Save the date - should I decline?

[Banhaha]

I received a save the date for an event I don't want to attend. It's over a year away. Should I let them know now I'm not coming? If so how do I do this politely? Or should I wait for the invite and decline then? If i decline the invite I'm worried they will get annoyed as they've sent the save the date so far in advance.

Difficult is it a wedding? Why don’t you want to go?

Not a wedding, it's a big birthday get together. I think they will have invited lots of people. I don't want to go as it's a long way to travel and also I don't really know the person that well, just a friend of a friend thing. If they've sent a save the date then maybe I'm more important to them than I thought. That or they are sending them to lots of people.

We had a save the date recently for an event next year but we had to say if we would be going or not! It was really a let’s see how many people will commit to coming to our destination wedding 18 months before the actual day. I hated it and found it really hard to say either way, however if I knew we were definitely not going to go, I would have said so.

@mumonthehill I think you are right and I should say now I won't be able to make it so they can invite someone else.

Yes decline if you know you definitely can't make it, but if you like the person but just don't know them well enough to want to travel I'd set a reminder so you can send a birthday card at the time.