More and more couples these days are choosing to treat their closest
friends and family to a magical vacation starring a wedding, instead of
having a huge wedding in a home town. And why not? With weddings these
days costing upwards of $20,000, and discount vacation packages
available, what seems like a grand gesture can be an affordable choice.
But before you sail into the sunset, there are some practical matters to attend to. If you're planning to pay for your guests airfare and hotel (a generous offer), you'll need to know early on if they'll be attending, as well as get their legal names, preferred airport, and travel dates, often months before the wedding. There are two ways to approach this:
First, decide whether you'd like to send the invitation out now or wait until proper time before the wedding (4 to 6 weeks).
If you decide to wait, send a personalized letter to each of your guests. I'm guessing that if they are close enough to you to be invited, they probably already know about the wedding.
The letter could say something like: Dear Paul: As you already
know, John and I are planning to be married. We've decided to combine
our wedding and our honeymoon to have an intimate and memorable wedding
in Cancun next February! Because you've been so special to us, it would
be an honor if you could join us there as our guest. (alternate wording:
as the guest of our parents and us. You could also say something like
it would be an honor if you could join us and witness our wedding. As a
wedding present to us, my parents are inviting everyone as their guest.)
We've planned an all-inclusive four-day weekend trip from February 12
to February 16. The wedding will take place on the evening of February
14 and will be a casual affair on the beach, with the sunset behind us.
The other days will be full of swimming, snorkeling, sight-seeing, some
great food, a little dancing, and opportunities for us all to get to
know one another better.
A formal invitation will be sent closer to the wedding date but, as we need to purchase the airfare and the hotel packages, we'll need to know if you'll be able to attend by July 15. I know this is early to make such a commitment, and I hope you'll be able to come. Also, if you don't already have one, you'll need to obtain a passport. I've enclosed a guest questionnaire, information about applying for a passport, and details about the trip, along with a return envelope.
With love, (or fondly)
Jessica Anderson
Ask your travel agent what the questionnaire should cover - typically it will include:
Passport or birth certificate name
Preferred airport to fly out of
Smoking or non-smoking room
Dates you'll be able to attend (we hope you'll be able to come for the full trip)
If you decide you'd rather do the formal invitation now, keep its language as you would for any other wedding, then print an insert similar to the above letter. You should then plan on sending something to the guests 4 to 6 weeks before the wedding that gives them an update on plans so that you know they have it in their minds etc.
A formal invitation will be sent closer to the wedding date but, as we need to purchase the airfare and the hotel packages, we'll need to know if you'll be able to attend by July 15. I know this is early to make such a commitment, and I hope you'll be able to come. Also, if you don't already have one, you'll need to obtain a passport. I've enclosed a guest questionnaire, information about applying for a passport, and details about the trip, along with a return envelope.
With love, (or fondly)
Jessica Anderson
Ask your travel agent what the questionnaire should cover - typically it will include:
Passport or birth certificate name
Preferred airport to fly out of
Smoking or non-smoking room
Dates you'll be able to attend (we hope you'll be able to come for the full trip)
If you decide you'd rather do the formal invitation now, keep its language as you would for any other wedding, then print an insert similar to the above letter. You should then plan on sending something to the guests 4 to 6 weeks before the wedding that gives them an update on plans so that you know they have it in their minds etc.
By Nina Callaway
Weddings Expert
