The first impression of your wedding comes long before you walk down the aisle or dance the night away in celebration. In fact, your wedding makes its first impression when it arrives in a perfectly sealed envelope via mail to each of your guests. That’s right: it starts with your destination wedding invitations! 

In additional to providing important wedding details, invitations give your guests a hint of what to expect. For example, if you’re planning a destination wedding at Sandals Resorts or Beaches Resorts, you might include Caribbean themed graphics like starfish, seashells, or palm trees. This ties directly into your destination and also sets the tone for the entire weekend. 

In this blog, we’ll cover the destination wedding invitations essentials — from wedding invitation wording to timelines and everything in between! 

What to include in your wedding invitation wording

With any invite, the information you include is key. It’s the main navigation tool of where, when, and what for your guests. Here are a few items to consider including: 

• Destination, date, and time: These may be obvious to include. But what would an invitation checklist be without all the details?!
• Attire: Since your guests are traveling to celebrate your big day, you want to make sure they’re properly packed before they arrive. If your events have different dress codes — say flip flops for welcome cocktails and formalwear for the big day — be sure to let them know so they come prepared! 
• Link to wedding website: Consider your wedding website a detailed extension of your invitation. Here, you can include restaurant info, island activities, who’s who in the bridal party, suggested accommodations, and a story of how you met. Beyond that, you can also reiterate important times and locations for the entire wedding weekend. Plus, if you choose to use Sandals Wedding Registry, you will also receive a free wedding website, wedding blog, RSVP tool, and more!
• Food preferences and dietary restrictions: Since you’ll be selecting the options available on each menu, gather as much info as possible from your guests! This small gesture goes a long way and is something they’re likely to remember. Once you’ve gathered this info, the culinary experts at any Sandals and Beaches 5-Star Global Gourmet™ restaurant can make recommendations and help plan for any dietary accommodations needed!
• Registry information: To make it as simple as possible, Sandals and Beaches offer a Free Wedding and Honeymoon Gift Registry, so you can compile the items you love and your guests can easily gift them to you! 

Give your guests dining options and the ability to share any allergies or restrictions. This will ensure your wedding runs smoothly and there’s something for everyone! Photo credit: Finding Light Photography

When to send your destination wedding invites

While save-the-dates should be sent approximately seven months prior, formal invites can be sent three months out. This gives your guests enough time to finalize last minute hotel bookings, flights, and wedding gift purchases. And don’t forget to include a date to RSVP by! For destination weddings, you want to have all RSVPs at least three months prior to the wedding, so that you can square away any last-minute details with your wedding planner. This can include guest meal selections, seating charts, and chair arrangements at the ceremony location.

Keeping with the theme

The beauty of your destination wedding invitations is that you already have a pre-planned paper suite! Many couples like to align the overall theme and color palette of their invites with their wedding plans. If you are using palms leaves and pops of colors in your floral arrangements, add them as fine details. With beach destination weddings, using a softer, blue-green color scheme and incorporating hand drawn illustrations like a sand dollar can set the tone for your tropical “I do’s.” 

As for the big day, you can carry over such details and colors for the paper elements. Signage, itineraries, menus, place cards — you name it! Sticking with the same theme for all of these pieces adds another layer of cohesion to your destination wedding. 

Once you have your destination wedding invitations finalized, you can dive into choosing stationery for the big day. Whether you stick with the design or only use certain elements, your invites make it easy to incorporate a cohesive theme for menus, table numbers, and more! Photo credit: Finding Light Photography

Need help finding the perfect destination wedding invitations? Our team of expert wedding planners can help you craft effective wedding invitation wording and choose a theme that aligns with your vision! Connect with one of our wedding planners today!