Guide

Hindu wedding invitation wording in English

The invocation, the hosts, the couple, the functions and the muhurat, in the order they go, with four wordings to copy.

The shape of a Hindu wedding card

A Hindu wedding invitation opens with an invocation, usually "Shri Ganeshaya Namah" or "Om Shri Ganeshaya Namah", sometimes the family deity's name instead. Then the hosts: "With the blessings of" the grandparents if they are living, followed by the parents who "solicit your gracious presence" or "request the pleasure of your company". Then the couple, often with the traditional prefixes: Chiranjeevi (Chi.) before the groom's name and Sowbhagyavati (Sow.) before the bride's; in Maharashtra the bride's is Chi. Sau. Kan., and many couples now leave the prefixes out altogether. Then the functions, each with its own date, time and venue, and the muhurat, the auspicious time, given precisely.

Families in the north tend to list haldi, mehndi, sangeet and the baraat; in the south the muhurtham, the reception, sometimes the nalangu. A single card can carry all of them, and a good digital card lets each function have its own map and its own calendar entry.

Wording you can copy

Small things that matter

• The invocation is one line, at the top, on its own. Families who prefer their kuldevi or a Vishnu invocation put that instead.
• The muhurat is a time, not a window: "11.20 am", not "morning".
• If the elders are named, name them first. Guests read the grandparents' line as a sign of respect.
• One venue per function, with a map pin for each. The single most common question on the phone is "where is the sangeet".
• "Shubh Vivah" and "Shubh Lagna" are the words for the occasion on the card itself; in English cards they often appear as a heading above the couple.
• Do not ask guests whether they will come. It reads as a form, and in India an invitation is a request for presence.

The card that fits

Bandhan has the marigold curtain, a haveli courtyard and a running order for the functions. Pattu is the South Indian one, in silk.

Make it with Bandhan See it first

More guides: Nikah invitation wording, Walima invitation wording, Mangni invitation wording, South Indian wedding invitation wording, Engagement invitation wording, A digital wedding invitation in India: how it works.