8 months notice for destination wedding

8 months is perfectly fine for save the dates. I would suggest getting them out ASAP though- the more advanced notice, the better. I definitely wouldn’t risk planning during hurricane season!

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We still don't have a resort yet. Would you recommend sending them out before you have the actual resort with perhaps the destination and month?

View Quoted Comment You don’t need to know the exact resort. Most people only include the date and general location (ie, Jamaica) on STDs

^ Agree with Cece. The STDs gives your guest the date and location. This also gives them time to prepare since it is a destination wedding.

The STD needs to only provide the date and location of the upcoming wedding. They are usually sent 6-8 months before, so you're in time if you want to send them. Make sure it's your final guest list though, because once you send the STD, then the person is invited.

Agree with others but wanted to clarify, you really don't have a date or location until you have a signed contract with a venue. Other couples/travelers are going to want to avoid hurricane season as well, so it's going to be hard to guess what your options and availability will be until you nail down all the major details. Yes, you want to get those STDs in the mail asap, but they need to have concrete information to be useful to your potential guests -- minimally the exact date and city location. Good luck!

Also, we didn't get married there, but we've vacationed at a resort in Jamaica in early July and there were heavy thundershowers every day.... We still were outside doing stuff every day, but we could count on having to run for cover for a good 30-60 minutes at least once a day. There were multiple weddings on the property (many right below our oceanfront balcony) and at least one of them a day got rained out or delayed. Even prior to hurricane season, the weather can be very unpredictable (as well as quite hot and humid), so ask any resort you're considering how they handle contingencies!

Agree with your choice of Jamaica over Miami.
Miami is super expensive as they add large service fees to food and drinks. It’s ridiculously overpriced.