Printed Wedding Invitations vs e-Invites
Over the years of planning destination weddings, I have seen a shift in the way couples spread the word that they are planning a destination wedding.
Traditionally couples would mail a printed Save The Date and then a few months later follow up with a printed wedding invitation.
Today couples are opting for the ease of the electronic Save The Date (e-invite).
Why do we like this?
Services such as Paperless Post offer Electronic Save The Dates which allow for the host of the wedding to be able to track when the e-invite was received by the guest, opened, and RSVP’s all in one area.
Also, sending guests reminders and follow-ups is very simple with just a few clicks allowing you to easily message all guests who have not yet responded or booked their accommodations.
This ease of use is a game changer for destination weddings!!
What about guests who do not know how or cannot receive e-invites?
With every wedding, couples have a few guests that simply do not like or know how to receive or respond to an e-invite. For this group of guests, I recommend sending traditional paper wedding save the dates and invitations. Couples can save if they are not sending paper invites to their entire guest list but only to the few who prefer this method.
What about tradition?
We have a handful of clients that still want me to create paper invitations for them. I love this as I am a bit old-fashioned and think that sending your wedding invite is a lovely tradition!! I like to think of it as a little gift and glimpse of your wedding that you are sending their way.
When to send your Save The Dates and Invitations?
When planning a destination wedding, the more time you give your guests to plan and save the better! So as soon as you have your destination wedding location and resort selected it is time to spread the word by sending either your Electronic or Printed Save The Date!
If you plan to also send a paper wedding invitation, for a destination wedding, this should be done 4-6 months before the wedding.
Don’t forget to include!
I always recommend having a wedding website when planning a destination wedding. This becomes the hub for all of the information your guests will need to plan to attend your wedding away.
What to include on your Save The Date:
Full names of the couple. One time, I received a Save the Date with only the couple’s first names, which left me wondering who I knew with those names that could be getting married??
Wedding Date
Location
Wedding Website
Brief instructions for attending.
All other necessary information can be added to your wedding website.
What to include on your wedding website:
Wedding Date
Location
Passport Reminder
Detailed attendance instructions should include the airport guests should fly into, how they will book their travel and how to book their stay at your host resort.
Host Resort information.
Weekend Itinerary so guests can plan how many days they will celebrate with you.
I can’t wait to say hello!
