Indian wedding invitation wording: Hindu, Sikh and Gujarati

An Indian wedding invitation has a structure that has barely changed in a century, and for good reason: it tells a guest who is inviting them, whose children are marrying, when, where, and what else is happening that week. Most of the examples online are written for India, with "Smt." and "Shri" and a pin code. Here is the same structure in the register British families actually use, with Hindu, Sikh and Gujarati versions and eighteen examples to copy.

The parts of an Indian wedding invitation

1. The invocation. ॥ श्री गणेशाय नमः ॥ (Shree Ganeshaya Namah, "Salutations to Lord Ganesha") is the usual opening for a Hindu card, sometimes with a Ganesh motif. Alternatives are Shubh Vivah ("auspicious wedding"), Om Shri Ganeshaya Namah, or a line from the mangal shloka. Sikh families use Ik Onkar (ੴ) or nothing religious at all; see the Sikh section below.
2. The hosts. Traditionally the bride's parents issue the wedding card, and the groom's parents issue the reception card. In Britain most families print one card from both sets of parents, bride's side first. Grandparents and the wider family go in a "with best compliments" line at the end.
3. The request. "request the honour of your presence" for a formal card; "request the pleasure of your company" or "invite you with great joy" for a warmer one. "Solicit your gracious presence" is common on Indian cards and reads stiffly in Britain; use it only if your parents want it.
4. The couple. First names on a modern card, full names on a formal one. The bride's name first if her parents are listed first.
5. The main ceremony. The date, the time (the muhurat if your pandit has set one; otherwise "pheras at 11am"), and the venue with a postcode.
6. The functions. Mehndi, sangeet, haldi, baraat and reception, each with a date, time, place and dress note. On a paper card these are inserts; on a page they are cards.
7. Dress code and gifts. "Traditional attire" or "Indian formal". "Your blessings are the only gift we seek" and "No boxed gifts, please" are the standard lines.
8. The reply. A reply-by date and how to reply. If you are using a reply form, the link does this.
9. The closing. Shubh Vivah, or "With best compliments from the Mehta and Sharma families".

Hindu wedding invitation wording

1. Formal, both families

॥ श्री गणेशाय नमः ॥

Rajesh Mehta and Sunita Mehta together with Vikram Sharma and Anjali Sharma request the honour of your presence at the auspicious wedding ceremony of their children

Priya and Arjun

on Saturday, 14 August 2027 Baraat at 1pm · Pheras at 2pm Oakwood Manor, Oakwood Lane, Leicester LE9 9AA

followed by lunch and the reception at 7pm

With best compliments from the Mehta and Sharma families

2. Bride's family hosting

Shubh Vivah

Mr and Mrs Rajesh Mehta request the pleasure of your company at the wedding of their daughter Priya with Arjun son of Mr and Mrs Vikram Sharma

Saturday, 14 August 2027 at 2pm Oakwood Manor, Leicester

Reception to follow

3. From the couple

With the blessings of our parents and families, we, Priya and Arjun, invite you to celebrate our wedding on Saturday, 14 August 2027 at Oakwood Manor, Leicester. Pheras at 2pm, dinner and dancing from 7pm. Your blessings are the only gift we seek.

4. With the mangal shloka

॥ श्री गणेशाय नमः ॥ मंगलम् भगवान विष्णुः, मंगलम् गरुडध्वजः । मंगलम् पुण्डरीकाक्षः, मंगलाय तनो हरिः ॥

Rajesh and Sunita Mehta Vikram and Anjali Sharma invite you with great joy to the wedding of Priya and Arjun Saturday, 14 August 2027 · Oakwood Manor, Leicester Mehndi, sangeet and haldi details overleaf

5. The functions, as inserts

Mehndi · Thursday, 12 August, 3pm · The Mehta home · Ladies and close family · Greens and bright colours Sangeet · Thursday, 12 August, 7pm · Oakwood Manor · Everyone · Something you can dance in Haldi · Saturday, 14 August, 10am · The Mehta home · Close family · Yellow Baraat and Pheras · Saturday, 14 August, 1pm · Oakwood Manor · Traditional attire; please avoid white and black Reception · Saturday, 14 August, 7pm · Oakwood Manor · Formal, Indian or Western

6. Reception card, groom's family

Vikram Sharma and Anjali Sharma request the pleasure of your company at 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

7. Short and warm

Priya and Arjun are getting married. Join our families for the pheras on Saturday, 14 August at Oakwood Manor, Leicester, and the party after. Everything you need, the week's functions and the reply form, is on the link.

8. Two venues, mandir and hall

Rajesh and Sunita Mehta, with Vikram and Anjali Sharma, invite you to the wedding of Priya and Arjun. Vivah: Saturday, 14 August 2027 at 11am, Shree Krishna Mandir, Belgrave Road, Leicester Reception: 7pm, Oakwood Manor, Leicester Please reply by 1 July so we can confirm numbers with both.

Gujarati wedding invitation wording

A Gujarati card is a kankotri. It opens with the Ganesh line, often names the Ganesh sthapana and the mandvo (the mandap), calls the haldi the pithi, and lists the garba evening. The form is the same; the words are these.

9. Kankotri, formal

॥ શ્રી ગણેશાય નમઃ ॥

Mr and Mrs Kiran Patel request the honour of your presence at the wedding of their daughter Nisha with Rohan son of Mr and Mrs Dilip Shah

Mandvo and Pithi: Friday, 13 August 2027 at 10am, the Patel home Garba: Friday, 13 August 2027 at 7pm, Oakwood Manor Hasta Melap: Saturday, 14 August 2027 at 12 noon, Oakwood Manor Reception: Saturday, 14 August 2027 at 7pm, Oakwood Manor

10. Kankotri, warm

With the blessings of Shri Ganesh and our elders, the Patel and Shah families invite you to celebrate the wedding of Nisha and Rohan. Pithi and mandvo on the Friday, garba that evening, the wedding and reception on the Saturday. Every function, with times and dress, is on the link.

Sikh wedding invitation wording

A Sikh card opens with Ik Onkar or Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh, names the Anand Karaj at the gurdwara with the time of the milni and the langar, and keeps religious text to a minimum. Some gurdwaras ask that lines of Gurbani are not printed on cards, which may end up in the bin; ask yours. The full guide, with the milni, the laavan and what to tell guests about covering their heads, is Sikh wedding invitation wording.

11. Anand Karaj, formal

ੴ

Mr and Mrs Gurdeep Gill request the honour of your presence at the Anand Karaj of their daughter Simran with Harpreet son of Mr and Mrs Balwinder Dhillon

Saturday, 14 August 2027 Milni at 9.30am · Anand Karaj at 10.30am · Guru Ka Langar to follow Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Elm Road, Hounslow TW3 9AA

Reception at 7pm, Oakwood Manor, Leicester

12. Anand Karaj, warm

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 2027 at Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Hounslow, and to the reception that evening. Please cover your head in the darbar hall; scarves are provided.

The functions on their own

Each function usually gets its own line or card, because the guest lists differ. The full set, with ten more examples, is in sangeet, haldi and mehndi invitation wording. The short versions:

13. Mehndi

Sunita Mehta invites you to Priya's mehndi on Thursday, 12 August at 3pm at home. Ladies and close family. Greens and bright colours; henna for all who want it.

14. Sangeet

Join both families for an evening of music and dance to celebrate Priya and Arjun. Thursday, 12 August at 7pm, Oakwood Manor. Dinner served. Wear something you can dance in.

15. Haldi

The haldi for Priya will be at home on Saturday, 14 August at 10am. Close family. Wear yellow, and nothing you mind turmeric on.

Lines for the end of the card

16. Gifts

Your blessings are the only gift we seek. No boxed gifts, please.

17. Dress and practical

Traditional attire. Please avoid white and black at the ceremony. Parking at the venue. The mandap is in the walled garden; the reception in the great hall.

18. Reply

Please reply by 1 July, and tell us which functions you will be joining, so we can welcome you properly.

Things to get right

• Names and honorifics. "Mr and Mrs Rajesh Mehta" is the formal British form; "Rajesh and Sunita Mehta" is the warm one; "Smt. Sunita and Shri Rajesh Mehta" is the Indian form. Pick one register and keep it for both families.
• Late parents. "Late Shri Mohan Mehta" on an Indian card; in Britain "the late Mohan Mehta" or, more often, a line at the end: "Remembering with love Mohan Mehta, who would have been so proud."
• Which family first. Bride's family on the wedding card, groom's on the reception card, is the convention. If one card does both, the bride's family first and the groom's family "together with". Nobody is offended by "together with".
• The muhurat. If your pandit has set one, print it ("Pheras at 11.47am") and tell guests when to arrive, which is earlier.
• Children. Indian weddings include them. If a function does not, say so on that function, not on the card.
• Food. If the wedding meal is vegetarian, say so; relatives will ask.

Where the words go

Everything above has a field on an Indian wedding invitation page: the invocation with its language, the mangal shloka, both families with their roles, each function with its date, venue and dress note, the gift and reply lines. The design, Utsav, sets the Devanagari and the Gujarati properly and shows the functions as a row of coloured cards. Guests reply for the household and say which functions they are coming to. One payment of £40 covers any number of guests and functions.