Three days, two families, one link
A Bengali wedding, whether the family is from Sylhet or Kolkata, is a sequence. The gaye holud, with turmeric, sweets and songs, now often one joint event in a hall. The biye, the wedding itself, hosted by the bride's family, with the akd or the saat paak depending on the family. The bou bhaat, the reception the groom's family gives, which many Muslim families also call the walima.
Each has its own host, its own hall and its own guest list, and the invitation has to carry all three. A paper card does it with inserts and leaves the replies to the phone. One link does it with three cards on one page and a reply form that asks which days each household is coming.
Alpona, the laal-paar sari as a page
Alpona is the white rice-paste pattern painted on the floor for a Bengali wedding, and the design is the laal-paar sari made into a page: sindoor red, white and antique gold. White alpona linework covers the red ground. A white lotus crowns the arch that holds your names, kolkas sit in the corners, and the shankha-pola, the white conch and red coral bangles, is the divider between sections. The invitation line stands on holud yellow with red type, the colour of the gaye holud. The functions appear as cards: the holud in yellow, the biye in red, the bou bhaat in gold.
It opens with শুভ বিবাহ, Shubho Bibaho, and carries the classic line, শুভ বিবাহের এই আনন্দময় লগ্নে আপনার উপস্থিতি ও আশীর্বাদ একান্তভাবে কাম্য, in Bangla and English, set in Tiro Bangla with proper conjuncts. Hindu families add ওঁ প্রজাপতয়ে নমঃ above it and Muslim families the Bismillah; both are one field, and the Bengali wording guide has the lines for each.
What is already written for you
- Shubho Bibaho in Bangla with "An auspicious wedding", and the invitation line in Bangla and English.
- The bride's family first, then the groom's, with "together with their families, invite you to the wedding of their children, and to the celebrations around it".
- Three functions to edit: Gaye Holud, Biye, Bou Bhaat, named so that Hindu and Muslim families both recognise them, each with its host, its dress note and a line about what happens.
- The order of the biye: guest arrival, the groom's party arrives, the gate holding, dinner, bidaay.
- A dress code ("Yellow for the gaye holud; red and gold are always welcome at the biye") and a gift line ("Your presence and your blessings are the only gifts we ask for").
- Fish, chicken, mutton and vegetarian on the reply form.
- The closing, আপনাদের আশীর্বাদ প্রার্থনীয়, "We humbly seek your blessings".
Replies for each day
The reply form asks for a yes or no and a meal choice per person. Add "Which celebrations will you be joining?" with the three as options, and the holud caterer gets the holud number and the hall gets the biye number. Every household can have its own link with their names on it and a note at the top, so the family sees all three days and the wider list sees the bou bhaat.
Sending it
Paste the link into the family group, or send each household its own by WhatsApp. For the bou bhaat, the open link lets families invited by word of mouth reply by entering their names. Our rituals guide explains the three days for guests who are new to them.
What it costs
One payment of £40, VAT included, for any number of guests and functions, live for a year from the day you pay. That is the launch offer; the usual price is £59. Nothing to pay until you are happy with it.
Your own web address
Your invitation lives at yourname.invalia.io out of the box. Connect a domain you already own from the dashboard, at no extra cost.
Good questions
- Is the Bangla set properly?
- Yes. Every Bengali line is set in Tiro Bangla, a text face with correct conjuncts and the line height the script needs. The opening, the invitation line and the closing are fields you can change or type in your own words.
- We are a Hindu Bengali family. Does the design fit?
- Yes. Add Om Prajapataye Namah as the opening line, name the saat paak and sindoor daan on the biye card, and the rest is the same. Our Bengali wording guide has the Hindu and Muslim versions side by side.
- Can the bou bhaat be called the walima?
- Yes. Every function name is a field. Call it bou bhaat, walima or reception, and the card takes the name.
- Can guests say which days they are coming?
- Yes. Add the question to the reply form with the three as options. The answers come through with every reply and export with the guest list.
- Can the groom’s family send their own bou bhaat invitation?
- Yes. Make a second invitation in the same account with the groom’s family first and its own guest list, or add them as an editor on the main one.
- Do guests need an app?
- No. They open the link in WhatsApp and reply from their phone. Elders can be helped by anyone with the link, or can search their name on the page.
- Is it one price for any number of guests?
- Yes. £40 one-off (the launch offer, usually £59) covers any guest list and any number of functions, live for a year from payment.
Make yours this evening.
Preview it on your phone. Pay once when it’s right.