Do i send Save The Dates?

Hi everyone,


I am planning on having a small intimate ceremony with immediate family in March 2024 and holding a large ‘happily ever after party’ with the rest of our friends and family in May 2024.
A lot of my guests for the party will be coming in from out of town and need to book accommodation etc, so I was thinking of sending a save the date for the party date soon to give them enough time to book something. Has anyone else done this? I did want to send a surprise we got married invitation closer to the time but am worried that as there is only 6 weeks between ceremony and party and that won’t be enough time to allow for people to book hotels in a busy seaside town.
Any help from previous experiences with this situation would be much appreciated x