Destination Wedding Invitations
You’ve done it! You’ve decided that you are going to celebrate your wedding day as a destination wedding. Now, where to begin?
Destination weddings tend to be smaller and include family and close friends only. Don’t let the size of your destination wedding fool you into thinking it will be an easier event to plan. Quite the opposite is true.
Destination wedding invitations need special consideration since your Guests will need sufficient notice of all your details to arrange time off work and perhaps start saving the funds they need in order to make the trip. You will want to send out the invitations well in advance or better yet, consider sending a save-the-date notice very early on.
Your Guests will require much greater detail when you are planning a destination wedding than if your wedding was more traditional. Key details that your Guests will need to know are:
- Date and time of the ceremony
- Details of any pre/post wedding events you have planned or that are available to your Guests
- Country, venue and location with directions and website address
- Accommodation facilities, along with prices and details of any discounts you have negotiated with the hotel
- Recommended Travel Agent or Airline, along with an estimate of the ticket costs and if any group discounts have been arranged or are available
- Transportation details from the airport to the venue, including estimated costs if its in addition to the accommodation charge
- Costs of meals, drinks and other facilities not included in the accommodation prices and confirmation of who will be paying for the reception and rehearsal dinners if these are being held
- Contact details for the venue, including phone number and email address, and if available the name of the local coordinator
- Details of any pre or post wedding events you have scheduled or that are available to your Guests, including estimated costs
- Dress code for the wedding ceremony
- Weather forecast for the local area during the travel period so that Guests can ensure they bring appropriate clothing
- Local information about the venue, resort, accommodations, etc., especially for the wedding ceremony itself, especially if some Guests are elderly, disabled or have special dietary requirements
- Anticipated length of stay at the venue, both before and after the wedding ceremony
Whew! That’s a lot of information. Rather than trying to squeeze all of that information on your invitation, you may want to consider creating a save-the-date booklet or a wedding website to include all the details. Check my Save-the-Date section for details on what the booklet could look like and what it can include.
