A digital wedding invitation on its own costs anywhere from nothing to about R3,500 in South Africa in 2026. Design a free template yourself and you pay in evenings. Ready-made designs cost under R300, custom designs about R400 to R1,500, and animated video invitations about R800 to R3,500. An invitation website with RSVP costs roughly R1,000 to R8,000. At WedlySite, Digital Invitations cost R697 and can be ordered on their own. The Love Letter brings your wedding website, invitations, and save the dates together for R3,697.
The price is only half the decision. The other half is what happens after you press send: whether your guests can find the details, reply without fuss, and land somewhere that looks like your wedding. This guide covers what each option costs, which format suits you, how to send your invitations on WhatsApp, when to send them, and the exact words to use.
What digital invitations cost in South Africa
| What you get | Typical price, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Free template, designed yourself | Free |
| Ready-made template design | Under R300 |
| Custom-designed invitation (image or email) | About R400 to R1,500 |
| Animated or video invitation | About R800 to R3,500 |
| Invitation website with RSVP | Roughly R1,000 to R8,000 |
These are general ranges, taken from South African suppliers' own websites in September 2026. Ask whether a price includes VAT, and whether an invitation website carries separate hosting or domain fees. At WedlySite, Digital Invitations cost R697, listed on our pricing page.
Free is a real option. Tools like Canva give you invitation templates at no cost, and you design and send the invitation yourself. For the website itself, we compare free builders with custom design in a separate guide.
Three things move the price. Who designs it: a template you fill in costs your evenings, and a designer costs rands. Whether it moves: animation takes longer to make than a single image, and filming the two of you costs more again. Whether every guest gets their own: a named invite for each guest takes more work. At WedlySite that is R35 per guest, so named invitations for 60 guests add R2,100.
For the website side of the budget, our wedding website cost guide covers every price band in the same detail.
A picture, a video, or a website link
Digital invitations, also called online invitations, come in three formats, and each one does a different job.
The picture. A designed image or PDF, sent on WhatsApp. It opens instantly, saves easily, and feels familiar to almost everyone on your list. On its own it can't collect replies, so the RSVPs and the questions still come back to your phone.
The video. An animated invitation, often an envelope that opens in motion. It arrives like an occasion. Keep it short, because some guests will open it on mobile data.
The website link. One page that holds everything your guests need: the venue, the times, the dress code, accommodation, and an RSVP form. It answers the questions before anyone has to ask them.
You don't have to choose just one. The invitation announces the wedding. The website carries everything after it. If you're weighing up whether you need the website at all, here is how an RSVP website compares with collecting replies on WhatsApp.
When your invitation and website match
Design the invitation in one place and build the website somewhere else, and the fonts change, the colours drift, and the guest who taps from one to the other lands in a different wedding. Design them together, and the invitation carries the feeling while one tap carries your guests straight to the details.
Open Blake & Hazel's website
Open Matteo & Heidi's website
Open Suné & Jacques's website
Emma and Juan, the founders of WedlySite, made these. Emma designed the three invitations, and Juan built the wedding websites they open. We changed each couple's details for privacy. Tap any invitation to see the website it leads to.
Digital Invitations, R697. The formal moment, beautifully delivered. One tap inside the invitation, and guests arrive at your website. Same design, same feeling, one continuous journey from invite to RSVP.
You can order Digital Invitations on their own, and we deliver them by WhatsApp or email. We recommend pairing them with your wedding website, because one design from the first tap to the RSVP makes one beautiful experience for your guests. The Love Letter brings the website, invitations, and save the dates together for R3,697.
If you want the envelope to open in motion, the Animated Video Invitation is R1,497, made for WhatsApp. Personalised Guest Invitations put each guest's name on their own invite for R35 per guest. We design in English or Afrikaans.
How to send wedding invitations on WhatsApp
- Send privately, not to a group. In a group, every reply lands in front of every guest, and the RSVPs disappear into the thread.
- Use a broadcast list to save time. One broadcast list reaches up to 256 contacts, and you can make as many lists as you need. Each guest receives your message as a private chat, and any reply comes back to you alone. WhatsApp is also rolling out a monthly broadcast limit in some countries, and the app tells you when you're close to it.
- Check who can receive it. Broadcast messages only arrive for guests who have saved your number in their contacts. Anyone who hasn't will receive nothing, so send those invitations one by one.
- Send from your phone. Broadcast lists don't work on WhatsApp for Windows, Mac, or Web.
- Send the invitation, then the link. Share the invitation first, then a short message with your website link and RSVP date, so the link sits on its own and is easy to tap.
- Tick guests off as you go. Mark each guest on your list once you've sent their invitation, so you miss nobody and nobody gets it twice.
WhatsApp explains how broadcast lists and broadcast limits work in its Help Center.
What to write: six messages you can copy
Swap in your details, keep the warmth, and send each one privately.
1. The save the date
Hi [Name], we're getting married. Please save [date] for our wedding at [venue or town]. The invitation, with all the details, will follow closer to the time. We can't wait to celebrate with you.
2. The invitation
Hi [Name], it's official. You're invited to our wedding on [date] at [venue]. Everything you need is on our website: [link]. Please RSVP there by [RSVP date], so we can plan for you properly.
3. A kind way to say no plus-ones
We're keeping our wedding small, so our invitation is for the people named on it. Thank you for understanding. It means a lot that you'll be there.
4. Asking family to help a guest without WhatsApp
Hi [Name], could you help Ouma with our wedding invitation? We'll bring her a printed copy this week and phone her too. If you're with her, our website is [link], and you're welcome to RSVP for her there.
5. The gentle RSVP reminder
Hi [Name], a gentle reminder that RSVPs for our wedding close on [date]. It takes a minute on our website: [link]. If you can't make it, that's completely fine. We'd just love to know.
6. The thank you
Hi [Name], thank you for celebrating with us. Having you there meant more than we can say. If you'd like to see the photos, they're on our website: [link].
The guests who aren't on WhatsApp
Every guest list has them. An ouma who doesn't use WhatsApp. An uncle who never opens a link. If that's a worry for you, the answer is gently old-fashioned.
- Print one copy of the invitation for each of them.
- Phone to tell them it's on its way.
- Ask one family member to be their RSVP helper, and write that helper's name beside theirs on your guest list.
Digital doesn't have to mean digital-only. The guests who can tap a link do, and you look after the few who can't personally.
When to send them
Send save the dates six to 12 months before the wedding, and invitations six weeks to three months before it. South African planning guides give different dates, and together they land in these ranges.
- Save the dates: six to 12 months before the wedding. Give guests travelling from out of town or overseas the early end of that range.
- Invitations: six weeks to three months before, if a save the date has already gone out. Without one, send them three to four months ahead.
- RSVP deadline: work backwards from your venue. Set it at least three weeks before your final headcount is due, so there's time to follow up the last few replies.
Ranges drawn from Pink Book's wedding duties and stationery guides, Wedding ETC's planning timeline, and The Wedding Directory.
So which should you choose?
If your guest list is small and the details are simple, a well-designed picture on WhatsApp is enough. If you want replies, meal choices, and directions in one place, send an invitation that leads to a website. And if you want the two to feel like one wedding, have them designed together.
WedlySite builds custom wedding websites and digital invitations for South African couples. You talk. We write, design, and build. You share one link.
We're Emma and Juan, and we built WedlySite while planning our own wedding. Emma designs the invitations, and Juan builds the websites. We write your story from one call, put everything your guests need behind one link, and the website stays long after the day. Your website includes 12 months of hosting from the day it goes live, and another year is R397. See The Love Letter in the quote calculator, or browse our wedding website examples first.
Quick answers
How much do digital wedding invitations cost in South Africa?
In 2026, a digital wedding invitation in South Africa costs nothing if you design a free template yourself, under R300 for a ready-made design, about R400 to R1,500 for a custom design, and about R800 to R3,500 for a video. An invitation website with RSVP costs roughly R1,000 to R8,000. WedlySite Digital Invitations cost R697.
Are digital wedding invitations tacky?
No, not when they're designed for your wedding. What feels tacky is a generic template with the names swapped in. A designed invitation that matches your wedding website feels as considered as paper, and it reaches your guests on the phone already in their hand.
Can you send wedding invitations on WhatsApp?
Yes. Send each guest a private message, or use a broadcast list to reach up to 256 contacts at once. Broadcast messages only arrive for guests who have saved your number, so send the rest one by one. Include your website link so every RSVP lands in one place.
Do we still need a wedding website if we send digital invitations?
If you want RSVPs, meal choices, and directions in one place, yes. The invitation tells your guests they're invited. The website answers every question after that, so your phone stays quiet in the weeks before the wedding.
