Bengali wedding invitation wording in Bangla and English

A Bengali wedding card, whether the family is Sylheti Muslim in Whitechapel or Hindu from Kolkata, follows a form every guest recognises. It opens with Shubho Bibaho. The bride's family invites first. It carries the line every Bengali card has carried for generations: your presence and blessings are earnestly desired. And it lists three days: the gaye holud, the biye and the bou bhaat. Here is the wording in Bangla and English, with the Hindu and Muslim versions side by side and fourteen examples to copy.

The parts of a Bengali wedding invitation

1. The opening. শুভ বিবাহ (Shubho Bibaho, "auspicious wedding") at the top. Hindu families add ওঁ প্রজাপতয়ে নমঃ (Om Prajapataye Namah, the salutation to Prajapati, the lord of marriage). Muslim families add the Bismillah, بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ.
2. The hosts. The bride's parents first, then the groom's, in both communities. Grandparents are named with respect; "on behalf of the family" covers the rest.
3. The invitation line. শুভ বিবাহের এই আনন্দময় লগ্নে আপনার উপস্থিতি ও আশীর্বাদ একান্তভাবে কাম্য: "On this joyous occasion of the wedding, your presence and blessings are earnestly desired." Muslim families often write দোয়া (dua) in place of আশীর্বাদ (blessings): আপনার উপস্থিতি ও দোয়া একান্তভাবে কাম্য.
4. The couple. Bride first, then groom, matching the families.
5. The days. গায়ে হলুদ (gaye holud), বিবাহ or বিয়ে (biye, the wedding), বৌভাত (bou bhaat, the reception), each with its date, time, venue and host. Muslim families often write আক্দ (akd) for the nikah and ওয়ালিমা (walima) for the reception; both names are understood.
6. Practical lines. Dress ("yellow for the holud"), food, parking, and a reply-by date.
7. The closing. আপনাদের আশীর্বাদ প্রার্থনীয় ("we seek your blessings") or আপনাদের দোয়া প্রার্থনীয় ("we seek your duas"), then the family name.

Set the Bangla in a text face with proper conjuncts (Tiro Bangla, for one) and give it more line height than the English.

Bengali Muslim wedding invitation wording

1. Formal, bride's family first

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ শুভ বিবাহ

Abdul Karim and Rehana Karim together with Shafiq Ahmed and Dilara Ahmed invite you to the wedding of their children

Nusrat and Tanvir

Gaye Holud · Thursday, 8 July 2027 · 3pm · The Sonali Suite, Sonali Road, London E1 9AA Biye · Saturday, 10 July 2027 · 6pm · The Sonali Suite, London E1 Bou Bhaat · Sunday, 11 July 2027 · 7pm · The Sonali Suite, London E1

আপনার উপস্থিতি ও দোয়া একান্তভাবে কাম্য Your presence and duas are earnestly desired

2. Biye card, bride's family

শুভ বিবাহ

Abdul Karim and Rehana Karim request the honour of your presence at the wedding of their daughter Nusrat with Tanvir son of Shafiq Ahmed and Dilara Ahmed

Saturday, 10 July 2027 at 6pm The Sonali Suite, London E1 Dinner will be served · We seek your duas

3. Bou bhaat card, groom's family

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ বৌভাত

Shafiq Ahmed and Dilara Ahmed invite you to the Bou Bhaat (Walima) to celebrate the marriage of their son Tanvir with Nusrat Sunday, 11 July 2027 at 7pm The Sonali Suite, London E1 আপনাদের দোয়া প্রার্থনীয়

4. Akd on a separate day

The akd of Nusrat and Tanvir will take place, insha'Allah, on Friday, 9 July 2027 after Jumu'ah at the family home with close relatives. The biye follows on the Saturday at the Sonali Suite from 6pm.

5. Warm, from the family

With the blessings of Allah and our elders, the Karim family invite you to Nusrat's wedding to Tanvir: the gaye holud on the Thursday, the biye on the Saturday, and the bou bhaat, given by the Ahmed family, on the Sunday. Every day, with times and dress, is on the link. Your duas are the gift we ask for.

Bengali Hindu wedding invitation wording

6. Formal, bride's family first

ওঁ প্রজাপতয়ে নমঃ শুভ বিবাহ

Subrata Sen and Mitali Sen together with Anirban Bose and Sharmila Bose invite you to the wedding of their children

Riya and Aritra

Gaye Holud · Friday, 9 July 2027 · 10am · the Sen home Biye · Saturday, 10 July 2027 · Shubho Drishti at 7pm · The Sonali Suite, London E1 Bou Bhaat · Monday, 12 July 2027 · 7pm · The Sonali Suite, London E1

শুভ বিবাহের এই আনন্দময় লগ্নে আপনার উপস্থিতি ও আশীর্বাদ একান্তভাবে কাম্য On this joyous occasion, your presence and blessings are earnestly desired

7. Biye card with the lagna

ওঁ প্রজাপতয়ে নমঃ

Mr and Mrs Subrata Sen request the honour of your presence at the wedding of their daughter Riya with Aritra son of Mr and Mrs Anirban Bose

Saturday, 10 July 2027 Lagna at 8.15pm · The Sonali Suite, London E1 Dinner to follow · আপনাদের আশীর্বাদ প্রার্থনীয়

8. Bou bhaat card, groom's family

শুভ বৌভাত

Anirban Bose and Sharmila Bose invite you to the Bou Bhaat to welcome their daughter-in-law Riya and celebrate the marriage of their son Aritra Monday, 12 July 2027 at 7pm · The Sonali Suite, London E1

9. Aiburobhat, for the family

Riya's aiburobhat will be at home on Thursday, 8 July at 1pm. Close family only. Come hungry; Ma has been cooking for a week.

Gaye holud invitation wording

The gaye holud is the one function that is the same in both communities, and the one most often sent as a message rather than a card. Yellow for everyone; turmeric, sweets, songs.

10. Joint holud at a hall

গায়ে হলুদ The Karim and Ahmed families invite you to the gaye holud of Nusrat and Tanvir on Thursday, 8 July 2027 at 3pm at the Sonali Suite, London E1. Wear yellow, with a touch of red. Sweets and dinner; bring your songs.

11. Holud at home, ladies

Nusrat's gaye holud is at home on Thursday, 8 July from 3pm. Ladies and close family. Yellow saris, and nothing you mind turmeric on.

Lines for the end of the card

12. Dress and gifts

Yellow for the gaye holud; red and gold are always welcome at the biye. Your presence and your blessings are the only gifts we ask for.

13. Reply

Please reply by 1 June and let us know which days you will be joining us.

14. Closing, both versions

আপনাদের আশীর্বাদ প্রার্থনীয় · We seek your blessings আপনাদের দোয়া প্রার্থনীয় · We seek your duas

Things to get right

• Bride's family first. In both communities. The groom's family issues the bou bhaat card, and on that card they come first.
• Bou bhaat or walima. Many Bangladeshi Muslim families use both words; "Bou Bhaat (Walima)" on the card settles it for everyone.
• The lagna. Hindu families print the auspicious time of the shubho drishti or the sampradan; tell guests when to arrive, which is earlier.
• Transliteration. Biye or bibaho, holud or haldi, bou bhaat or bou bhat: pick one spelling and keep it. Older relatives read the Bangla anyway.
• Late parents. স্বর্গীয় (swargiyo, Hindu) or মরহুম (marhum, Muslim) before the name, or "Remembering with love" at the end.
• Fish. A Bengali wedding meal has fish. If the hall is doing it, say so; if not, relatives will ask.

Where the words go

Every line above has a field on a Bengali wedding invitation page: Shubho Bibaho and the opening line with its language, the invitation line in Bangla and English, both families with the bride's first, each of the three days with its date, venue and dress note, and the closing. The design, Alpona, sets the Bangla in Tiro Bangla and shows the gaye holud, biye and bou bhaat as cards in yellow, red and gold. Guests reply for the household and say which days they are coming. One payment of £40 covers any number of guests and functions.