Planning a Destination Wedding? Choosing Save the Date or Invites?

APRIL 30, 2024

Congrats on your engagement! The next few months are going to be filled with precious moments. All those moments will lead up to your big day! As you probably know by now, wedding planning means making numerous decisions for your ceremony and reception. One of the decisions you will need to make while planning a destination wedding will be choosing between invites and save-the-date notifications.

You may think you need both for your destination wedding. However, you don’t. You can easily send one and make your life so much easier. But which option should you choose? Which one will make it easier for your guests to join you for your wedding in the destination of your dreams?

Let me share the details about save-the-dates and invites. Then you can make a decision that will be best for your destination wedding.

Save the Date

Save-the-date invitations are sent to guests well in advance of the wedding. These invitations are sent out prior to the wedding invitations.

Once a guest receives a save-the-date invite, they can add your big day to their calendars.

Save-the-date invitations are helpful for destination weddings because they allow your guests to know where your wedding is being held. They also give your guests plenty of warning that travel arrangements will need to be made if they want to participate in your big day.

Most of the time, save-the-date invitations are sent out six to eight months before the wedding. If you are planning a wedding during the summer, or on a holiday weekend, you should send them out even sooner.

What to Include on Your Save-the-Date Invitation

Your save-the-date invitation should include:

• Your Names
• Wedding Date
• Wedding Destination
• Wedding Website URL

Invitations

An invitation to a wedding is normally sent out six to eight weeks before the wedding. If you are sending an invite for a destination wedding, it should be sent three months before the wedding.

What to Include on Your Wedding Invitations

When you are creating your wedding invites, you should include the following information:

• Wedding Venue
• Hotel Information
• Ceremony and Start Times
• Dress Code
• RSVP Request and Meal Options

Choosing Save-the-Dates or Invites

As you can see, a save-the-date invitation and a wedding invite are quite similar. While you can easily send both for your destination wedding, you don’t need to. You can easily create a save-the-date invitation for your destination wedding and only send that out to your guests.

You can also skip the save the date and send out wedding invitations earlier than normal.

The choice is completely yours.

The best part of only sending one will mean you can check multiple items off your to-do list, while saving time.

What to Include When Sending Either a Save the Date or an Invite

If you decide to only send a save-the-date invite or invitation for your destination wedding, you will want to include as much information as possible. This will ensure your guests will not have multiple questions, as they try to plan their travel arrangements.

Your save-the-date invitation should include the following information for your destination wedding:

• Your Names
• Wedding Date
• Wedding Destination
• Wedding Venue
• Resort Information
• Ceremony and Start Time
• Dress Code
• Wedding Website URL
• RSVP Information
• Travel Advisor Information

How to Help Your Guests with Their Travel Plans for Your Destination Wedding

You are not going to want your guests to feel like they are on their own when it comes to planning their travel to your destination wedding. This is why I recommend including your travel advisor’s information on the save-the-date invitation or wedding invitation. Or at least make the information available on your wedding website.

Since your travel advisor is helping you plan your destination wedding, they know all the details. Your travel advisor will be able to book flights for all your guests. If you have a room block contract, your travel advisor can book your guests in those rooms.

Your travel advisor can also help your guests by planning and booking activities for the days before or after your wedding. This way your guests will have fun during their free time.

Don’t get stressed over all the details that go into planning a destination wedding. Consider taking little shortcuts, like only sending save-the-date invitations or wedding invites and skipping the other. This will save you time, while making it easier for your guests to plan if they are attending your destination wedding.

Are you ready to start planning your destination wedding in the Caribbean? There are quite a few destinations to choose from. Each one will be a magical place to begin your life as a married couple. Let me guide you through every step of your destination wedding. Schedule a complimentary consultation with me to experience as stress-free an experience as possible.

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