Getting married abroad is an increasingly popular choice and we do our best to get invited whenever a client chooses us to create their invitations, haha!

But what details do you need to include on an invitation for a wedding abroad, and does it differ from a traditional ‘at home’ wedding?

Well, the invitation details themselves are pretty similar, if not the same as those on a non-destination invitation:

• Guest Name
• Your Names
• Wedding Date
• Time of Ceremony
• Venue

For celebrations that are over multiple days and you would like your guests to be there during a specific period of time, you should display the dates you want the recipient to be there, together with the date of the ceremony underneath to avoid any confusion.

The bonus of having a wedding abroad is that if you’ve chosen a country with wall-to-wall sunshine, then you should be guaranteed the weather if nothing else! And if it’s going to be hot, you may wish to give your guests guidance on the type of attire you wish them to wear.

If you still want a formal appearance and would like your guests to NOT wear shorts or flip-flops, you should use the guest information section of your invitation to tell them this as the risk is that they could assume that because it is a hot climate, then the dress code will be less formal.

Women have the luxury of a greater choice of cooling clothing, but men tend to be limited to a choice of trousers or shorts, so if you don’t mind your guests sporting the shorts and donning a Hawaiian shirt, then again, it’s best to let them know so that they don’t spend the day sweating in a pair of formal trousers and shirt! Specifying tailored shorts can be a compromise if you still want a formal feel but with a casual vibe. Take a look at this example below where the couple discusses the dress code – yours may obviously differ, but it may give you some inspiration 😊

But what other things can you tell your guests about to make it super useful for them when planning on attending your Big Day? We cover what you should consider including on a guest information card in our blog ‘Seven Super Tips for Your Guest Information Card’, but Destination Weddings can bring their own challenges for guests, so you may want to consider including some additional information such as:

• The closest airport to avoid any confusion with similarly named airports
• Give your guests the heads up if there are any similarly named hotels in the area and be specific on which hotel your wedding is at/you want them to stay at
• Any pre-wedding or post-wedding additional functions you may be having
• Any contacts for travel agents or planners who will be able to assist your guests
• Any transport you may have laid on for your guests
• Literally, anything that you think will be useful to your guests!

Here are some examples which may give you some inspiration.

The final thing to discuss is your RSVP Card. We’ve covered how to make your reply card work as hard as possible for you in our other blog Six Potential Questions to Ask on your Reply Card, but for a destination wedding, you may also wish to know the arrival/departure date of your guests and where they are staying. If you don’t need this information, then worry not, but remember to make your invitation work as hard as possible for you – it should make your planning journey easier for you and if you want any other specific advice, don’t hesitate to get in touch!