How to Invite Guests to Your Destination Wedding Using the Correct Destination Wedding Etiquette

Inviting guests to your destination wedding represents a slightly different scenario than that for a traditional wedding. Formal invitations, for example, are not an absolute necessity. Save the date cards, however, are much more common. It’s important to keep wedding etiquette in mind, though. Some rules will not apply to a destination wedding, while others apply no matter what type of wedding you are planning. When it comes to inviting guests, let the formality of your wedding guide the way.

There are no hard and fast rules of who you should invite or how many people you should invite. It’s entirely up to you whether you invite only family or include some close personal friends. If your guest list is quite large, then you will want to ensure that the location can accommodate everyone on your guest list should they all decide to join you for your wedding day.

While regular guests will be responsible for their own travel and lodging, it is expected that you will pay for the lodging of your attendants. This remains proper etiquette for all weddings, destination or not; if attendants require lodging to participate in your wedding you are obligated to cover their lodging for two days. Travel costs are not included in this custom.

It’s important not to invite anyone who you truly do not want to attend. Many couples assume that guests will decline the invitation to a destination wedding because of the time and cost involved in getting there. This can lead to awkward moments if someone you expected to decline decides that your wedding is the perfect vacation opportunity that they’ve been waiting for. So keep it simple and only invite those that you truly want to have sharing your special day with you.

Once you’ve established your guest list, you will want to send out a save the date card well in advance. This will ensure that everyone knows when you’re planning to marry and where. This will help your guests make plans to attend if they want, including saving up for the expense, booking time off of work and arranging for a passport if it’s required. You may want to include a list of hotels and resorts at various budget levels to help guests with their planning. As you are planning, keep in mind that if you have chosen to get married in a resort with a day-fee then you are expected to cover these fees for invited guests. It remains the height of tackiness to expect invited guests to pay admission to your wedding.

While the save the date card will likely help you narrow down your guest list, it remains proper etiquette to still send invitations to all those who received a save the date card and not just those who have pre-committed to attend. Of course, this doesn’t apply if you’re being quite informal and sending out e-vites. Some destination couples print only a handful of formal invitations for mementoes, and send an image of the invitation through email or a website. It can be difficult to find invitation vendors who will do short runs of invitations, so you may need to get creative if you only need a limited number.

If your guests choose to buy you gifts in addition to attending your wedding, it’s best to have them directed to send your gifts to your home address. Of course, etiquette dictates that this is not information that is transmitted through your save the date announcements or invitations. The best way to handle this detail is to allow your attendants and parents to spread this information through word of mouth.

You will want to send out announcements of your wedding soon after the fact. These can be prepared in advance and sent out the day of your wedding or as soon as you return home. These will go out to all those friends and family who didn’t make the cut for the guest list, but are still important enough to you to keep updated and notified of this momentous occasion in your life.

Best Wishes for a great Destination Wedding, and be sure to come back and post a comment telling us about your event!

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Choosing Your Ideal Destination Wedding Location

Choosing a destination for your destination wedding is, needless to say, one of the most important things. Once you’ve chosen a location, all the other details will start to fall into place and planning your wedding will become more about co-ordination and communication than anything else. In fact, that’s one of the major benefits of a destination wedding, once the location is chosen there is very little for a bride to do but take care of the fun stuff, like choosing your attire, while someone else takes care of the rest.

First, you’ll want to sit down with your fiancé and brainstorm to come up with a wide range of possibilities. Though most men still shy away from planning when it comes to traditional weddings, you’ll likely find that he’s very interested in discussing the choices for your destination wedding. You’ll want to define your choices by your mutual interests. For instance, surfer couples might be keen on a trip to the North Shore. It’s also important to dismiss choices that won’t fit both of your needs. If he is the type who burns in five minutes flat and you’ve got your heart set on sandy beaches, there is going to be a bit of compromising to be done. In this particular case, finding a destination with beaches and a temperate climate is going to be a top priority. Ceremony induced sunburns and honeymoons do not mix well.

Most couples planning a destination wedding are choosing to do so because they want a more casual approach to their wedding day than most traditional weddings dictate. Some crave the simplicity of a destination wedding, but want to maintain a level of elegance. Which category you fall into will influence your destination choice. You are less likely to find more refined options in more remote locales, so it’s something to consider when narrowing down your list.

Of course, you don’t have to limit your choices to exotic destination wedding locations. There are some phenomenal wedding sites within North America that you might want to consider. There are beautiful vistas in the Rocky Mountains that would be a perfect backdrop for your wedding vows, and adorable chapels in the Arizona desert that might be just what you are looking for. Some of these locations will have full service weddings and others will require a bit more work on your part. If you are planning a destination wedding to make your workload lighter, then you’ll want to avoid those locations where you’ll have to put significant time into ensuring all the details are attended to.

Once you’ve figured out your wants and desires as a couple, it’s time to talk about your guests. Strictly speaking, guests are expected to pay their own expenses to attend the wedding; however some couples will spring for airfare and accommodations for parents or special friends that they consider essential to the celebration. You’ll want to decide if that applies to you and if your budget can handle the expense with each of your destination choices. You’ll, of course, only want to invite guests that you really want there. Some couples are tempted to invite just about everyone they can think of, assuming that many will not attend due to the costs. However, this can backfire badly if you really didn’t want them there as many will use your wedding as a good opportunity to travel to an exotic destination.

Once you’ve determined your criteria for your dream setting, it’s time to start researching the options, comparing the choices and making the final decision. From there you’ll be able to establish your to-do list, set your date and really start working towards making your destination wedding dreams a reality.

Some potential destinations to consider:

If you are considering a tropical location for your destination wedding, the Sandals Resorts and Spa’s are a great choice not only because of their multiple locations in the Caribbean, but also because they are all-inclusive and can be a cost-effective, wonderful, carefree, escape not only for you but your guests as well. At any Sandals destination wedding location, your wedding coordinator is also complimentary.

A new alternative that many brides and grooms are now considering are cruise destination weddings. What could be more fun or romantic than sailing to different ports of call in the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Mexico or Europe, and then getting married in the port of your choice? Carnival offers wedding packages to fit every budget as well as both on-board wedding nuptials or shore-side exchange of vows at various ports of call, based on where their ships are sailing to. They offer various packages to meet differing couples desires and needs.

If you are looking for something more along the lines of a mountain resort setting, or a more traditional setting within the continental United States or Canada, then check out the many locations that Westin Weddings offers. They also have fantastic beach locations in places like Puerto Rico, St. Lucia, and St. Maarten as well, so don’t necessarily rule them out for a great beach wedding either.

Best Wishes! And don’t forget to come back and post a comment telling us about your great Destination Wedding! We want to hear all about it!

Why are More and More Couples Selecting Destination Weddings and Honeymoons?

If you’re a bride-to-be planning your wedding, you’re undoubtedly aware of the world of choices you will need to make in the coming months. The first choice you’ll be faced with beyond setting the date is where you will say your vows. These days that can be an incredibly difficult decision. If you live on the West Coast and were born on the East Coast and your husband-to-be was born in the South, it can be a nightmare trying to accommodate the needs of all your family and friends. Even if your situation isn’t quite that complicated, you might want to consider opting out of a traditional hometown wedding altogether and choose a destination wedding and honeymoon instead. Not only will this eliminate turf battles between family members that may extend long past your wedding day, a destination wedding can also reduce expenses, headaches and have you enjoying your wedding way more than might otherwise be possible.

You might think that a destination wedding will be a costly affair. In fact, most destination weddings come in far under the typical costs of a traditional wedding. The costs for formal invitations, reception decorations, professional entertainment and catered meals have all risen dramatically in the past few years, making traditional weddings quite costly endeavors. With a destination wedding, thanks to group package rates available for wedding travel and accommodations, along with the decreased need for common wedding expenses, destination weddings can be as affordable as they are memorable.

In addition to being less costly, it can also be less stressful. Most specialized destinations will assign you to a complimentary wedding coordinator included in your costs when you book your wedding. The coordinator will be there to help you handle all the details and ensure your wedding day is exactly as you envision it. Not only will you be able to have your wedding unfold just the way you want, you’ll be able to eliminate the stress that comes with having to attend to all the details yourself. Sandals Resorts & Spa’s is one of those destination locations that offer complimentary wedding coordinators with their packages. They offer fantastic Caribbean locations as the perfect tropical beach backdrop to your wedding. The added bonus for both you and your guests with the Sandals Resorts & Spa’s is that they are all-inclusive, so once you and your guests arrive you can put away your wallets, relax and just have fun, because you won’t have to pay for anything from that point on.

When you choose a destination wedding, you also eliminate the need to follow all the traditional wedding rules and guidelines and open yourself up to a world of choices. This may be particularly important to you if you are somewhat of a free spirit to begin with. If you are used to being independent and making your own choices, you will find that planning a home-based wedding with family will require much compromise arising from traditional expectations. Choosing to marry away from home will allow you more freedom to express your own ideals.

There’s no doubt about it, destination weddings are inherently more romantic. The simplicity of a sunset wedding on the beach is much more endearing than a crowded party hall or conference room that needs to be festooned with flowers and balloons to affect a romantic ambience. Of course, a beach wedding is not the only option if that doesn’t suit your style. The beauty of a destination wedding is that you can choose to go wherever in the world you desire, as far as your budget allows. If your fiancé and you share a love of the outdoors, you could consider saying your vows atop a mountain or under a secluded Sequoia tree. Perhaps you are a fan of the ironic and would love an over the top kitschy wedding in Vegas. One of the truly exciting things about destination weddings is that you can create a wedding day as unique as you are, infused with your own personality and interests.

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Say Welcome and Thank-You at the Same Time with These Ideas!

It’s so easy to say Thank-You and Welcome at the same time. With any destination wedding a welcome basket or bag for your guests is an essential item you can’t overlook. It can be a simple gift, but it will greet your guests as they arrive in their hotel rooms and show your gratitude as well as set set the tone for the days to come. Put some thought into your gifts. You don’t have to have a huge budget, but by being creative and thoughtful you can come up with a very unique way to greet and thank your guests.

By including items unique to your wedding locale, you can create gifts your guests will treasure long after they have returned home.

Here are a few ideas:

Packaging is Everything! - select packaging that does double duty. Many Caribbean vendors sell woven baskets or bags. You could also use hotel logo bags. Then use these bags or baskets to hold your welcome goodies, and your guest can then use them again and again.

Welcome Letters are a Must! - Include a short welcome note with an itinerary. It will get your guests excited about the festivities while also letting them know where to be and when to be there.

Local Food or Drink -Visit a local grocery store, or find a locale beverage or snack to include in your gift bags. As an example, in Hawaii you might include a small package of macadamia nuts, or for Jamaica you might consider picking up some individual packs of coffee.

Music - consider picking up CD’s on-line of local music and including them in your gift packages - whether it’s Caribbean reggae, or salsa or rumba from Mexico.

Destination Wedding Gown Travel Care

When traveling with a wedding gown you need to make sure you keep these two things in mind: padding and protection. Cover your gown with a protective bag within within a garment bag, and avoid folding it if at all possible. By hanging the dress and not folding it, you will avoid deep creases or changes in the shape of the gown. If the airline you are using will not allow you to hang a garment bag (check with your carrier in advance) you best option is going to be to pack your dress in a box. You should choose a box that is sturdy and about one-third the length of the dress, but still within the measurement guidelines for carry-one luggage. Carefully fold the gown while padding it with tissue paper, and continue to do so until the dress is firmly in place. If you’ve done it correctly, your dress shouldn’t move even if you shake the box.


As soon as you arrive at your destination, unwrap the dress and look it over carefully. If you need a quick wrinkle fix, hag it in the bathroom with the shower turned to hot and the door closed. For really stubborn wrinkles, borrow a steamer from your hotel or resort, or have the dress professionally pressed at your locale.

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