Couple Guides

When to send destination wedding invitations, and how to word them.

Send destination wedding invitations two to three months before the wedding, as WeddingWire recommends, and ask for replies six to eight weeks ahead. The Knot says eight weeks and Paperless Post three to four months, against six to eight weeks for a wedding at home.

Perrie Lundstrom · 5 min readPublished · Updated

At a glance

Send destination wedding invitations two to three months before the wedding. WeddingWire recommends that window; The Knot says eight weeks and Paperless Post three to four months, against six to eight weeks for a wedding at home. Ask for replies six to eight weeks ahead. If a room block or supplier needs names sooner, work backwards from that date.

When to send
2 to 3 months before
Reply-by date
6 to 8 weeks before the wedding
On the card
Names · date · time · venue · website
Printed, 70 guests
Estimated $500 to $4,000

When should you send destination wedding invitations?

Send destination wedding invitations two to three months before the wedding. WeddingWire recommends that window, The Knot says eight weeks and Paperless Post three to four months, against a general rule of six to eight weeks. Guests need the longer notice to book flights, rooms and leave.

WeddingSend invitationsSource
Any weddingSix to eight weeks beforeEmily Post Institute, The Knot
DestinationEight weeks beforeThe Knot
DestinationTwo to three months beforeWeddingWire
DestinationTen to twelve weeks beforeZola
DestinationThree to four months beforePaperless Post
No save the date sentSix months before, or three for a short engagementThe Knot

The destination wedding timeline on this site uses the same two to three months. The Knot cautions that invitations sent more than 12 weeks ahead risk guests changing their reply later. To set your own date, work backwards:

  1. Find the earliest date anyone needs names or numbers: a room-block release, a supplier's final count.
  2. Put the reply-by date ahead of it: the published norm is six to eight weeks before the wedding (see the destination wedding RSVP guide).
  3. Send the destination wedding invites early enough for guests to price travel, arrange leave and reply by then.

How do you word a destination wedding invitation?

A destination wedding invitation is worded like any wedding invitation, in the order hosts, request, couple, date, time and place, with two additions: the city and country after the venue, and a last line sending guests to the wedding website.

The Emily Post Institute's formal wording rules keep "the honour of your presence" for a house of worship and use "the pleasure of your company" at any other venue. Three destination wedding invitation wording examples follow.

Formal, the couple hosting

Emily Reyes and Jonathan Wright
request the pleasure of your company
at their marriage
Saturday, 12 June 2027
Villa Erba · Lake Como, Italy
Ceremony at five · reception to follow
Travel, accommodation and RSVP at aisle.wedding/emily-jonathan

Formal, parents hosting

Mr. and Mrs. David Reyes
request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of their daughter
Emily Reyes
to
Jonathan Wright
Saturday, 12 June 2027 · five o'clock in the afternoon
Villa Erba · Lake Como, Italy
Reception to follow · dress code formal
aisle.wedding/emily-jonathan

Relaxed, a wedding weekend

Emily + Jonathan
are getting married in Tulum
11–13 June 2027
Friday welcome dinner · Saturday wedding · Sunday brunch
All the details at aisle.wedding/em-and-jon

For other hosts, such as divorced parents or both families, the free wedding invitation wording generator drafts the lines.

What should a destination wedding invitation include?

A destination wedding invitation should include six things: the couple's names, the date with the day of the week, the ceremony time and venue, the weekend schedule, the dress code and the wedding website address. The first three and the web address go on the main card; the rest fits a details card or the website.

DetailWhere it goes
Full names, hosts, date, time, venue, city and countryMain card
Wedding website addressMain card and details card
Dress code for the weddingOne line on the main card, or the details card
Reply-by date and how to replyReply card, or beside the web address
Weekend schedule, dress codes for other eventsDetails card and website
Flights, hotels, room blockWebsite
RegistryWebsite only

A QR code to the reply page saves guests typing the address, and travel questions belong on the wedding website's FAQ page. Before printing, check the date against a calendar and the venue's spelling, twice.

Can destination wedding invitations be digital only?

Destination wedding invitations can be digital only. Email suits a guest list spread across countries: it arrives at once, can be tracked and links straight to the wedding website. Formal etiquette still prefers paper, and the Emily Post Institute calls an emailed wedding invitation a faux pas.

  • Digital only: for a guest list comfortable online, a tighter budget or a short timeline.
  • Hybrid: email everyone, and post printed invitations to older relatives who will want the card.
  • Printed: for a formal wedding. The Knot advises posting invitations to guests outside the US nine to ten weeks before the wedding.

Aisle sends the digital half as an email invitation in your wedding site's own colours and type; the printed half you order from a stationer.

How much do destination wedding invitations cost?

Printed destination wedding invitations for a 70-guest wedding are estimated at $500 to $4,000, depending on paper, printing method and design complexity. Digital-only invitations are estimated at $100 to $400, including the tools to send them. These are planning figures in US dollars, not quotes.

FormatEstimate, 70 guests
Digital only, sent by email$100 to $400
Digital printing on heavy cotton$500 to $1,500
Letterpress on handmade paper$2,000 to $3,500
Engraving or foilTop of the range, towards $4,000

Heavy cotton or linen paper of 300 to 400 gsm reads as formal. The estimates do not say how many cards the suite holds or whether postage and tax are included, so ask each stationer to quote for your number of households, with postage listed separately.

Who wrote this

About this article

Written by Perrie Lundstrom. Sources and revision details are listed here. If you spot an error, email us.

First published
28 March 2026
Last revised
7 October 2026
Author
Perrie Lundstrom

Common questions

How far in advance do you send invitations for a destination wedding?+

Send invitations for a destination wedding two to three months in advance. That is WeddingWire's recommendation; The Knot says eight weeks and Paperless Post three to four months, against six to eight weeks for a wedding at home. Send earlier only if a room block or supplier needs names sooner. With no save the date, The Knot advises six months.

What RSVP date should you print on a destination wedding invitation?+

Print a reply-by date six to eight weeks before a destination wedding: WeddingWire says about six and Zola six to eight. Move it earlier if a room-block release or a supplier's final count falls before then, and leave time to chase late replies.

Do you send both a save the date and an invitation for a destination wedding?+

Yes, send both for a destination wedding. The save the date goes out first, 8 to 12 months ahead by Zola's guidance, so guests can hold the dates. The invitation follows two to three months before the wedding with the ceremony time, venue and reply-by date. The Emily Post Institute's rule is that any guest who receives a save the date must receive an invitation.

What is the etiquette for who gets a destination wedding invitation?+

Destination wedding invitation etiquette is largely the same as for any wedding, Paperless Post says, plus a few courtesies such as a plus-one for each guest. Everyone who received a save the date gets an invitation. The Emily Post Institute advises inviting the whole guest list at once, not holding a standby list for a second round, and using a companion's name in place of "and guest" where you can.

How do you word an invitation to an at-home reception after a destination wedding?+

An invitation to an at-home reception after a destination wedding should say that the marriage has already taken place, for example: "Emily Reyes and Jonathan Wright were married on 12 June 2027 at Lake Como, Italy. Please join them for a reception in their honour on Saturday, 10 July, at six o'clock." Zola advises telling guests plainly that the ceremony has happened and this event is a reception, and posting the invitation six to eight weeks before it. Paperless Post also suggests mentioning the party at home on the destination invitation.

What are passport and boarding pass wedding invitations?+

Passport and boarding pass wedding invitations are travel-themed designs for weddings abroad. A boarding pass invitation is laid out like an airline boarding pass, with the wedding date and destination in place of the flight details. A passport invitation is styled like a passport, with the event details as line items.

Reckoners

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Sources

Sources and editorial notes

  1. 2026The KnotWhen to send wedding invitations: a definitive timelineOpen →
  2. 2020WeddingWireWhen to send wedding invitationsOpen →
  3. 2024Paperless Post10 destination wedding invitation wording and design ideasOpen →
  4. 2020The Emily Post InstituteWedding planning: 1 to 3 months in advanceOpen →
  5. 2021The Emily Post InstituteFormal wedding invitation wordingOpen →
  6. 2020The Emily Post Institute21st century wedding trendsOpen →
  7. 2020The Emily Post InstituteWedding invitation dos and don'tsOpen →
  8. 2025ZolaWhen to send save the datesOpen →
  9. 2025ZolaHow to word invitations for a delayed reception after a small weddingOpen →
  10. 2024GreenvelopeWedding invitations: passport and travel designsOpen →
  11. 2026ZolaAn expert guide to wedding RSVP cardsOpen →
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