What information must a wedding invitation include?

Who is hosting, the request to attend, the names of the couple, the date, time and venue, and how to RSVP. For a multi-event South Asian wedding, each ceremony also needs its own details, because guests are frequently invited to some functions and not others.

How do you word a Nikah invitation?

Traditionally open with the Bismillah, often followed by a short Qur'anic line or du'a. Name both families, then the couple, then the ceremony details precisely. Keep the time exact — the Nikah is a contract with a stated time and guests are expected to be seated before it begins rather than arriving during it.

Who hosts the Walima and how should its card be worded?

The groom's family hosts the Walima, and the wording should make that clear, since it is usually a separate card from the Nikah invitation and goes to a wider guest list. It is often the card sent furthest afield, which makes clear directions and an RSVP deadline more important here than on any other.

Should the dress code go on the wedding invitation?

Yes, on the card itself rather than in a follow-up message. If the Gaye Holud expects yellow or the Mehndi expects green, one line at the foot of the invitation reaches everyone, whereas a separate WhatsApp reaches a fraction of guests and is forgotten by the rest.

How should the RSVP line be worded?

Give a name, one contact method and a deadline — for example, "Kindly respond by 20 November" with a phone number. For a multi-event wedding, ask which functions guests will attend rather than simply whether they are coming, since that is what makes catering numbers accurate for each individual event.

Can I write my wedding invitation in Bangla, Hindi or Urdu?

Yes, and a card in your own language is not simply a translation of the English one. A Bengali card names both families and gives the Bengali date alongside the Gregorian; a Hindi card opens with a shloka or invocation to Ganesh; an Urdu card sets the Bismillah at the head and reads right to left. Set each in a typeface built for its script, and print dates in the numerals that language actually uses.

Wedding Invitation Wording Examples by Ceremony

The Core Anatomy of a Wedding Invitation

Regardless of style, every wedding invitation card must communicate the following clearly:

Who is hosting: Typically the couple or the parents.
The request to attend: Standard phrasing like "request the pleasure of your company."
The names of the couple: The star attraction!
The date, time, and venue: Stated explicitly.
RSVP details: A link, phone number, or deadline.

Popular Wording Examples

Formal Invitation (Hosted by Parents)

Mr. and Mrs. Abdul Rahman
request the honor of your presence at the marriage of their daughter...

Modern Couple-Hosted Invitation

Together with their families, Sara and Rahim invite you to celebrate their wedding day...

Wording for Each Ceremony

A South Asian wedding is rarely a single event. The Nikah, the Walima, the Mehndi or Gaye Holud, the Haldi, the Sangeet and the reception each carry their own tone, and often their own guest list — an aunt invited to every function and a colleague invited only to the reception should not receive the same card. The wording below is a starting point for each; adapt the names and the register to your family.

Nikah Invitation Wording

Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim
Together with their families, Ayesha Siddiqua and Yusuf Karim
request the honour of your presence at their Nikah ceremony...

A Nikah invitation card traditionally opens with the Bismillah, and many families add a short Qur'anic line or a du'a beneath it. Keep the ceremony details precise — the Nikah is a contract with a stated time, and guests are expected to be seated before it begins rather than arriving through it.

Walima Invitation Wording

Mr. and Mrs. Karim
request the pleasure of your company at the Walima
hosted in honour of their son and his bride...

The Walima is hosted by the groom's family, and the wording should make that clear, since it is usually a separate card from the Nikah invitation and frequently a wider guest list.

Mehndi and Gaye Holud Invitation Wording

Come colour our hands and sing us into the wedding.
Join us for the Mehndi of Sara and Rahim...

Mehndi and Gaye Holud cards are the one place to drop the formal register entirely. In Bangladesh the Gaye Holud is a turmeric ceremony with its own colour code — guests are usually asked to wear yellow — and that instruction belongs on the card itself, not in a separate message.

Haldi Invitation Wording

With turmeric, laughter and a little mess —
join us for the Haldi of Priya and Arjun...

Sangeet Invitation Wording

An evening of music, dance and far too many rehearsed routines.
Join us for the Sangeet...

Reception and Bou Bhat Invitation Wording

Together with their families, Sara and Rahim
request the pleasure of your company at their wedding reception...

In Bengali households the Bou Bhat is the bride's first meal at her new home and the groom's family hosts it, so the invitation is issued in their name. A reception card is often the one sent furthest afield, which makes clear directions and an RSVP deadline more important here than on any other card.

Engagement Invitation Wording

Two families, one happy decision.
Join us for the engagement of Ayesha and Tanvir...

Writing the Card in Bangla, Hindi or Urdu

A card in your own language is not a translation of the English one. A Bengali biyer card names both families, gives the date in the Bengali calendar alongside the Gregorian one, and often opens with a blessing line or a couplet; the closing line is usually a request for presence and blessings rather than an RSVP. A Hindi shaadi card opens with a shloka or an invocation to Ganesh. An Urdu shaadi card sets the Bismillah at the head and reads right to left, which changes where the eye lands first.

Two practical points. Set the card in a typeface built for the script — Bangla, Devanagari and Nastaliq all break badly when a Latin font is stretched to cover them. And print the date in the numerals the language actually uses, so a Bangla card reads the fourteenth of December as ১৪ ডিসেম্বর rather than switching to Latin digits mid-sentence.

Digital vs. Printed Cards

More couples are choosing a digital wedding invitation to save money and protect the environment, and a card that travels well on WhatsApp now matters as much as one that looks right on paper. If you want to create a print-ready PDF or a digital PNG card in English, Bangla, Hindi or Urdu, use our free Wedding Invitation Generator — it carries wording for all nine ceremonies above, and a matching Invitation Video Generator if you would rather send a short animated invitation to a family group chat.

Getting names and titles right

More cards are spoiled by a misspelt name than by clumsy wording. A few conventions worth checking before anything goes to print:

Use the spelling each person actually uses. Transliterated names have several defensible spellings; the right one is theirs.
Match honorifics to register. Mr. and Mrs., Sri and Srimati, Janab and Begum, Dr. — pick the convention your family uses and apply it consistently across the card.
Name a deceased parent with the customary honorific rather than omitting them, which most families expect.
Decide on middle names once and apply the same rule to both families.

How to word the RSVP

An RSVP line has one job: make replying easy. Give a name, one method, and a date. "Kindly respond by 20 November — Ayesha, +880 1XXX XXXXXX" outperforms a formal request with no contact details every time.

For a multi-event wedding, ask guests to confirm which functions they will attend, not simply whether they are coming. That single change is what makes your catering numbers accurate per event rather than for the wedding as a whole.

Dress code, and where it belongs

On the card, not in a follow-up message. If the Gaye Holud expects yellow, or the Mehndi expects green, or the reception is formal, say so on the invitation itself — a separate WhatsApp reaches a fraction of the guests and is forgotten by the rest.

One line at the foot is enough: "Guests are kindly requested to wear yellow."

What not to put on a wedding invitation

Gift or cash requests. Handled by family word of mouth, or a discreet line on the wedding website — never on the card.
An overloaded address. The venue name and area beats a full postal address; put the map link on the website.
Too many typefaces. Two is elegant, four is a flyer.
Adults-only phrasing that reads as a rebuke. If needed, communicate it person to person instead.