> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.weddingkart.co/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Create your own message templates

> Write WhatsApp message templates for your own number and get them approved by WhatsApp

When an event sends from [your own WhatsApp number](/docs/account/own-whatsapp-number), its template announcements use templates approved on **that number**. Weddingkart's shared templates stay on Weddingkart's number and are not available there. So you write your own templates in the app, and WhatsApp reviews each one before you can send it.

<Note>
  You don't need a template for everything. A free-form message can say anything in your own words — it just reaches each guest when they next open the chat, instead of straight away. See [Announcements](/docs/announcements/overview).
</Note>

## Who can create templates

To create a template you need access to the WhatsApp number — you must be its owner, or have accepted access to it (see [Share your number with your team](/docs/account/own-number-access)). Your role on the event does not grant this on its own.

If you don't have access, tapping **Create** shows *"You need access to this WhatsApp number"* — *"Creating a message template needs access to the WhatsApp Business number this event sends from, which is separate from your access to the event itself. Ask the number's owner to give you access — they can do it from the Team screen."*

If the number is disconnected, nobody can create templates on it until the owner reconnects it. You'll see *"This WhatsApp number is disconnected"* — *"Nobody can create a template on this number until it is reconnected to WhatsApp."*

## Where to create templates

* **From the number:** side menu → **Your WhatsApp numbers** → the number's card → **Manage Templates**. This opens the number's template list.
* **From an event:** on an event that sends from your own number, scroll to the end of **Browse Templates** and tap the **Create** tile.

## Creating a template

<Steps>
  <Step title="Tap Create template">
    In **Manage Templates**, tap **Create template**. The **New template** screen opens.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Name it">
    Enter a **Template name** using lowercase letters, numbers, and underscores only — for example `sangeet_venue_update`. Guests don't see the name.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pick a language">
    Choose **English**, **Hindi**, or **English (UK)**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add an attachment (optional)">
    Under **Attachment**, choose **No attachment**, **Image** (JPG or PNG, up to 5 MB), **Video** (MP4, up to 16 MB), or **PDF / document** (PDF, up to 5 MB), then **Choose file**. The file you upload here is only a sample for WhatsApp to review — *"it is not what your guests receive. You choose the real one each time you send."* Templates that look like an invitation are rejected far more often without an attachment.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Write the message body">
    Type your message in **Message body** (up to 1,024 characters). Use **Insert variable** to add `{{1}}`, `{{2}}` and so on for details you fill in each time you send, such as a guest's name or a venue.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Fill in Sample values">
    For every variable, enter an example under **Sample values**. WhatsApp's reviewers read these, so use real-looking values — *"Priya Sharma"*, *"Crystal Hall, Ground Floor"* — not "Test" or "xyz".
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add buttons (optional)">
    Under **Buttons**, add up to 10 buttons: **Quick reply** (up to 10 — the guest's tap comes back to you as their reply), **Visit website** (up to 2 — must be a full `https://` link, no bit.ly), or **Call phone number** (1 — include the country code, no spaces). Button text is limited to 25 characters.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose who will receive it">
    Under **Who will receive this?**, pick a category. See [Utility or Marketing](#utility-or-marketing).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Submit for review">
    The app checks your draft against WhatsApp's rules as you type. When there are no blocking problems, tap **Submit for review**. You'll see *"Submitted for review. Meta usually reviews within 24–48h."*
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Utility or Marketing

| Category | Who gets it | Use it for |
| - | - | - |
| **Utility — every guest gets it** | Delivered to everyone, and cheaper to send | *"Updates about an event they are already attending: timings, venue, RSVP, travel, reminders."* |
| **Marketing — some guests will not get it** | WhatsApp limits how many marketing messages each person receives, so a share of your guests never see it. Costs more per message. | *"Anything promotional or persuasive."* |

For wedding logistics, you almost always want **Utility**. But *"Utility must read as a plain fact about something the guest already has. Anything warm or promotional gets filed as Marketing, and that cannot be undone."*

### If WhatsApp changes the category

WhatsApp can decide a template you submitted as Utility is really Marketing. When that happens, the template shows *"WhatsApp changed this to Marketing — you asked for Utility"*. The template still works, but it now follows Marketing rules: some guests won't receive it. To get a Utility version, rewrite the message as a plain statement of fact and submit it under a new name.

## Writing templates that get approved

Tap **See what gets approved** on the **New template** screen to open **What WhatsApp approves**. The one rule: *"Utility means a plain statement of fact about something the guest is already part of. The moment it sounds warm, excited or promotional, WhatsApp either rejects it or files it as Marketing — and Marketing does not reach everyone."*

Approved templates are short, factual, and have no emoji, excitement, or selling. For example:

* Instead of: *"Hi `{{1}}`! 😊 We are excited to have you at `{{2}}` wedding! Could you share your travel itinerary?"*
* Write: *"Hi `{{1}}`, please share your travel details for `{{2}}` on `{{3}}`. Upload your ticket as a photo or PDF."*

Things that fail every time:

* Emoji, especially in the first line
* "We are excited", "Can not wait", "See you there"
* Two exclamation marks in a row
* Urgency: "Act now", "Last chance"
* Shortened links (bit.ly) — use the full `https://` address
* Starting or ending the message with a variable
* Leaving sample values blank

### Checks before you submit

While you write, the app shows either **No problems found** (*"This draft passes our WhatsApp checks. Meta still reviews it independently."*), problems that **must be fixed**, or **things worth checking** (*"These won't stop the submission, but they raise the chance of a rejection."*).

If there are problems to fix, the button reads **Fix problems to submit**. That's deliberate: *"WhatsApp keeps a rejected template name forever, so we have not sent this."* Nothing has been sent to WhatsApp yet, so the name is still free to use once you fix the problems.

<Warning>
  WhatsApp remembers the name of every rejected template and never lets you reuse it. If a template is rejected, you must submit the corrected version under a new name.
</Warning>

## Tracking review status

**Manage Templates** groups your templates by status:

| Group | Meaning |
| - | - |
| **Ready to send** | Approved. It appears in the template list on events that send from this number. |
| **Under review** | Waiting on WhatsApp — *"Meta typically reviews within 24–48h."* |
| **Needs changes** | Rejected. The card shows WhatsApp's reason explained in plain words, a suggested fix, and **Next free name** — a name you can use to resubmit. |

Statuses refresh automatically about every 15 minutes. To check straight away, tap **Check status now** at the top of the screen. When WhatsApp approves or rejects a template, the number's owner and everyone with access to the number also get a WhatsApp message with the result.

## Using an approved template

Once a template is **Ready to send**, create an announcement on an event that sends from that number and pick it from the template list, just like any other template. Fill in the variables, attach the real image, video, or PDF if the template has one, and send. See [Announcements](/docs/announcements/overview).

## Common questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Why don't I see Weddingkart's templates on my event?">
    Your event sends from your own number, and WhatsApp only lets a number send templates approved on that number. Create your own, or send a free-form message.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How long does review take?">
    WhatsApp usually reviews a template within 24–48 hours. The status updates on its own about every 15 minutes, and you get a WhatsApp message when it's decided. To check straight away, open **Manage Templates** and tap **Check status now**. A template still listed under **Under review** is waiting on WhatsApp — there's nothing more to do on your side.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="My template was rejected. What do I do?">
    Open **Manage Templates** and look under **Needs changes**. Read WhatsApp's reason and the suggested fix, rewrite the message, and submit it under a new name — the card suggests one under **Next free name**. A rejected name can never be reused.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="I asked for Utility but it says Marketing. Can I change it back?">
    No. Once WhatsApp files a template as Marketing, that can't be undone. Rewrite the message as a plain fact about the event and submit it as a new template.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why won't the app let me submit?">
    The app found something that would very likely get the template rejected, and a rejected name can never be reused. Fix the highlighted problems and the **Submit for review** button comes back.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Is the attachment I upload what guests receive?">
    No. It's a sample for WhatsApp's reviewers. You choose the real image, video, or PDF each time you send.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="I'm on the event team but get 'You need access to this WhatsApp number'.">
    Creating templates needs access to the number itself, not just the event. Ask the number's owner to tap **Give access** next to you on the event's **Team** screen, then accept the invitation.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I edit or delete a template?">
    Not in the app. To change a template, submit a new one under a new name.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can my team use templates I create?">
    Yes. Templates belong to the number, so they're available on every event that sends from it, whoever created them.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why did WhatsApp approve my template as Marketing instead of Utility?">
    WhatsApp decides the category by how the message reads, not by what you picked. Utility has to be a plain statement of fact about something the guest is already part of. Warm or excited wording — emoji, "we are delighted", "celebration", "join us", "can't wait to see you" — reads as promotion, so WhatsApp files it as Marketing. The template still works, but WhatsApp limits how many marketing messages each person gets, so some guests won't receive it. If you want every guest to get it, rewrite it as a plain fact and submit it under a new name.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I reword a wedding message so it stays Utility?">
    Take the excitement out and leave the instruction in. Name the actual event ("Sangeet ceremony") instead of describing how nice it will be, put the date and venue on their own labelled lines, and end with something practical such as *"Reply to this message if you need any details about the venue or timings."* Tap **See what gets approved** on the **New template** screen for real approved and rejected examples. While you type, the app underlines risky words and explains why when you put the cursor on one.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I sign off with 'Warm regards' and our family name?">
    A short, plain sign-off like *"Regards,"* followed by the family name is fine — Weddingkart's own approved starting points use one. Put the name in a variable (for example *"Regards, `{{4}}`"*) so you can reuse the template, and add a practical closing line after it, because the message can't end with a variable. Avoid social closers such as "We look forward to seeing you", "Can't wait", or "See you there" — those are known to flip a template to Marketing.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Which parts of the message should be variables?">
    Anything that changes from guest to guest or event to event: the guest's name, the couple's or family's names, dates, venues. Keep the rest as fixed text. The app checks WhatsApp's rules before you submit: the message can't start or end with a variable, two variables can't sit side by side, and at least 60% of the message must be fixed text. Give every variable a realistic sample value.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I write the template in Hindi?">
    Yes. On the **New template** screen, pick **Hindi** as the language. **English** and **English (UK)** are also available. WhatsApp reviews it the same way.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="I can't find the Utility option when submitting.">
    It's near the end of the **New template** screen, under **Who will receive this?** Pick **Utility — every guest gets it**. WhatsApp can still move the template to Marketing if the wording reads as promotional.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I add a photo, video, or PDF to a template I already made?">
    No. Whether a template carries an image, video, or PDF is set when you create it, under **Attachment**, and a template can't be edited afterwards. Create a new template with the attachment type you need. When you send it, you choose the actual file each time.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Related

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Send from your own WhatsApp number" icon="whatsapp" href="/docs/account/own-whatsapp-number">
    Connect your number and pick it for your events
  </Card>

  <Card title="Share your number with your team" icon="users" href="/docs/account/own-number-access">
    Give teammates access to send and create templates
  </Card>

  <Card title="Announcements" icon="bullhorn" href="/docs/announcements/overview">
    How announcements work
  </Card>
</CardGroup>


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