When do you send destination wedding invitations?

Between the gorgeous travel imagery and the romantic notion of getting married in an idyllic foreign setting, planning a destination wedding is a delight. To keep your dreaming mind on track with the logistics, here are some basic details you should know about your destination wedding invitations.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Amber Moon (@ambermoondesign)

Here’s what we’ll cover in regards to planning your destination wedding invitation timeline:

1. When to send the invites

2. When to schedule RSVP date

3. What to do when people don’t RSVP on time

4. Are formal invitations necessary?

When do you send wedding invitations for a destination wedding?

You’ll want to give your guests plenty of time to make their plans, so for the save-the-dates, a window of 6 to 12 months before your wedding is ideal. If you’re heading to an exotic or distant location, you can even extend it to 18 months before the big day. Anything before that might be considered too early for guests to pay attention to.

For formal invitations to a destination wedding, you’ll want to send them between 10 to 12 weeks in advance of the wedding. For local weddings, the norm is more like 6 to 8 weeks, but we give guests more time to confirm travel and logistics via the joint effort of save-the-dates and earlier invitation sending.

When should you set your RSVP date for a destination wedding?

Most RSVP dates are about 2 to 4 weeks out, but there are a few things to think about when setting your RSVP date for a destination wedding.

First, look into the cut-off date for reserving hotel rooms at your destination. This will be handy when figuring out the time frame you ask your guests to respond within.

Remember that your venue will need your final guest count at some point. Find out when this is, and then aim to have your RSVP date at least a week before this. This will allow you plenty of time to follow up with any non-responders and finalise your arrangements.

If you plan on checking in with guests about their availability before sending invites, this could also influence your RSVP date.

What do you do when people haven’t sent their RSVP for your destination wedding?

Don’t panic. It’s quite common for guests to oversee your RSVP deadline. A good place to start is by checking the hotel bookings to see if guests have reserved their rooms yet. This is a good indicator of whether they plan to attend.

If your RSVP date has passed, it’s totally acceptable to get in touch with your guests personally. It’s important that you know who plans to attend, as it will help you with other areas of planning, such as catering.

Do you have to send destination wedding invitations if you already sent a save-the-date?

Yes. While save-the-dates are a fantastic way to give your guests a heads-up about your destination wedding, they’ll still expect a formal invite.

You could send it by mail, or for convenience and faster responses, by email. It should let your guests in on all of the key details of your day, like location, arrival time, date, and dress code. If you want to go the extra mile, you could include travel tips, itinerary ideas, and registry details.

See, simple, right?

Relax and remember timing and communication with your guests are essential to ensure everybody is on the same page about your destination wedding. Get those save-the-dates out in good time, followed by your formal invitations, and you’re smooth sailing from there.

Considering a destination wedding? Our destination wedding and travel team can help.

Access our free wedding planning PDF by sharing your email.