How to Invite Guests to a Destination Wedding?

When planning a destination wedding, you've got even more to think about than your average wedding. Not only do you have to worry about the details of your ceremony and reception, but you've also got to factor in your guests' travel plans.

The most important thing to remember when inviting guests to a destination wedding is to give them as much information and as much notice as possible. The more notice you can give, the more likely it is that your guests will be able to attend.

So, with that in mind, here are a few tips on how to invite guests to a destination wedding:

1. Choose Your Wedding Date Carefully

When picking a date for a destination wedding, you've got to keep your guests in mind. You'll want to choose a date that doesn't conflict with any major holidays or events that your guests might already have planned.

Dates during the school summer holidays usually offer your guests the best travel options, but with higher demand comes higher prices. If you're set on a summer wedding, why not try to pick a date towards the beginning or end of the season? That way, you can still enjoy the excellent weather without paying peak season prices.

2. Draw Up Your Guest List

The next stage of invitation planning involves whittling down your guest list. Destination weddings usually have a smaller guest list than home weddings, as the costs tend to be higher, and not everyone is able to make the trip.

When making your guest list, you should start by thinking about who you absolutely cannot imagine getting married without. These will be your VIP guests, and you should do your best to accommodate them.

Once you've sorted your VIPs, you can start thinking about who else you would like to invite. If you're struggling to keep your guest list down to a manageable size, why not consider having a smaller, more intimate ceremony followed by a more significant celebration when you get back home?

3. Create a Wedding Website

There are several reasons the next stage should involve creating a wedding website for your destination celebration. Firstly, it allows you to share all the important details and updates pertaining to your wedding in one place.

Your website can include information on travel and accommodation, as well as links to bookings and reservations. You can also use your website to share your wedding story, post photos and videos, and even share registry information for guests.

However, more importantly concerning invitations, you can conduct polls and surveys on your website to help you finalise numbers and get a better idea of who will be able to attend your destination wedding. You can also suggest dates and let your guests pick the one that works best for them.

4. Send Out Save-the-Dates

With the data gathered from your website, you can now start shopping around for your favoured venue(s) and event suppliers, trying to secure them all on the best dates for your guests.
Once you've pulled the trigger with all the deposits, it's time to share the good news with your guests by sending out save-the-dates!

Again, it's important to remember that with a destination wedding, your guests need more time to plan and save, so sending out save-the-dates well in advance is essential. It's best to send them out at least 12 months before your big day.

Again, there's only so much information that can be contained on a save-the-date, so point your guests in the direction of your dedicated website.

5. Send Out Official Invitations

After your guests have had a chance to save the date in their diary, it's time to follow up with the official invitations.

These should be sent out roughly 6-8 months before the wedding, giving your guests plenty of time to book travel and accommodation. As with the save-the-dates, your invitations should include a link to your wedding website where guests can find all the information they need.

You should also consider including a reply card with your invitations or setting up an RSVP system on your website to make it easy for guests to let you know whether or not they can attend.

6. Keep Your Guests Informed

Once your invitations are sent out, you must keep your guests informed of any changes or updates by regularly updating your website. You should also make sure to contact guests directly if there are any changes to the plans via email, WhatsApp, or any other agreed-upon method.

In the build-up to the wedding, ensure they have a copy of the planned itinerary for the wedding celebration. Remember, destination weddings tend to take place over several days, so your guests will need to know what's happening and when.

Your guests will appreciate being kept in the loop, and it will help to ensure that everyone is on the same page when the time comes to celebrate your nuptials.

7. Offer Help and Support

While you want your destination wedding to be a fun and relaxing experience for all your guests, you also need to remember that it's a significant investment for them to make. So, offering as much help and support as possible is crucial.

This might include helping with travel arrangements, offering advice on accommodation options (you might want to consider block booking a local hotel), or even putting your guests in touch with other guests who might be able to share travel costs such as airport transfers.

In short, you want to make sure that your guests feel comfortable and confident about attending your destination wedding.