WhatsApp Wedding Invite Messages for Kiwi Couples (Copy & Paste)
Short WhatsApp messages for save the dates, invites, RSVP nudges and thank-yous for NZ weddings, plus +64 numbers and whānau in other time zones.
For a lot of Kiwi families, WhatsApp is where everyone already is: cousins in Sydney, an uncle in London, Nana who finally figured out voice notes. Sending your invite there makes sense. What makes it work is a short message and a personal link for each household, so replies land in your guest list and not halfway up the family chat.
The four things to put in
- Your names first. Not everyone has your number saved.
- The date and the town. The rest can live on your wedding website.
- Their own link, so you can see who's opened it and who's answered.
- A reply-by date. Make it a real date.
Save the date
Six to eight months out is enough for a local crowd; guests flying from Australia need closer to a year (the NZ timeline).
Kia ora Aroha & Ben! We're tying the knot on Saturday 30 January 2027 on Waiheke. Pop it in the calendar, the proper invite comes later. [link] Ngaio & Sam
Big news from Hamilton: Grace and Hamish are getting married! 13 March 2027. Save the date, details to follow x
The invite itself
Friendly:
Kia ora Jess! You're invited to Charlotte & Finn's wedding, Saturday 17 July 2027 in Wānaka. Have a look and let us know by 1 June: [link]
For the older generation:
Kia ora Aunty Mere, it would mean so much to have you with us when Hana and Wiremu marry on 4 December 2027 at Wainui Beach. Your invitation is here: [link] Ngā mihi nui
For the mates:
It's happening! Kaia & Tom, Queenstown, 26 June 2027. Bring a puffer jacket. RSVP by May please: [link]
Nudging the late repliers
Only send these to people who haven't replied yet. The ones who answered on day one don't need the reminder.
Kia ora Pete, quick one from Charlotte & Finn: could you RSVP by Friday so we can give the venue our numbers? [link]
Hey! Still keen to see you at the wedding. Can you let us know either way? Takes 30 seconds: [link]
Saying thanks afterwards
Thank you for being part of our day. It was everything we hoped for. The photos are on our website now: [link] Arohanui, Georgia & Liam
One message per household, not one per group chat
Dropping a single message into the whānau group is quick, but you'll spend the next month working out who's coming. Replies turn up scattered through the chat, some people never see it, and "we'll be there" rarely says who "we" is.
A better way: use the group chat to say "invites are going out on WhatsApp today, keep an eye out", then send each household its own message with its personal link. For a more formal invite to adapt, see our wedding invitation wording. Their answers go straight into your guest list, person by person and event by event.
On Online Wedding Invitation, every household on your Send page has a WhatsApp button. Tap it and WhatsApp opens with their message and link ready to go. You hit send yourself, so it comes from you, and the invite is ticked off as sent.
Getting +64 numbers right
WhatsApp wants the full international number: lose the first 0 and add 64. So 021 123 4567 becomes +64 21 123 4567. Whānau in Australia start with +61, the UK +44, Samoa +685, Tonga +676. If you type New Zealand numbers the local way, we add the +64 for you.
Mind the time zones
If you're messaging family overseas, check the time where they are. Invites sent at 7pm in Auckland land at 5pm on the east coast of Australia but in the early hours of the morning in the UK. Sending in the morning here usually catches most people at a decent hour.
Some guests prefer a text or an email
Not everyone's on WhatsApp. Use email for workmates, a plain text for Grandad, and WhatsApp for everyone overseas. Each person still gets their own RSVP link, so every reply ends up in the same guest list.
Every reply from those links comes back to one tidy list. Here's how our online RSVP works.