Destination Wedding Invitations: What to Include and When to Send
7 min read · Updated 1 October 2026 · PixerInvite
Destination wedding invitations need more notice and more detail than a local invitation: send a save-the-date eight to twelve months ahead and the invitation ten to twelve weeks before. The invitation should carry the whole weekend — welcome drinks, ceremony, reception, farewell brunch — plus travel, hotels and an earlier RSVP deadline. A single invitation link keeps all of it in one place that you can update.
When should you send destination wedding invitations?
Save-the-dates eight to twelve months ahead, invitations ten to twelve weeks before, and an RSVP deadline five to six weeks before. That's earlier than the six-to-eight-week window Emily Post recommends for a local wedding, because guests need to book flights, hotels and time off.
What should a destination wedding invitation include?
Everything about the weekend, not just the ceremony. Guests are planning a trip, so give them the schedule, the places and the practicalities together.
| Section | What to include |
|---|---|
| The weekend | Each event with its own date, time, venue and dress code |
| Getting there | Nearest airport, transfers, shuttles, parking |
| Where to stay | Hotel block names, how to book, the booking deadline |
| RSVP | An earlier deadline and how many seats are reserved |
| Good to know | Passports and visas, weather, children, gifts |
| Contacts | Someone guests can call on the day |
How do you list a wedding weekend schedule?
Give each event its own line with the day, time, place and dress code, in order. Guests should be able to pack from it.
- Friday, 7 pm — Welcome drinks · The terrace, Hotel Belvedere · Smart casual
- Saturday, 5 pm — Ceremony · The cliffside chapel · Black tie optional
- Saturday, 7 pm — Dinner and dancing · The garden
- Sunday, 11 am — Farewell brunch · Poolside
What is good destination wedding invitation wording?
Keep the classic structure and add a line that sets the scene. The travel details belong in their own sections, not in the card text.
Together with their families
Emma Clarke and James Bennett
invite you to join them in Santorini
for their wedding
Saturday, the eleventh of September, two thousand twenty-seven
Oia, Greece
A weekend of celebration to follow
Pack your bags!
Emma & James are getting married in Tuscany
September 9–11, 2027
Three days of food, wine and dancing under the olive trees
What goes on a destination wedding save-the-date?
The names, the dates of the whole weekend, the place, and "formal invitation to follow". If you have a hotel block already, add it — the earlier guests book, the better the rates.
When should the RSVP deadline be for a destination wedding?
Five to six weeks before the wedding, and before your hotel block's release date. Ask which events each guest will attend, so you know numbers for the welcome drinks and brunch as well as the reception — read our RSVP wording guide.
Why use an invitation link for a destination wedding?
Because travel details change. A flight time moves, a shuttle is added, the brunch venue changes — with a link you edit once and every guest sees it, instead of sending a correction email to the whole list.
PixerInvite was built for celebrations that run over several days: every event, venue map and hotel lives in one invitation, guests reply per event on the Luxe plan, and the design opens like the place you're going — blue shutters opening onto a Santorini caldera, Tuscan shutters onto the vineyards, château doors onto a French garden.
Frequently asked questions
Do guests pay their own way to a destination wedding?
Usually, yes — guests pay for travel and accommodation, which is why early notice and a hotel block matter so much.
Should a destination wedding have an adults-only policy?
It's common but optional. Whatever you decide, say it clearly on the invitation so families can plan.
Is a wedding website necessary for a destination wedding?
You need somewhere for travel details. An invitation link that holds the weekend schedule, hotels and RSVP does the job of both.
How many events should a wedding weekend have?
Most have three or four: welcome drinks, the ceremony and reception, and a farewell brunch. Only the ceremony and reception are essential.