Sangeet invitation for a night of music and dance

The sangeet began as an evening when the women of the bride’s family sang folk songs to a dholak, teasing the couple and their relatives. Many families still hold it that way at home. Many others now hire a lawn or a banquet hall, set up a stage and a DJ, and spend weeks rehearsing dances, with each family performing for the other.

It usually falls in the evening, a day or two before the wedding, and the two families often host it together. Because it is a party rather than a ritual, its guest list is often wider than the haldi’s or the mehndi’s, and friends who are not coming to the wedding itself are sometimes invited to the sangeet alone.

• Punjabi and Sikh families often pair it with the jaggo, so the night runs from songs and boliyan to a procession through the lanes.
• Gujarati families often hold a garba or dandiya raas night in its place or alongside it. If guests should bring their own dandiya sticks, say so.
• Rajasthani families may book folk musicians and dancers, and the women of the family often dance ghoomar.
• In many Muslim families a dholki night, with songs around the dholak, plays a similar part.

Use the name your family uses, whether that is Sangeet, Sangeet & Jaggo, Garba Night or Dholki. The function name is free text, so it can say exactly that.

• When the performances start, as well as when the doors open, so nobody misses the family’s dance.
• Whether dinner is served, and roughly when. Sangeet dinners often run late.
• A dress code. Bright, festive and jewel tones are common requests, and comfortable shoes are worth a mention.
• Whether the venue is outdoors, so guests bring a shawl for a winter night.
• Whom to contact if they want to perform, and by when.

Put the practical details in the sangeet’s description and dress code, where guests see them next to the time and map link.

Performers need time. If cousins and friends are dancing, send the invitation early, or send the sangeet details ahead of the rest. The sangeet can be one function on your wedding invitation, with its own date, time, venue and map link, and guests reply for it separately. You see each family’s headcount for the night, which helps with seating and catering.

For friends invited to the sangeet only, you can publish a separate invitation with just that night on it; it still carries both partners’ names, which are required. Add background music and photos so the invitation sets the mood before anyone reaches the dance floor.