Destination Weddings Discussions

DW RSVP/ Dinner Wording?

My Fiancé and I are getting married in Cabo San Lucas June 2018. We are having a small ceremony on the beach and plan to invite immediate family and close friends.

My brother and I would like to rent a Villa. How should I word on our invitations that we need to know by December/ January to give us time to find a house big enough and/ if they'll figure out there own hotels?

Also how can I word that this is only a ceremony but will have dinner at a restaurant after? 


Re: DW RSVP/ Dinner Wording?

  • My Fiancé and I are getting married in Cabo San Lucas June 2018. We are having a small ceremony on the beach and plan to invite immediate family and close friends.

    My brother and I would like to rent a Villa. How should I word on our invitations that we need to know by December/ January to give us time to find a house big enough and/ if they'll figure out there own hotels?

    Also how can I word that this is only a ceremony but will have dinner at a restaurant after? 

    You can't request super early RSVPs in order to make plans on lodging. Or you can, but people will then be adjusting their RSVPs (because life happens and things change) and driving you crazy. 

    Also, for the most part, unless every couple has their own bedroom and bathroom, the "everyone stay in one house" or villa idea is not really comfortable or appealing to most adults. If you and your brother want to rent a villa, go for it, but don't try to coordinate your plans based on everyone else. That's too complicated and an unnecessary headache for everyone. Don't make yourself responsible for lodging, even with a group that small.

    You don't need to word anything differently than a normal invite. Invitation gives the information about ceremony time and location, and an insert gives the information about the reception you're hosting for all your guests. It's still a reception even if it's "just" dinner at a restaurant - what makes something a reception is that you're receiving your ceremony guests and greeting and thanking them for coming with a meal appropriate to the time of day.
  • edited September 2017
    This is a conversation - not wording on your invitations. If it's your brother and your family, just sit down and have a logistics conversation about who is staying where and what it means for reservations, etc. 

    ETA: and I would say that this can turn out to be a logistical nightmare of planning - especially if you are asking people to split the cost and you aren't even sure how many people will be splitting the cost/how much it will be.

    I would decide on a small group you want to stay with and do some research on villas that would accommodate that whole group and a few that are smaller in case people are "out". Then float the idea to the group to gauge interest: "the cost would be between $XXX and $XXX per couple per night, let me know by (date) if you're interested"
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  • You really can't request everyone RSVP super early. If you want to rent a house, you could talk to people to see who might be interested OR rent a big enough space for everyone and list that as an option. But I agree that sharing a house with adults (especially if they're not all family) can be a little uncomfortable sometimes. Think about even just getting ready time...will there be enough bathrooms for everyone to get ready in a reasonable amount of time?

    Also, I wouldn't tell guests to figure out their own hotels. I would work with a travel agent to see if they could advise you on hotels close to the location, work out transportation, set up possible room blocks, etc. 

    For the invitation, it would be the same as any other wedding. Include the ceremony after and then you can write something like "dinner to follow." 
  • Re. wording your invitations:

    "The pleasure of your company is requested
    at the marriage of 
    (name)
    and
    (name)
    Saturday, the seventh of October
    at half after five o'clock
    Such and Such Beach
    Street Address
    Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

    Reception at (restaurant name) to follow"

    I would also include an information insert with:
    - ceremony location info (and map since all guests likely aren't familiar with Cabo and may not get international cell phone service)
    - info on your plan B is in case of bad weather
    - restaurant name location info plus map
    - hotel (block) information - fine if you want to get a villa, but especially with an international destination, you should get a hotel block or at the very least, recommend a safe hotel close to the ceremony and reception. 
    - trip/activity itinerary - many couples have a welcome dinner planned for DWs and possibly other get togethers as well.
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  • You're hosting dinner at the restaurant, right?
  • Keep your invitation simple.

    A wedding website would be of good use here. We recently attended a DW. The B&G include the address and map of the ceremony/reception location (same place). They also gave recommendations on places to stay, car rentals and where the airport was in relation to the venue. The B&G sent out a separate e-vite for the welcome dinner they hosted.

    As for the villa, I think this would be fine to organize for a close group, like just your family, but I think it will be too challenging for all of your guests. I would not include this on the invitation, and the RSVP remains the same. But if you still want to do this, do it separately. If you are having a small guest list, I presume these are family/friends you are close with and you can call them up or e-mail to discuss. Good to have an idea of costs of things beforehand. You may have some guests who would want to stay in a group regardless, but others whose "yes" will depend on cost. For the DW we attended, the B&G rented out a B&B (large house with a few SMALL houses on the property) for their family only. As friends, we were happy with getting our own accommodations and where we were located.
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