Indian Wedding Invitation Wording in English and Hindi

Indian wedding invitations usually open with a blessing, such as a Ganesh shloka or "॥ श्री गणेशाय नमः ॥", then name the hosts, the couple and their parents, and list each event with its date, time and venue. Below you will find sample wording in English and in Hindi (with transliterations and translations), the shlokas most often printed on cards, and etiquette for multi-event invitations. Before printing, have every Hindi and Sanskrit line checked by a fluent speaker or your family priest, and adapt the wording to your family's customs.

Key takeaways

• A traditional card often has four parts: a blessing, the hosts and couple, the event details, and a closing line from the family.
• Use names, not just "& family," so guests know exactly who is invited, and send event inserts only to guests invited to each event.
• The Ganesh shloka "Vakratunda Mahakaya..." asks for all undertakings to be free of obstacles, which is why many families print it on wedding cards.
• Bilingual cards (English on one side, Hindi on the other) work well when elders and younger guests read different languages.
• Treat the samples below as starting points and confirm wording with family elders and your priest.

Blessings and shlokas commonly printed on cards

Many Hindu families begin a wedding card by invoking Lord Ganesha, who is worshipped as the remover of obstacles. Here are three openings you will often see.

Shri Ganeshaya Namah

॥ श्री गणेशाय नमः ॥

Shri Ganeshaya Namah: "Salutations to Lord Ganesha."

Vakratunda Mahakaya

वक्रतुण्ड महाकाय सूर्यकोटि समप्रभ।
निर्विघ्नं कुरु मे देव सर्वकार्येषु सर्वदा॥

Vakratunda mahakaya suryakoti samaprabha,
nirvighnam kuru me deva sarvakaryeshu sarvada.

Meaning: "O Lord with the curved trunk and mighty form, radiant as ten million suns, make all my undertakings free of obstacles, always."

Mangalam Bhagavan Vishnu

मङ्गलम् भगवान विष्णुः मङ्गलम् गरुडध्वजः।
मङ्गलम् पुण्डरीकाक्षः मङ्गलाय तनो हरिः॥

Mangalam bhagavan vishnuh, mangalam garudadhvajah,
mangalam pundarikakshah, mangalaya tano harih.

Meaning: "Auspicious is Lord Vishnu, auspicious is the one whose banner bears Garuda, auspicious is the lotus-eyed one. May Hari bring all that is auspicious."

Some families prefer a shloka linked to their own tradition or family deity, and regional families may print a blessing in Gujarati, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali or another language. Ask your priest which one your family uses, and check spacing and punctuation marks such as । and ॥ on the printer's proof.

English invitation wording samples

Replace the bracketed text with your details. Use "Mr. and Mrs." or first names for both parents, as your families prefer.

1. Traditional, hosted by the bride's parents

With the blessings of Lord Ganesha and our elders
Mrs. [Mother's name] and Mr. [Father's name]
request the pleasure of your company
at the wedding of their daughter
[Bride's name]
with
[Groom's name]
son of Mrs. [Name] and Mr. [Name]
on Saturday, the [date] of [month], [year]
Muhurat at [time]
[Venue], [City]

2. Hosted by both families

Together with their families
Mrs. [Name] and Mr. [Name]
and
Mrs. [Name] and Mr. [Name]
joyfully invite you to celebrate the marriage of their children
[Bride's name] and [Groom's name]
[Day], [date] · [time]
[Venue], [City]

3. Hosted by the couple

With the blessings of our families
[Name] and [Name]
invite you to celebrate our wedding
and the events that lead up to it.
Full details and RSVP: [wedding website]

4. Event insert card

Mehndi · Thursday, [date] · 6:00 p.m. · [Venue]
Sangeet · Friday, [date] · 7:00 p.m. · [Venue]
Haldi · Saturday, [date] · 9:00 a.m. · [Venue]
Wedding Ceremony · Saturday, [date] · Baraat at 10:00 a.m., muhurat at [time]
Reception · Saturday, [date] · 7:00 p.m. · [Venue]

5. Reception-only invitation

Mrs. [Name] and Mr. [Name]
request the pleasure of your company
at a dinner reception celebrating the marriage of
[Bride's name] and [Groom's name]
[Day], [date] at [time]
[Venue], [City]

Useful closing lines

• "Your presence and blessings are our greatest gift."
• "Kindly respond by [date], noting which events you will attend."
• "Dress: bright Indian or festive attire welcome."

Hindi invitation wording samples

The samples below use standard Hindi in Devanagari. Each has a transliteration and an English translation. Wording and honorifics vary by region and family. For the bride, families often use आयुष्मती (aayushmati) or सौभाग्यकांक्षिणी (saubhagyakankshini); for the groom, चिरंजीव (chiranjeev). Please have the final text checked by a fluent speaker or your family priest.

1. Traditional, hosted by the bride's parents

श्रीमती [माता का नाम] एवं श्री [पिता का नाम]
अपनी सुपुत्री आयुष्मती [वधू का नाम]
के शुभ विवाह के पावन अवसर पर
आपको सपरिवार सादर आमंत्रित करते हैं।

वर: चिरंजीव [वर का नाम]
(सुपुत्र श्रीमती [नाम] एवं श्री [नाम])

दिनांक: [वार], [तारीख]
स्थान: [स्थान का नाम], [शहर]

कृपया पधारकर वर-वधू को अपना आशीर्वाद प्रदान करें।

Transliteration: Shrimati [mata ka naam] evam Shri [pita ka naam] apni suputri aayushmati [vadhu ka naam] ke shubh vivah ke paavan avsar par aapko saparivaar saadar aamantrit karte hain. Var: chiranjeev [var ka naam] (suputra Shrimati [naam] evam Shri [naam]). Dinank: [vaar], [tareekh]. Sthaan: [sthaan ka naam], [shahar]. Kripya padhaarkar var-vadhu ko apna aashirvaad pradaan karein.

Translation: Mrs. [mother's name] and Mr. [father's name] respectfully invite you and your family on the sacred occasion of the wedding of their daughter [bride's name]. Groom: [groom's name], son of Mrs. [name] and Mr. [name]. Date: [day], [date]. Venue: [venue], [city]. Please join us and bless the couple.

2. Hosted by the groom's parents

हमारे सुपुत्र चिरंजीव [वर का नाम] का शुभ विवाह
आयुष्मती [वधू का नाम]
(सुपुत्री श्रीमती [नाम] एवं श्री [नाम])
के साथ [तारीख] को होना निश्चित हुआ है।
इस शुभ अवसर पर आप सपरिवार सादर आमंत्रित हैं।

Transliteration: Hamare suputra chiranjeev [var ka naam] ka shubh vivah aayushmati [vadhu ka naam] (suputri Shrimati [naam] evam Shri [naam]) ke saath [tareekh] ko hona nishchit hua hai. Is shubh avsar par aap saparivaar saadar aamantrit hain.

Translation: The wedding of our son [groom's name] to [bride's name], daughter of Mrs. [name] and Mr. [name], has been fixed for [date]. You and your family are cordially invited on this auspicious occasion.

3. Modern, hosted by the couple

हमारे जीवन के नए सफ़र की शुरुआत में
आपकी उपस्थिति और आशीर्वाद हमारे लिए अनमोल होंगे।
[वधू का नाम] और [वर का नाम]
के विवाह समारोह में आप सादर आमंत्रित हैं।

Transliteration: Hamare jeevan ke naye safar ki shuruaat mein aapki upasthiti aur aashirvaad hamare liye anmol honge. [Vadhu ka naam] aur [var ka naam] ke vivah samaroh mein aap saadar aamantrit hain.

Translation: As we begin a new journey in our lives, your presence and blessings will be precious to us. You are cordially invited to the wedding celebration of [bride's name] and [groom's name].

4. Event schedule (कार्यक्रम)

कार्यक्रम
मेहंदी: [वार], [तारीख], शाम [समय] बजे
संगीत संध्या: [वार], [तारीख], शाम [समय] बजे
हल्दी: [वार], [तारीख], सुबह [समय] बजे
बारात स्वागत: [वार], [तारीख], [समय] बजे
फेरे: शुभ मुहूर्त में
प्रीतिभोज: [वार], [तारीख], रात [समय] बजे

कृपया [तारीख] तक अपनी उपस्थिति की सूचना दें।

Translation: Program: mehndi, [day, date], evening at [time]; sangeet evening; haldi, morning; welcome of the baraat; pheras at the auspicious time; dinner, night at [time]. Please let us know whether you will attend by [date].

Closing lines families often add

• दर्शनाभिलाषी: [परिवार के सदस्यों के नाम] (darshanabhilashi): "Eager to see you," followed by relatives' names.
• स्वागतोत्सुक: [नाम] (swagatotsuk): "Eager to welcome you."
• बाल मनुहार: मेरी दीदी की शादी में ज़रूर-ज़रूर आना। (bal manuhar: meri didi ki shaadi mein zaroor-zaroor aana): a playful line from the family's children, "Please, please come to my sister's wedding!" This is popular in many Hindi-speaking families.

Etiquette for multi-event invitations

Decide who is invited to what, first

Most Indian weddings have more guests at the wedding and reception than at the mehndi, haldi or a family puja. Before wording anything, sort your guest list by household and mark which events each household is invited to. Then print a separate insert for each event and include only the inserts that apply.

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Address guests clearly

• Write every invited name on the envelope or the digital invitation. "& family" is ambiguous: some guests read it as grandparents and cousins too.
• If children are invited to some events but not others, say so on the insert or the RSVP form, kindly and plainly.
• Use honorifics your elders expect, such as Shri and Shrimati, in Hindi wording.

Include what guests need to know

• The muhurat and an arrival time. A line such as "Baraat at 10:00 a.m., muhurat at 11:42 a.m." helps guests plan.
• Dress notes for each event, especially for haldi (clothes that can get stained) and outdoor mehndi.
• A wedding website or details card with hotel blocks, parking and a map.

Offer the first card to Ganesha

Many families place the first invitation before Lord Ganesha or their family deity, at home or at a temple, before sending any others. Some also deliver cards to close elders in person. Ask your family about its custom.

Timing

As a typical planning range, many couples send save-the-dates six to twelve months ahead when guests must travel from abroad, and invitations about eight to twelve weeks ahead, earlier for destination weddings. Set the RSVP deadline to fit your caterer's and venue's final-count dates.

Proofread everything twice

Check names, titles, dates, days of the week, times and venue addresses against your plan. Ask a fluent reader to check the Hindi and any Sanskrit verse for spelling, matras (vowel signs) and punctuation, and ask your priest to confirm the muhurat time printed on the card.

Frequently asked questions

What is written at the top of a Hindu wedding card?

Many Hindu wedding cards begin with "॥ श्री गणेशाय नमः ॥" (Salutations to Lord Ganesha) or the Ganesh shloka "Vakratunda Mahakaya," asking for the wedding to be free of obstacles. Some families use a shloka linked to their own tradition or family deity.

What does "Vakratunda Mahakaya" mean?

It is a Sanskrit verse addressed to Lord Ganesha: "O Lord with the curved trunk and mighty form, radiant as ten million suns, make all my undertakings free of obstacles, always." It is often printed at the top of wedding invitations.

How do you write a wedding invitation in Hindi?

A common Hindi invitation names the hosting parents, then the bride (often with the honorific आयुष्मती) and the groom (चिरंजीव), followed by the date, venue and a line asking guests to bless the couple. Have the final wording checked by a fluent speaker or your family priest.

Should we send separate invitations for each event?

Many families send one main card with a separate insert for each event, and include only the inserts for events a guest is invited to. Online RSVPs that list each event make it easier to track numbers.

When should Indian wedding invitations be sent?

As a typical range, many couples send invitations eight to twelve weeks before the wedding, with save-the-dates six to twelve months ahead for guests traveling from abroad. Destination weddings often need earlier notice.

Should an Indian wedding invitation be in English or Hindi?

Either, or both. Many families print English on one side and Hindi or a regional language on the other, so elders and younger guests can read the card comfortably.

Related guides

• Indian Wedding Guest List Management: Families, RSVPs, and Seating
• How to Plan a Multiday Indian Wedding
• Hindu Wedding Muhurat: How Families Choose Auspicious Dates
• Destination Wedding Invitations and RSVP Etiquette
• Christian Wedding Invitation Wording and Etiquette

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