The Journal · 8 min read
Destination Wedding Invitations (UK): Timeline, What to Include and Wording Examples
By Beth, founder of Graceful Studio · Updated
Destination wedding invitations have a bigger job than most. As well as inviting your guests, they need to help them book flights, find a room, budget for a trip and pack the right clothes. This guide is for UK couples marrying abroad: the timeline, exactly what to include, wording examples you can copy for every card, design ideas, and how to post invitations to guests wherever they live.
Destination wedding invitations timeline
Everything moves earlier for a wedding abroad, because your guests are booking holiday, flights and hotels, not just keeping a Saturday free. Counted back from the wedding day:
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| 12–18 months before | Send save the dates, with the country, town and your wedding website |
| 9–10 months before | Order your invitations, so they’re designed, proofed and made in good time |
| 6–8 months before | Post your invitations |
| About 3 months before | RSVP date, ahead of any hotel room-block deadline |
| 6–8 weeks before | Order on-the-day stationery, so it’s ready to pack |
Why 6–8 months? Flights to popular Mediterranean spots climb in price, and guests need to ask for annual leave. Set your RSVP date at least a couple of weeks before your hotel releases any rooms you’ve held, so you can chase anyone who hasn’t replied. The full UK timeline, from save the dates to on-the-day pieces, is in our guide to when to send wedding invitations.
What to include in destination wedding invitations
Keep the invitation itself clean and elegant: who is inviting, your names, the date, the local time and the full venue address, including the country. Everything practical goes on a details card or your wedding website. For a wedding abroad, guests will want to know:
- Travel. The nearest airport, how long the transfer takes, and whether you’re arranging a coach or taxis from the hotel to the venue.
- Accommodation blocks. The hotel where you’ve held rooms, the booking code, the price range and the date the rooms are released.
- Local currency. A short line such as “Greece uses the euro” saves guests a question, and is helpful if taxis or bars at the venue are cash only.
- Passports and documents. A gentle reminder to check passports are in date. Entry rules vary by country and change, so point guests to GOV.UK’s foreign travel advice rather than listing rules yourself.
- Weather and dress code. “Expect 30°C and sunshine: linen is welcome” is far more useful than “summer formal”. Mention flat shoes if the ceremony is on sand or grass.
- The whole weekend. Welcome drinks, the wedding day and a recovery brunch, with times and places for each.
- RSVP. A reply-by date and how to reply, plus space for dietary needs.
- Your wedding website or a QR code for everything that won’t fit or might change.
Our post on what to put on a wedding details card covers general details card wording, sizes and layout. Below, we focus on the wording that’s specific to weddings abroad.
Destination wedding invitation wording examples
Write the date and time as they’ll be in the country you’re marrying in, so nobody arrives an hour early because of the time difference. Here are destination wedding invitation wording examples you can adapt.
Together with their families
Sophie Turner & Thomas Hale
invite you to join them in Italy
to celebrate their marriage
Saturday 11th September 2027
at four o’clock in the afternoon
Villa [Name], Sorrento, Italy
Dinner and dancing to follow
Mr and Mrs David Hughes
request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of their daughter
Ellie
to
James Patel
on Saturday 5th June 2027 at half past three
Masseria [Name], Puglia, Italy
Sun, sea and a very good party
Hannah & Joe
are getting married on the beach
Saturday 11th September 2027 · 5pm local time
[Beach name], Algarve, Portugal
Barefoot optional, dancing compulsory
Please join us for a weekend in Mallorca
as we celebrate our wedding
Amelia & Rhys
Friday 10th – Sunday 12th September 2027
Ceremony on Saturday at four o’clock
Finca [Name], Mallorca, Spain
Full itinerary enclosed
Details card wording for a wedding abroad
Getting there
Fly into Naples (around 1 hour 15 minutes by road)
A coach will run from the hotel to the villa at 3pm
and back at midnight
Where to stay
We’ve held rooms at Hotel [Name], Sorrento
Quote ‘Turner–Hale Wedding’ when booking
Rooms are held until 1st March 2027
Italy uses the euro, so bring a little cash for taxis
Please check your passport is valid for travel
September is warm: around 27°C in the day
Dress code: summer smart, with comfortable shoes for the garden
Multi-day itinerary wording
If you’re hosting more than one event, a simple itinerary card (or the back of the details card) stops guests asking which night is which.
The Weekend
Friday 10th September
Welcome drinks at Bar [Name], 7pm till late. Come as you are
Saturday 11th September
Ceremony at 4pm, followed by dinner and dancing
Sunday 12th September
Recovery brunch by the pool, from 11am
“We understand if you can’t make it”
Not everyone can travel, whether it’s cost, health, young children or work. A kind line on the invitation, details card or RSVP takes the pressure off, and guests remember it.
We know a wedding abroad is a lot to ask.
If you can’t be there, please know
we’ll be thinking of you on the day.
We completely understand that travelling isn’t possible for everyone.
We’ll be celebrating at home too,
and would love to see you there. Details to follow.
Yes, we’ll be there!
We’ll toast from afar
For destination wedding RSVP wording, ask a little more than usual: arrival dates, which events each guest will attend, and dietary needs. Our wedding RSVP wording guide has more examples.
UK reception after a destination wedding
Many UK couples marry abroad with close family, then hold a party at home for everyone else. Make it clear on the invitation that the wedding has already happened (or will have, by then), so nobody expects a ceremony.
Sophie & Tom
are getting married in Italy this September
and would love you to celebrate with them at home
Saturday 2nd October 2027 from 7pm
The [Venue], Bath
Food, drinks and dancing
We said ‘I do’ in Greece,
now let’s party in Manchester!
Join Mr and Mrs Okafor
for an evening celebration
Saturday 2nd October 2027 · 7.30pm till late
[Venue], Manchester
A UK party works much like an evening reception, so our evening wedding invitation wording is useful here too.
Destination wedding save the date wording
Your save the date only needs your names, the date, the place and your website. For a wedding abroad, add the country and, if you’re planning a weekend, the full dates. Our save the date wording guide has classic, relaxed and wedding weekend versions for destination weddings; here are two more.
Dust off your passports
Save the date for the wedding of
Hannah & Joe
11.09.2027 · Algarve, Portugal
Invitation to follow
We’re getting married in Mallorca
and we’re telling you early so you can plan
Amelia & Rhys
10th–12th September 2027
Travel and hotel ideas at www.ameliaandrhys.co.uk
Destination wedding invitations: digital, printed or with a QR code?
Digital destination wedding invitations are tempting when guests are scattered across countries. They arrive instantly and cost nothing to send. The trouble is they’re easy to lose in an inbox, and nobody pins an email to the fridge as a reminder to book flights.
Many couples do both: a printed invitation as the keepsake, with a wedding website or a QR code for the details that change, like coach times, hotel links and the weekend itinerary. Destination wedding invitations with a QR code are especially useful because guests can scan straight to booking links. Send us your website address with your wording and we’ll lay it out on your invitation or details card.
Destination wedding invitation ideas
Let the setting lead, but keep it subtle. A single detail that hints at the place will look better in ten years than a full beach scene.
- Coastal and beach. Cream or white card, a shell or wave motif, and soft sand, oat or ivory tones.
- Mediterranean. Blue and white fine-line illustration, olive branches or citrus, and a satin ribbon. Think painted tiles and whitewashed walls.
- Minimal with a gold foil detail. Plenty of white space, elegant type and one small foiled motif that catches the sunlight. It suits beach, villa and modern venues alike.
- Envelope colour as the accent. A blue, oat or luxury ivory envelope sets the tone before the invitation is even opened.
Our gold foil shell wedding invitation was designed with weddings abroad in mind: a 5×7" invitation on cream card with a single gold foil shell, sent with an envelope in your choice of colour. At the time of writing it’s £2.99 per invitation and envelope, with a minimum order of 30, so 30 invitations come to £89.70. We personalise it with your names, date, local time and full venue address, and you can ask us about adding a wax seal.
Posting invitations to guests abroad
If some guests live overseas, plan their invitations first. International post takes longer and costs more than UK post, and delivery times vary a lot by country, so:
- Post overseas invitations first, a week or two before the UK ones, so everyone receives them at roughly the same time.
- Weigh one complete invitation at the Post Office before buying stamps. Wax seals and extra cards add weight and thickness, and international prices depend on both.
- Write the address in the format of the guest’s country, with the country in capitals on the last line.
- Send a quick message or a photo of the invitation to overseas guests too, in case the post is slow.
- Consider tracked post for close family abroad, so you know it has arrived.
Addressing invitations to married couples, families and plus-ones works the same whether they live in Leeds or Lisbon; our guide to how to address wedding invitations explains the etiquette.
Ordering your destination wedding invitations
Every order is designed for you and proofed before anything is printed. Your digital proof usually arrives within 7 days of us receiving your details, and making takes 1–4 weeks once you’ve approved it. Full timings are on our delivery and lead times page. For invitations posted 6–8 months before the wedding, that means ordering around 9–10 months ahead, which also leaves time for a sample.
Not sure which design suits your venue? Our guide to choosing wedding invitations walks through style, size and finishing touches, and a sample pack lets you feel the card before you commit.
Frequently asked questions
How far in advance do you send destination wedding invitations?
+
Send destination wedding invitations 6–8 months before the wedding, after save the dates sent 12 months or more ahead. Set the RSVP date about three months before, and before any hotel room-block deadline.
What should you include in destination wedding invitations?
+
The invitation needs the hosts, your names, the date, the local time and the full venue address with the country. Put travel, accommodation blocks, currency, a passport reminder, weather, dress code and the weekend’s events on a details card or your wedding website.
Do you need save the dates for a destination wedding?
+
Yes, they’re strongly recommended. Guests need to book leave, flights and accommodation, so send save the dates 12–18 months ahead with the country, the dates and your wedding website.
How do you word an invitation for a wedding abroad?
+
Use the same structure as any wedding invitation, then add the country to the venue address and write the time as local time. A line such as “invite you to join them in Italy” makes the destination clear from the first read.
How do you say you understand if guests can’t come to a destination wedding?
+
Add a kind line to the invitation, details card or RSVP, such as “We know a wedding abroad is a lot to ask. If you can’t be there, we’ll be thinking of you on the day.” Mention a UK party if you’re having one.
Can destination wedding invitations be digital?
+
They can, but many couples send a printed invitation as the keepsake and use a wedding website or QR code for the travel details, which change more often and need clickable links.
How do you word an invitation for a UK reception after a destination wedding?
+
Make it clear the wedding is happening abroad, then invite guests to celebrate at home, for example: “are getting married in Italy this September and would love you to celebrate with them at home”, followed by the date, time and venue.
How do you post wedding invitations to guests abroad?
+
Weigh one complete invitation at the Post Office to get the right international postage, post overseas invitations a week or two before UK ones, write the country in capitals on the last line, and send overseas guests a message too in case the post is slow.
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