Nikah invitation message for WhatsApp: what to write, and how to send it to 300 people

Most nikah invitations now go out on WhatsApp. The family group, the cousins' group, the mosque committee, the aunties. A JPEG of the card lands in each one, followed by "what time is the walima again?" from eleven people. Here is the better way: a short message per household with a link to the invitation page, and the replies coming back to you rather than to the group.

The message to send

Short, with the Bismillah, the essentials in the text, and the link on its own line so the preview card shows.

Formal, from the parents

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Assalamu alaikum Uncle Farooq and family,

With the grace of Allah, we are delighted to invite you to the Nikah and Walima of our son Yusuf with Amira, daughter of Nurul Islam and Asma Khatun, on Thursday 28 October at Ariana Gardens, Ingatestone. The full invitation, with the timings, the venue map and the reply form, is here:

https://yusuf-and-amira.invalia.io/i/far00q

Kindly confirm the number attending by 15 September. We request your duas.

Ansar Meah and Rahima Begum

Warm, from the couple

Assalamu alaikum Sara and Bilal,

We're getting married, alhamdulillah! Our nikah and walima are on Thursday 28 October at Ariana Gardens in Ingatestone, and we'd love you both to be there. Everything is on your invitation, including the reply form:

https://yusuf-and-amira.invalia.io/i/sara-bilal

Could you reply on the page by 15 September? Keep us in your duas. Yusuf & Amira

Walima only, for the wider community

Assalamu alaikum,

By the grace of Allah, Yusuf and Amira were married on 29 October. The family of Ansar Meah warmly invites you to the Walima on Saturday 30 October at 6pm, Ariana Gardens, Ingatestone. Details and the reply form:

https://yusuf-and-amira.invalia.io

Please let us know how many will be attending by 9 October. Jazakallah khair.

The short version, for a text message

Nikah & Walima of Yusuf and Amira, Thu 28 Oct, 5pm, Ariana Gardens, Ingatestone. Invitation and reply: https://yusuf-and-amira.invalia.io/i/far00q — please reply by 15 Sep. We request your duas.

Each message does four things: it opens properly, it gives the date and place in the text so it reads before the link is opened, it says where and by when to reply, and it ends with the request for duas.

One message per household, not one post per group

A group post feels efficient and costs you the whole point. Replies come back into the group, people answer for each other, and you still have no numbers. One message to each household takes an evening for two hundred households and gives you a list.

If your tool can make a link per household with the names already on it, use that. An elder opens the link and sees "Dear Uncle Farooq and family" with their names on the reply form, not "Dear guest". It is also how you know who has not replied.

For the community-wide walima, a group post of the open link is fine as a second step, after the households you know have had their own message.

Elders and guests who are not on WhatsApp

There will be some, and they matter most. Three options.

1. A text message with the same wording. The link opens in the phone's browser.
2. A phone call, then a text with the link "so you have the details".
3. A printed card for the few who want one, with the link written on it. Someone in the family can open the page with them and fill in the reply on their behalf; the reply form can be found by searching a name.

Timing

Send six to eight weeks before the nikah, earlier if guests are flying in. Early evening on a weekday is when people are on their phones and not at work. Not Friday evening, when the message gets buried, and not during Jumu'ah.

Set the reply-by date two to three weeks before the day. The caterer will ask for numbers around then.

Replies

Ask people to reply on the page, and only on the page. When someone replies in the chat instead ("InshaAllah we'll be there!"), thank them and ask them to tap the link so the number of adults and children, and the meal choices, are recorded. It feels fussy the first time and saves you hours by the fifth.

Questions come back too. Answer the question, then add it to the page's questions section so the next person finds it without asking.

Chasing

A fifth of households will miss the date. The chase is the same message in short form with the link again, because "I couldn't find it" is the honest reason for most. Our guide on chasing RSVPs politely has the first and the final nudge.

A short checklist

• The invitation is a page with the reply form on it, not a picture
• Each household has its own link, with their names
• The message has the Bismillah, the date, the place and the reply-by date in the text
• The link sits on its own line so the preview card shows
• One message per household, early evening, weekday
• Elders are phoned or texted, and someone can reply for them
• Replies go on the page; questions go on the page's FAQ

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With RSVP Websites, every household gets its own link with their names on it, the preview card shows the couple's names, and the replies land in one list with the number of adults and children and a halal meal choice per person. Copy the link, paste the message, send.