Destination Wedding Invitations
Looking for advice on when to send your destination wedding invitations?
We chatted with expert wedding stationers, Lilac & White, to ensure you have everything you need to know about sending your save the dates and the invitations themselves…
Could you tell us a little bit about you and Lilac & White?
We are wedding stationers passionate about understated sophistication. Our collections are simple and minimalist in design aiming to collaborate with all types of wedding themes and colours.
When should a bride and groom send out their formal invitations for a destination wedding?
With destination weddings, in our experience, couples tend to send out their wedding invitations that little bit earlier. We would recommend 8-10 months before the wedding day. This will enable guests to book transport earlier and reduce their travel costs. Couples can give specific details of this on the information card.
Would you recommend sending first a 'save the date?' and if so when?
Save the dates are especially popular with destination weddings so that guests can plan and think ahead as much as possible. Some couples even put a few essential details of flights and accommodation on the back of the card ahead of the invitation itself.
Where do we include information about the wedding website?
If going for a single invitation card, couples can include this at the very bottom of the invitation. If going for a full suite, this should be included on the information/details card.
If a couple decide to have an adult only wedding is there a polite way to word this?
We get asked this questions a lot! Here are the most common phrases used…
“Due to venue number restriction, we are unable to accommodate children. We hope this is an excuse to have a night off!”
“With the exception of close family and babes-in-arms we sadly cannot accommodate children at our wedding”
What's the best way to let guests know about the dress code?
Couples simply have a title on their information card “Dress Code” and underneath state a simple phrase. The most common used are
“Black Tie”, “Summer Cocktail”, “Smart & Elegant”, “Morning Suits” “Hats & fascinators encouraged”, “Formal Attire”.
A sentence often included is “stilettos are not advised due to uneven surfaces” meaning grass and lawn areas.
How much information do a couple need to provide about their chosen location and venue in Italy on the invitation? Or is it best to leave this for the website?
Customers have fed back to us in the past that guests don’t tend to visit websites especially if they have to key in the letters from looking at the invitation. In our view it is best to have key details on the information card as well as their website, if using one.
Is it rude to have a gift list/registry when having a destination wedding?
This is another question we get asked a lot. 90% of the time, couples still include a “Gifts” section even for a destination wedding. The most popular gift by far is a request for donating to their honeymoon pot. The second most popular is a gift list such as John Lewis or Prezola. The third most popular is donating to a charity close to their hearts.
What important details should not be missed when considering the formal invitations?
The date, time and place of the wedding are the obvious and most key bits of information. The RSVP date is important too as usually the caterers or venue ask for final numbers by a certain date before the day. Most couples collect dietary requirements on the RSVP card that they can then pass on to their suppliers also. For the information card, all of the above are important as well as accommodation, travel, parking, taxis, full venue address, and curfew time where applicable.
Any other advice for couples?
I think there’s lots of information you can include in an invitation set and I would recommend keep things short and sweet. The guests have the power of the internet to research detail about travel routes, car hire and plane times. If the invitation looks cluttered, it may be more difficult to read. Always keep things as simple and clear as you can.