vendor Connection Services: Connecting clients with vetted vendors across categories including photography, catering, entertainment, floristry, and equipment rental. A la carte approach allows clients to use specific services as needed.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Save the Date® is a full-service event planning company offering corporate, nonprofit, wedding, and social event planning services. Core offerings include a free venue finding service, full event planning and production, and vendor connections across categories including photography, catering, entertainment, and AV. Service packages include Full Planning, One Month Out, and À la Carte options, serving clients nationally and internationally with over 25,000 corporate events planned.

Product overview

Save the Date® is a nationally awarded fully integrated event planning company and hospitality agency headquartered in New York City, founded over 30 years ago. The company operates as a service-based business rather than a software platform, offering a comprehensive suite of event planning services. Its core offerings include a free venue finding service (customized to budgets, style, and event types), full event planning and production, and vendor connections. The company organizes these services into distinct verticals: Corporate Event Planning (serving tech companies, investment banks, and businesses with over 25,000 events planned), Nonprofit Event Planning (with fundraising-focused packages), Wedding Planning (elite NYC planners with thousands of vendor experts), Social Event Planning (birthdays, celebrations), and Coming of Age Events (Bar/Bat Mitzvahs). Service packages include Full Planning, One Month Out, and À la Carte options. The company also offers destination event planning across domestic and international locations. Save the Date is known as 'the planner's planner' and emphasizes flawless execution and attention to detail.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• $1,512,000 raised at GO Project fundraising event
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Rafanelli Events: Boston- and New York-based boutique event planning firm serving corporate, nonprofit, and private clients. Directly comparable in service mix, scale, and target customer profile.
• Bash Please: Boutique wedding and event planning firm with national reach and a comparable a la carte service model. Competes for high-end wedding and social clients with strong design-led positioning.
• Marcy Blum Associates: High-end NYC-based wedding and event planner with a comparable boutique model serving affluent clients in the same metro and price tier as Save the Date. Directly competes for luxury wedding and social event work.
• David Tutera: Celebrity event planner specializing in high-end weddings, social celebrations, and corporate events. Competes in the same luxury segment with a similar full-service, brand-led approach.
• Colin Cowie Lifestyle: Celebrity event planner and lifestyle brand offering full-service planning for weddings, corporate, and social events. Comparable luxury positioning and founder-led brand model.

Broad incumbents

• Cvent: Enterprise event management software platform serving corporate meeting and event planners at scale. Adjacent to Save the Date's corporate vertical but operates as a software vendor rather than a planning service.
• Eventbrite: Large-scale event ticketing and management platform. Adjacent in event industry but operates a self-serve marketplace model rather than full-service planning.
• The Knot Worldwide: Wedding planning marketplace and media platform with vendor directories and planning tools. Represents the online/marketplace model that competes with Save the Date's free venue sourcing service.

Others

• BizBash: Event industry media and resource platform covering event planning trends, vendors, and venues. Adjacent industry participant and a competitive source of free venue and vendor information that mirrors Save the Date's free service.

Emerging players

• Bizzabo: Event experience and management platform serving corporate event organizers. Represents the technology-enabled direction the industry is moving and a potential competitor or partner for Save the Date.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SaveTheDateNYC
• Facebookfacebook.com/savethedateNYC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/save-the-date

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about save the date