For guests abroad & destination weddings
RSVP for international wedding guests
Guests overseas are the hardest to pin down — different phones, different time zones, no interest in another login. Duva reaches them where they are, lets them reply without an app, and keeps deadlines sane across the map.
Illustrative example with fictional guests.
- Any
- country code
- No app
- no account
- Per-event
- deadlines
- Free
- to collect
Duva routes +1 numbers to SMS, including numbers in the US, Canada, and other North American Numbering Plan regions. Supported numbers outside +1 use WhatsApp. The phone prefix determines the channel, not where the guest lives or travels. Guests open the invitation link and submit a browser form; no Duva app or account is required. WhatsApp is required to receive a WhatsApp invitation, and the form needs internet access. If a guest cannot use it, an authorized host can record their confirmed answer. Duva keeps separate event responses in one guest roster. RSVP collection is free; the one-time $10 messaging unlock covers invitations and reminders and includes 100 credits for custom broadcasts.
Why international guests are the hardest to collect
Every couple with family abroad or a destination wedding hits the same three walls. First, reach: a guest in Italy or India is on a non-US number, and a domestic RSVP tool that only texts American mobiles simply cannot get to them. Second, friction: someone juggling a passport, a flight, and a currency conversion is not going to create an account on a wedding website to tell you they are coming. Third, timing: when a guest is nine hours ahead, "respond by Friday" and a reminder sent at your dinnertime lands in the middle of their night.
These are exactly the guests you most need a firm answer from, because their attendance drives flights, room blocks, and per-event catering that all have to be locked early. Duva is built to knock down all three walls so the hardest-to-reach guests are the ones you can finally count on.
- Reach. Check support for each guest’s phone number; the +1 prefix uses SMS, while supported numbers outside +1 use WhatsApp.
- Friction. A traveling guest will not make an account — the RSVP has to work without one.
- Timing. A deadline and a reminder have to make sense when a guest is half a day away.
Reach supported numbers outside +1
Duva routes +1 numbers to SMS and supported numbers outside +1 to WhatsApp. Check country codes and whether guests use the destination channel. Delivery depends on the number, destination, connectivity, and service availability; keep an alternate contact method for anyone who cannot receive the invitation.
See the WhatsApp wedding invitations page for the linked RSVP flow and worked example. Check support for your guests’ numbers and keep another contact method when an invitation cannot be delivered.
- WhatsApp outside +1. Supported numbers outside +1 receive the invitation through WhatsApp.
- SMS at home. The +1 prefix uses SMS, including the US, Canada, and other NANP regions.
- One list, one count. Submitted browser forms update the same dashboard, regardless of the invitation channel.
A browser RSVP for guests abroad
The guest opens the invitation link, completes the browser form for their invited party members and events, then submits their responses. No Duva app or account is required. WhatsApp is needed to receive WhatsApp invitations. A guest who lost the link can go to your website, look up their name, and respond there instead.
The linked RSVP form requires an internet connection. Guests can submit when they have a working browser and connection, whether at home or traveling. If someone cannot use the form, contact them directly and have an authorized host record the answer.
- Open the RSVP link. The link opens the browser form; guests choose their answers and submit with internet access.
- Or self-look-up. A guest without their link finds themselves by name on your site and responds.
- Whole party at once. One person confirms their household, so families abroad do not reply piecemeal.
Deadlines that respect the map
International guests need to answer earlier than local ones — they are booking long-haul flights, arranging time off, and sometimes sorting a visa — so their events often want an earlier RSVP deadline. Duva lets you set a deadline for each event, so a destination ceremony that guests fly in for can close its list well before a local reception does. You get the lead time you need without holding everyone to the same date.
And you do not chase anyone across time zones yourself. Schedule reminders and Duva re-messages only the guests who have not replied, on the dates you choose, over the same channel their invitation used. No one is nagged at 3 a.m. and no one who already answered is bothered — the follow-up runs itself while you sleep on the other side of the world.
- A deadline per event. Close the destination ceremony early for flight-booking guests; keep the reception open longer.
- Reminders on schedule. Non-responders get nudged on the dates you set, so you never message across time zones by hand.
- Same channel throughout. Reminders ride the same text or WhatsApp thread as the original invitation.
Per-event counts and the travel details guests need
A destination wedding is usually several events across a weekend — a welcome dinner, the ceremony, a reception, maybe a farewell brunch — and guests come for different parts of it. Duva tracks a separate RSVP and headcount for each, so you know how many are at the welcome dinner versus the reception and can give your venue and caterer real numbers per event, complete with meal choices and dietary needs.
Guests traveling in also have the most questions, so a dedicated Travel page lets you publish hotel room blocks, the nearest airport, and transport details in one place — the answers that otherwise fill your inbox and a dozen group chats. Guests find what they need themselves, and you stop repeating the same logistics to everyone flying in.
- Per-event headcounts. Separate counts for the welcome dinner, ceremony, reception, and brunch.
- Meals and dietary needs. Collect meal choices and restrictions per event for your caterer.
- A travel page. Hotels, airports, and transport published once for everyone flying in.
Everything an overseas guest list needs to reply
Reach, remove friction, and respect the time difference.
WhatsApp + SMS
Supported numbers outside +1 on WhatsApp, +1 numbers by text.
No Duva account
Open and submit a browser form with internet access; WhatsApp is needed to receive WhatsApp invitations.
Per-event deadlines
Close flight-critical events earlier than local ones.
Timezone-safe reminders
Non-responders nudged on schedule, not by you at odd hours.
Per-event counts
A separate headcount and meal count for each event.
Travel page
Hotels, airports, and transport in one place for arrivals.
Frequently asked questions
How do I collect RSVPs from guests in other countries?
Duva routes +1 numbers to SMS, including numbers in the US, Canada, and other North American Numbering Plan regions. Supported numbers outside +1 use WhatsApp. The phone prefix determines the channel, not where the guest lives or travels. Guests open the invitation link and submit a browser form; no Duva app or account is required. WhatsApp is required to receive a WhatsApp invitation, and the form needs internet access. If a guest cannot use it, an authorized host can record their confirmed answer.
Do international guests need an app or account to RSVP?
Guests open the invitation link and submit a browser form; no Duva app or account is required. WhatsApp is required to receive a WhatsApp invitation, and the form needs internet access. If a guest cannot use it, an authorized host can record their confirmed answer.
How do RSVP deadlines work when guests are in different time zones?
You can set a separate deadline for each event, so a destination ceremony that guests fly in for closes earlier than a local reception. Automatic reminders then go to non-responders on the dates you choose, over the same channel as their invitation, so you never message across time zones by hand.
Can I collect RSVPs for each event of a destination weekend?
Yes. Duva tracks a separate RSVP and headcount for every event — welcome dinner, ceremony, reception, brunch — so you can give your venue and caterer accurate numbers per event, with meal choices and dietary needs attached.
Where do traveling guests find hotel and travel information?
A dedicated Travel page on your wedding website holds hotel room blocks, the nearest airport, and transport details in one place, so guests flying in find what they need themselves instead of asking you — and you stop repeating the same logistics to everyone.
Is collecting international RSVPs free?
Yes. The website, guest list, and per-event RSVP are free, with no subscription. A one-time $10 unlock covers the WhatsApp and SMS invitations and reminders you send — they never use credits — and includes 100 credits for the extra announcements you broadcast yourself.
Keep exploring
Collect responses across your guest list
Send RSVP links to supported numbers and give guests one browser form for their invited events. Collection is free; the one-time $10 messaging unlock covers invitations and reminders, with 100 credits included for custom broadcasts.
Last updated September 12, 2026