Pakistani wedding invitation wording for every function

A Pakistani shaadi card does three jobs at once. It opens in the name of Allah. It tells the guest which family is inviting them to which function, because the bride's family gives the baraat and the groom's family gives the walima. And it carries a week of events with different dress codes and different guest lists. Here is how the wording works, in English with the Urdu lines families expect, and sixteen examples to copy.

The parts of a shaadi card

1. The Bismillah. بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ at the top, on its own, in Arabic. Some families add the translation; most do not need to.
2. A verse or a couplet. Surah Ar-Rum 30:21 in translation is the usual verse; see our guide to Quran verses for wedding invitations. An Urdu couplet (sher) is the other tradition: a line about the two hearts, the new home, or the prayer that the pairing lasts. Keep it short and have someone check the Urdu.
3. The hosts. The parents invite. On the baraat card it is the bride's parents; on the walima card the groom's parents; on a joint card the groom's parents first in most families, though either order is fine. Grandparents and uncles go in "with the blessings of" or "on behalf of the family".
4. The request. "request the honour of your presence" is the formal line; "request the pleasure of your company" is warmer; "cordially invite you" is the plain one.
5. The couple. First names for the family, full names for the community card. The groom's name first on the walima card, the bride's on the baraat card.
6. The functions. Dholki, mayun, mehndi, baraat, walima, each with the date, the time, the venue and the dress. The nikah, if it is on the baraat day, goes on the baraat card with its time.
7. Practical lines. Dress code ("Formal traditional attire"; "please avoid red at the baraat"), gifts ("Your presence is the gift. Kindly, no boxed gifts please."), seating (ladies' side and gents' side), parking, and the reply-by date.
8. The closing. Shaadi Mubarak, or the request for duas: "We kindly request your duas."

Urdu lines to use

Set the Urdu in a Nastaliq face, right to left, with generous line height. Never letter-space it.

• شادی مبارک (Shaadi Mubarak): "congratulations on the wedding", the universal closing.
• دعوتِ ولیمہ (Dawat-e-Walima): "the walima invitation", as a heading on the walima card.
• رسمِ حنا (Rasm-e-Hina): "the henna ceremony", the formal name of the mehndi.
• رخصتی (Rukhsati): the bride's departure, as a timing on the baraat card.
• بارات (Baraat): the groom's procession, as the heading on the wedding card.
• آپ کی تشریف آوری ہمارے لیے باعثِ مسرت ہوگی (Aap ki tashreef aawari hamaray liye baais-e-musarrat hogi): "Your presence will be a source of joy to us", the standard Urdu request line.

Baraat invitation wording

The baraat is the wedding. The bride's family hosts.

1. Formal, bride's family

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Farooq Siddiqui and Rubina Siddiqui request the honour of your presence at the Baraat of their daughter Ayesha with Hamza son of Imran Malik and Saima Malik

on Saturday, 4 September 2027 at 5pm The Regency Banqueting Suite, Regency Road, Bradford BD9 9AA

Nikah at 6.30pm · Dinner at 7.30pm · Rukhsati at 10pm Formal traditional attire · Please avoid red We kindly request your duas

2. With the Urdu request line

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ آپ کی تشریف آوری ہمارے لیے باعثِ مسرت ہوگی

Mr and Mrs Farooq Siddiqui cordially invite you to the Baraat of their daughter Ayesha with Hamza Saturday, 4 September 2027 · 5pm · The Regency Banqueting Suite, Bradford Dinner will be served · Ladies' and gents' seating

3. Warm, from the family

With the blessings of Allah and our elders, the Siddiqui family invite you to Ayesha's baraat and nikah on Saturday, 4 September at the Regency, Bradford, from 5pm. Dinner, then the rukhsati. Your duas are the gift we ask for.

4. Nikah on a separate day

The nikah of Ayesha and Hamza will take place, insha'Allah, on Friday, 3 September 2027 after Jumu'ah at Masjid-e-Noor, Bradford, with close family. The baraat follows on the Saturday at the Regency from 5pm.

Walima invitation wording

The walima is the groom's family's reception, usually the day after. Our guide to walima invitation wording has more; these are the shaadi-card versions.

5. Formal, groom's family

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ دعوتِ ولیمہ

Imran Malik and Saima Malik request the honour of your presence at the Walima of their son Hamza with Ayesha daughter of Farooq Siddiqui and Rubina Siddiqui

on Sunday, 5 September 2027 at 6pm The Regency Banqueting Suite, Bradford Dinner at 7.30pm · Your presence is the gift. Kindly, no boxed gifts please.

6. Walima, warm

The Malik family would be honoured by your presence at the walima of Hamza and Ayesha on Sunday, 5 September at the Regency, Bradford, from 6pm. Dinner served at 7.30pm. We kindly request your duas.

Mehndi invitation wording

The mehndi night. Yellows, greens and oranges; often joint; often ladies only at the house and everyone at the hall. Ten more examples are in mehndi invitation wording.

7. Joint mehndi, both families

رسمِ حنا

The Siddiqui and Malik families invite you to the Mehndi of Ayesha and Hamza Friday, 3 September 2027 at 7pm The Regency Banqueting Suite, Bradford Yellows, greens and oranges · Dinner and dances from both sides

8. Ladies' mehndi at home

Rubina Siddiqui invites you to Ayesha's mehndi on Thursday, 2 September at 7pm at home. Ladies only. Wear yellow or green; henna for everyone who wants it. Dinner will be served.

Dholki and mayun

9. Dholki

Dholki at the Siddiquis' on Saturday, 28 August from 7pm. Songs, the dhol and mithai. Ladies, come as you are, bring your voice.

10. Mayun

Ayesha's mayun begins on Thursday, 2 September at 6pm at home, with ubtan and duas. Close family only. Wear yellow.

One card for the whole week

11. Joint card, all functions

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Imran Malik and Saima Malik together with Farooq Siddiqui and Rubina Siddiqui kindly request the honour of your presence at the Mehndi, Baraat and Walima of their children

Hamza and Ayesha

Mehndi · Friday, 3 September 2027 · 7pm · The Regency, Bradford · Yellows, greens and oranges Baraat · Saturday, 4 September 2027 · 5pm · The Regency, Bradford · Formal traditional; please avoid red Walima · Sunday, 5 September 2027 · 6pm · The Regency, Bradford · Your finest

شادی مبارک We kindly request your duas

12. Joint card, short

The Malik and Siddiqui families invite you to the wedding of Hamza and Ayesha: the mehndi on the Friday, the baraat on the Saturday, the walima on the Sunday, all at the Regency, Bradford. Every function, with times and dress, is on the link, and the link is where you reply.

Lines for the end of the card

13. Gifts

Your presence is the gift. Kindly, no boxed gifts please.

14. Seating

Separate seating for ladies and gents. Family seating at the front.

15. Reply

Please reply by 24 July and let us know which functions you will be joining.

16. Closing

شادی مبارک With duas for a blessed union.

Things to get right

• Which family, which card. Bride's family on the baraat, groom's on the walima. If you print one card, the groom's family usually comes first, and each function names its host.
• The nikah. If it is on the baraat day, give its time. If it was done earlier, say the baraat celebrates "the marriage of" rather than inviting to the nikah.
• "Insha'Allah." Common on the card after the date. Use it or not; be consistent.
• Red at the baraat. Many families ask guests to avoid red because the bride wears it. Say it on the baraat function, not the whole card.
• Timings. Pakistani weddings run late and guests know it. Give the dinner time; that is the one they plan around.
• Late parents. "the late Haji Abdul Malik" on the hosts line, or "Remembering with love" at the end.

Where the words go

Every line above has a field on a Pakistani wedding invitation page: the Bismillah, Shaadi Mubarak in Nastaliq, the verse, both families with their roles, each function with its date, venue and dress note, the gift line and the request for duas. The design, Mehfil, sets the Urdu and the Arabic properly and shows the five functions as cards. Guests reply for the household and say which nights they are coming. One payment of £40 covers any number of guests and functions.