diff --git a/packages/localize/src/date/formatDate.js b/packages/localize/src/date/formatDate.js
index d72599c84..a0239eeb8 100644
--- a/packages/localize/src/date/formatDate.js
+++ b/packages/localize/src/date/formatDate.js
@@ -13,22 +13,16 @@ export function formatDate(date, options) {
     return '';
   }
   const formatOptions = options || {};
-  // make sure months and days are always 2-digits
-  if (!options) {
+  /**
+   * Set smart defaults if:
+   * 1) no options object is passed
+   * 2) options object is passed, but none of the following props on it: day, month, year.
+   */
+  if (!options || (options && !options.day && !options.month && !options.year)) {
     formatOptions.year = 'numeric';
     formatOptions.month = '2-digit';
     formatOptions.day = '2-digit';
   }
-  if (options && !(options && options.year)) {
-    formatOptions.year = 'numeric';
-  }
-  if (options && !(options && options.month)) {
-    formatOptions.month = '2-digit';
-  }
-  if (options && !(options && options.day)) {
-    formatOptions.day = '2-digit';
-  }
-
   const computedLocale = getLocale(formatOptions && formatOptions.locale);
   let formattedDate = '';
   try {
diff --git a/packages/localize/stories/date.stories.js b/packages/localize/stories/date.stories.js
index d88ed9580..ee531d144 100644
--- a/packages/localize/stories/date.stories.js
+++ b/packages/localize/stories/date.stories.js
@@ -61,6 +61,51 @@ storiesOf('Localize System|Date', module).add(
             })}
           </td>
         </tr>
+        <tr>
+          <td>Date without year</td>
+          <td>
+            <code>
+              formatDate(new Date(), {weekday:'long',month:'long',day:'2-digit'})
+            </code>
+          </td>
+          <td>
+            ${formatDate(new Date(), {
+              weekday: 'long',
+              month: 'long',
+              day: '2-digit',
+            })}
+          </td>
+        </tr>
+        <tr>
+          <td>Date without month</td>
+          <td>
+            <code>
+              formatDate(new Date(), {weekday:'long',year:'numeric',day:'2-digit'})
+            </code>
+          </td>
+          <td>
+            ${formatDate(new Date(), {
+              weekday: 'long',
+              year: 'numeric',
+              day: '2-digit',
+            })}
+          </td>
+        </tr>
+        <tr>
+          <td>Date without day</td>
+          <td>
+            <code>
+              formatDate(new Date(), {weekday:'long',year:'numeric',month:'long'})
+            </code>
+          </td>
+          <td>
+            ${formatDate(new Date(), {
+              weekday: 'long',
+              month: 'long',
+              year: 'numeric',
+            })}
+          </td>
+        </tr>
         <tr>
           <td>Locale</td>
           <td><code>formatDate(new Date(){locale:'nl-NL'})</code></td>
diff --git a/packages/localize/test/date/formatDate.test.js b/packages/localize/test/date/formatDate.test.js
index e0d68de1c..131a4e29e 100644
--- a/packages/localize/test/date/formatDate.test.js
+++ b/packages/localize/test/date/formatDate.test.js
@@ -108,6 +108,36 @@ describe('formatDate', () => {
     expect(formatDate(parsedDate, options)).to.equal('maandag 01 januari 1940');
   });
 
+  it('handles options without year', async () => {
+    const options = {
+      weekday: 'long',
+      month: 'long',
+      day: '2-digit',
+    };
+    const parsedDate = parseDate('12.10.2019');
+    expect(formatDate(parsedDate, options)).to.equal('Saturday, 12 October');
+  });
+
+  it('handles options without month', async () => {
+    const options = {
+      weekday: 'long',
+      year: 'numeric',
+      day: '2-digit',
+    };
+    const parsedDate = parseDate('12.10.2019');
+    expect(formatDate(parsedDate, options)).to.equal('Saturday 12 2019');
+  });
+
+  it('handles options without day', async () => {
+    const options = {
+      weekday: 'long',
+      year: 'numeric',
+      month: 'long',
+    };
+    const parsedDate = parseDate('12.10.2019');
+    expect(formatDate(parsedDate, options)).to.equal('October 2019 Saturday');
+  });
+
   it('returns empty string when input is not a Date object', async () => {
     const date = '1-1-2016';
     expect(formatDate(date)).to.equal('');