Hindu wedding invitation: wording, functions and templates

Most North Indian Hindu invitations open with an invocation to Lord Ganesha, the remover of obstacles, often with his image or a short shloka at the top. Some families invoke their kuldevi or kuldevta instead, or alongside him.

Next comes a blessing line naming the grandparents, with “Late” before those who have passed, and then the hosts. Traditionally the bride’s parents invite guests to the wedding, while the groom’s parents invite people to join the baraat and attend the reception. Many families now send one joint invitation in both families’ names.

Many Hindi cards put Chi. (Chiranjeevi) before the groom’s name and Sau. Kan. (Saubhagyakankshini) before the bride’s, with Shri and Smt. for the parents. Keep spellings exactly as your family uses them: the invitation shows your wording as you type it.

A Hindu wedding usually runs over two to four days. The order below is common, but families swap, merge or skip functions freely, so list yours in the order guests will attend them.

• Roka or sagai: the families formally agree the match. Often held weeks or months earlier, with its own smaller invitation.
• Tilak: the bride’s family blesses the groom, often at his home, and the wedding rituals begin.
• Haldi: turmeric paste for the bride and groom, usually on the morning before the wedding.
• Mehndi: henna for the bride and the women of the family, with songs and dancing.
• Sangeet: an evening of performances by both families, sometimes combined with the mehndi.
• Baraat: the groom’s procession to the venue, often on a ghodi with a band and dhol.
• Jaimala and phere: the exchange of garlands, then kanyadaan and the rounds of the sacred fire.
• Vidaai: the bride’s farewell to her family. Rarely listed, though some families note it for close relatives.
• Reception: often hosted by the groom’s family, a day or two later.

The pheras are timed to a muhurat fixed by the family priest, and it can fall late at night or in the early hours. Guests mostly need to know when to arrive, so many invitations give the baraat or dinner time and say “pheras at the auspicious hour” rather than an exact minute.

For the groom’s side, say where and when the baraat gathers. For everyone else, give the time the venue opens to guests, and a dress note for any function with a colour theme, such as yellow for the haldi.

Many families offer the first invitation to Lord Ganesha or at the family temple before sending any others. Sending the digital invitation six to eight weeks ahead gives relatives time to book travel, and a short reminder with the map link a few days before helps on the day.

Customs shift across the north. A Pahari family may name its kul devta in the blessing line, and Marwari families add the mayra. South Indian and Bengali Hindu weddings follow their own rituals and have their own guides.

On one invitation, each function gets its own date, time, venue and map link. Guests reply for each function, so you see every family’s headcount for the baraat, the wedding dinner and the reception separately.

Ram Mandir opens with a Ganesha-blessed frame of bells and flowers, and Kashi Vishwanath gives each function its own painted scene along the Ganga. You can preview any template with your own names before signing up, add photos and background music, and start for free; templates with a Free tag are free to use.