Sending invitations by SMS and WhatsApp

Sending, step by step#

1. Pick the channel

   On the share screen, tap either SMS or WhatsApp.

2. Pick people from your contacts

   The app shows your phone contacts; tick the ones you want to send to and choose “Continue”.

3. Check the message preview

   You see exactly what your guest will receive.

4. Send now, or schedule it

   If you pick a future date and time, the system sends automatically when that moment arrives. More: scheduled sending.

Why not from your own WhatsApp?#

The obvious thought is “I’ll just pick everyone from my contacts and send it myself”. The reason we do it from Vowlia instead is technical: personal WhatsApp accounts aren’t built for bulk sending.

• On personal accounts, a broadcast list is capped at 256 people, and that limit can’t be raised.
• To receive a broadcast message, the other person has to have your number saved — which most wedding guests won’t.
• WhatsApp explicitly prohibits bulk and automated sending from personal accounts; accounts can be suspended temporarily or permanently.

So messages go out through the official WhatsApp Business API, under the Vowlia name. You pick the people from your contacts; the system does the sending.

SMS or WhatsApp?#

If your guest list is mixed, a common choice is SMS for older and more formal guests and WhatsApp for close friends. Either way, the replies all land in the same list.