Indian wedding invitation message for WhatsApp: 20 to copy

Most Indian wedding invitations in Britain now go out on WhatsApp first, with the card following by post for the elders if at all. The message has to do what the card does, open properly, name the families, give the date and place, say which functions, in a form that reads well on a phone and that an aunt can forward. Here are twenty messages to copy, for the family and for the couple, for each function, with the Hindi lines where families use them, and a note on sending one link instead of five paragraphs.

What the message needs

• An opening. ॥ श्री गणेशाय नमः ॥ or Shubh Vivah or simply "With the blessings of our elders".
• Who is inviting. The parents, or the couple with their parents' blessing.
• The couple's names.
• The main day, with the date, the time and the venue with a postcode.
• The functions you are inviting this person to, each with its date and time.
• Dress, in a line.
• How to reply. A link, or "please reply to this message by".
• A closing. Shubh Vivah, or "We look forward to your blessings".

Keep each line short; WhatsApp does not wrap gracefully. Use bold sparingly and emoji not at all for the elders' version.

From the parents

1. Formal

॥ श्री गणेशाय नमः ॥ With great joy, Rajesh and Sunita Mehta invite you to the wedding of their daughter Priya with Arjun, son of Vikram and Anjali Sharma. Saturday, 14 August 2027 · Pheras at 2pm · Oakwood Manor, Oakwood Lane, Leicester LE9 9AA Reception the same evening from 7pm. Your blessings are the only gift we seek. All the functions, and the reply form: [link]

2. Warm

Dear Meena and family, It is with the greatest happiness that we invite you to Priya's wedding to Arjun on Saturday, 14 August at Oakwood Manor, Leicester. Pheras at 2pm, reception from 7pm. The mehndi, sangeet and haldi are on the link, with everything you need. Please reply there so we know which days to expect you. With love, Sunita and Rajesh

3. Both families

The Mehta and Sharma families are delighted to invite you to the wedding of Priya and Arjun. Sangeet: Thursday 12 August, 7pm, Oakwood Manor Wedding: Saturday 14 August, baraat 1pm, pheras 2pm, Oakwood Manor Reception: Saturday 14 August, 7pm, Oakwood Manor Details and the reply form: [link] Shubh Vivah

4. In Hindi and English

॥ श्री गणेशाय नमः ॥ आपको सपरिवार हमारी बेटी प्रिया के विवाह में सादर आमंत्रित किया जाता है। We warmly invite you and your family to the wedding of our daughter Priya with Arjun, on Saturday, 14 August 2027 at 2pm, Oakwood Manor, Leicester. शुभ विवाह · Rajesh and Sunita Mehta [link]

5. Reception only, groom's family

Vikram and Anjali Sharma invite you to a reception to celebrate the marriage of their son Arjun with Priya, on Saturday, 14 August 2027 at 7pm, Oakwood Manor, Leicester. Dinner and dancing. Formal attire. Please reply here: [link]

From the couple

6. Warm

We are getting married! With our parents' blessings, Priya and Arjun invite you to our wedding on Saturday, 14 August at Oakwood Manor, Leicester. Pheras at 2pm, then dinner and dancing from 7pm. The whole week, and where to reply, is here: [link]

7. Short

Priya & Arjun, Saturday 14 August, Oakwood Manor, Leicester. Pheras 2pm, party 7pm. Everything else on the link, and please reply there: [link]

8. For friends, all functions

Come for the whole week. Mehndi Thursday 3pm at ours, sangeet Thursday 7pm at Oakwood Manor, haldi Saturday 10am at ours (wear yellow, it stains), wedding Saturday from 1pm, reception 7pm. Tell us which you can make on the link: [link]

9. For colleagues, reception only

I'm getting married on 14 August and would love you to come to the reception that evening at Oakwood Manor, Leicester, from 7pm. Dinner, dancing, Indian or Western dress, whichever you like. Reply here: [link]

Per function

10. Mehndi

Priya's mehndi is on Thursday, 12 August from 3pm at home, 22 Linden Avenue, Leicester. Ladies and close family. Greens and bright colours; henna for everyone who wants it; dinner. Let us know on the link: [link]

11. Sangeet

Sangeet for Priya and Arjun, Thursday 12 August, 7pm, Oakwood Manor, Leicester. Performances from both families, dinner and a dance floor. Wear something you can dance in. Reply: [link]

12. Haldi

Priya's haldi: Saturday, 14 August at 10am, at home. Close family. Wear yellow and nothing you mind turmeric on. Breakfast after, then we all go to the hall. [link]

13. Pithi and garba, Gujarati

Nisha's pithi and the mandvo are on Friday, 13 August at 10am at home, and the garba that evening at 7pm at Oakwood Manor. Yellow for the morning, chaniya choli and kediyu for the night. Reply on the link: [link]

14. Anand Karaj, Sikh

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh. The Gill and Dhillon families invite you to the Anand Karaj of Simran and Harpreet on Saturday, 14 August at Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Elm Road, Hounslow. Milni 9.30am, Anand Karaj 10.30am, langar after. Please cover your head. Reception at 7pm, Oakwood Manor, Leicester. [link]

Reminders and follow-ups

15. Save the date

Save the date: Priya and Arjun are getting married on Saturday, 14 August 2027 in Leicester. The invitation and the week's functions will follow. We would love you there.

16. The chase

Dear Meena, we are confirming numbers with the caterer on Friday. Could you let us know on the link whether you can make the sangeet and the wedding? [link]

17. The week before

One week to go. Mehndi Thursday 3pm, sangeet Thursday 7pm, wedding Saturday from 1pm, reception 7pm, all at Oakwood Manor except the mehndi, which is at ours. Parking at the hall; the mandap is in the garden, so bring a shawl. See you there.

18. After a change

A small change: the sangeet now starts at 6.30pm, not 7pm. Everything else is the same. The link has the latest: [link]

For the group chat

19. Family group

Dear all, with great joy we share the invitation to Priya and Arjun's wedding on Saturday, 14 August at Oakwood Manor, Leicester. All the functions, times and dress are on the link below, and please reply there for your family rather than here, so we have the numbers in one place. [link]

20. The couple's friends

We're getting married on 14 August in Leicester and you're all invited to the sangeet on the Thursday and the wedding and reception on the Saturday. Everything's on the link, including where to stay. Reply there, not here, or Priya's mum will chase you individually. [link]

Send one link, not five paragraphs

The messages above all end with a link because the functions, the maps, the dress codes and the reply form belong on a page, not in a message that will be scrolled past. With a wedding invitation page you write the message once, paste the link, and every household opens an invitation with their names at the top, the week's functions as cards, and a reply form that asks which they are coming to. The replies come to you, not to the group chat.

If you give each household its own link, the message can be the same for everyone and the page does the personalising: "Dear Meena Masi and family", and only the functions they are invited to. Our guide to sending wedding invitations by WhatsApp covers the mechanics, including the preview card and how to send to a broadcast list without it looking like spam.