Wedding Invitation Wording: Card Matter, Format and Samples in English

Every Indian wedding card, printed or online, is built from the same few parts, in roughly the same order. Families have been writing them for generations, which is why so many cards sound alike, and why a card that gets the order wrong reads oddly even to guests who could not say what is missing. The good news is that once you know the parts, the wording almost writes itself.

This guide walks through the format of a wedding card part by part, explains the choices you make in each (who hosts, which invitation line, how to list the functions), and then gives complete samples in English for traditional, modern, reception-only and interfaith cards. Every sample uses one made-up couple, Kavya Sharma and Rohan Mehta, marrying in Jaipur on Saturday, 13 February 2027. Change the names, places and dates, and the matter is yours.

Quick answer: A wedding invitation card in English usually runs in this order: an invocation or blessing at the top, the hosts (the parents, often with the grandparents), the invitation line ("request the pleasure of your company at the wedding of"), the couple's names with their parents', the functions with their dates, times and venues, and finally the RSVP with the names of family members to contact. Use "the honour of your presence" for a ceremony in a place of worship and "the pleasure of your company" for everything else. Keep names and titles consistent, check that every date matches its day of the week, and write a late-night muhurat under the right calendar date.

In this article

1. The format of a wedding card, part by part
2. The line at the top
3. Who is inviting: parents, grandparents or the couple
4. The invitation line, from traditional to modern
5. The couple's names
6. Writing the functions
7. RSVP and "with best compliments"
8. The children's line
9. Wedding card samples in English
10. Wording an online invitation
11. Mistakes to check before you print or send

1. The format of a wedding card, part by part

Card guides list the same essentials: an opening line, the hosts, the line that invites, the couple's names in the largest type, their parents' names, the date, venue and time, and someone to contact.¹ Here is the usual order of the matter on an Indian wedding card, from top to bottom:

1. An invocation or blessing, such as Shri Ganeshaya Namah or a verse
2. The hosts: the bride's or the groom's parents, often with the grandparents
3. The invitation line, such as "request the pleasure of your company"
4. The occasion: "at the wedding of", "on the auspicious occasion of the marriage of"
5. The couple: their names, often with "daughter of" and "son of" and their parents' names
6. The functions: each with its name, date, day, time and venue
7. A closing line, such as "Your presence is our blessing"
8. The RSVP: the names, and often the phone numbers, of family members to contact
9. "With best compliments from" and the names of relatives
10. A line from the children of the family, on some cards

Not every card has every part. A modern card might keep only the hosts, the invitation line, the names and the functions. But when parts are there, keeping them in this order makes the card read naturally.

What it means for you: decide first which parts your card will have; the wording of each part follows from that.

2. The line at the top

The first line sets the tone of the card. On a Hindu card it is often an invocation to Ganesha, written in Sanskrit as ॥ श्री गणेशाय नमः ॥ (Shri Ganeshaya Namah), or simply "With the blessings of Lord Ganesha".¹ Other common choices are Om, "Shubh Vivah", "Shubh Mangal Savdhan", and in South Indian families "Shubha Muhurtham". Christian cards may open with a blessing or a short Bible verse, Muslim cards with Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim, and Sikh cards with Ik Onkar.

Keep the top line short: one line, two at most. It sits above everything else, often with a small drawing, and it should not compete with the couple's names.

What it means for you: ask the elders which invocation your family uses. It is the one part of the card most families have strong feelings about.

3. Who is inviting: parents, grandparents or the couple

Traditionally the hosts are the parents of the bride or of the groom, depending on whose side is sending the card, and many cards name the grandparents among the hosts.¹ Where the grandparents are the heads of the family, they can come first: "Smt. and Shri Ramesh Sharma (grandparents) and Smt. and Shri Anil Sharma request the pleasure of your company."

When the couple themselves are hosting, which is more common for modern and destination weddings, the card can say "Together with their families, Kavya and Rohan invite you to celebrate their wedding." This is warm, simple and avoids the question of which side's card it is.

When a parent or grandparent has passed away, you can honour them at the top of the hosts' list: "With the blessings of the late Shri Mohan Sharma." It is a gentle way to include them, and it sits well above the living hosts' names.

What it means for you: if both families are sending cards, agree the format and the hosts' wording together so that the two cards match.¹

4. The invitation line, from traditional to modern

The invitation line is the sentence that actually invites. Etiquette guides make one useful distinction: "the honour of your presence" is used when the ceremony is in a place of worship, and "the pleasure of your company" for every other venue.² Indian cards also use their own formal phrases. Here are lines you can choose from, roughly from most formal to most relaxed:

• request the honour of your presence at the wedding of
• request the pleasure of your company at the wedding of
• solicit your gracious presence with family on the auspicious occasion of the marriage of
• cordially invite you and your family to the wedding of
• invite you to celebrate the wedding of
• would love you to join them as they get married

"With family", as in "request your esteemed presence with family",¹ is a small phrase with a large meaning on an Indian card: it tells the guest that the whole family is invited, not only the person whose name is on the envelope. Leave it out if you are inviting only the named guest.

What it means for you: match the invitation line to the rest of the card. A formal top line and a breezy invitation line read as two different cards.

5. The couple's names

The couple's names are the largest words on the card. Put your own family's child first: the bride's name on her family's card, the groom's on his. Traditional cards add the parents: "Kavya (daughter of Smt. Neha and Shri Anil Sharma) with Rohan (son of Smt. Ritu and Shri Vikram Mehta)". Cards from the couple usually give only their first names.

Use the same form of each name everywhere: if the bride is "Kavya" on the cover, she should not be "Ku. Kavya Sharma" inside unless that is a deliberate formal line. And decide on titles once (Shri and Smt., or Mr and Mrs) and keep to them on every line.

What it means for you: read every name aloud to the person it belongs to before the card goes out. Spellings of names are the one mistake nobody forgives.

6. Writing the functions

The functions block is where guests look for the facts, so clarity matters more than elegance. Give each function its own line or small block, in date order, with the same details every time: the name of the function, the day and date, the time, and the venue.

• Haldi: Friday, 12 February 2027, 10 am, The Courtyard
• Mehendi: Friday, 12 February 2027, 3 pm, Poolside Deck
• Sangeet: Friday, 12 February 2027, 7:30 pm, Sheesh Hall
• Wedding: Saturday, 13 February 2027, 6:30 pm, Lakeside Mandap
• Reception: Sunday, 14 February 2027, 8 pm, in New Delhi

If the wedding has a muhurat, you can give its time on the wedding line ("Pheras at 9:15 pm"). If the baraat assembles somewhere other than the venue, give it its own line with its own place and time. And if dinner follows a function, say so ("followed by dinner"), so guests know whether to eat before they come.

What it means for you: a guest invited to only some functions should get a card, or a link, that shows only those. It avoids awkward questions at the door.

7. RSVP and "with best compliments"

RSVP comes from the French "répondez s'il vous plaît", which means "please respond", and a formal card may say "the favour of a reply is requested" instead.² On an Indian card the RSVP block gives the names and phone numbers of family members to contact; one card guide suggests listing two people, so guests can always get through.³ For example: "RSVP: Anil Sharma, Neha Sharma", with their numbers.

A card can also carry a "With best compliments from" block: a list of relatives, such as grandparents, the families of both sides or the extended family, sending their greetings along with the invitation.³ It is a way of saying the whole family is inviting you. If the phrase feels stiff, the same guide suggests gentler ones such as "With best wishes".³ It is optional, but if your family expects it, ask the elders who should be on it before you print.

What it means for you: if your invitation is online and guests can reply on it, you can keep the RSVP line short or leave out the phone numbers.

8. The children's line

Some cards end with a playful line from the children of the family, printed at the bottom, such as "Meri mausi ki shaadi mein zaroor aana",¹ or "Mere chacha ki shaadi mein zaroor aana" (do come to my uncle's wedding). It is affectionate, a little cheeky, and much loved by guests who remember it from their own childhood weddings. Sign it with the children's names.

What it means for you: if your family has a child old enough to enjoy it, put their name on the line. It will be the line people quote back to you.

9. Wedding card samples in English

Traditional, from the bride's parents:

• ॥ श्री गणेशाय नमः ॥
• Smt. Neha and Shri Anil Sharma
• request the pleasure of your company with family
• at the wedding of their daughter
• Kavya
• with
• Rohan
• son of Smt. Ritu and Shri Vikram Mehta
• on Saturday, 13 February 2027, at The Lakeview Lawns, Jaipur
• Your presence is our blessing

With the grandparents, and a late grandparent remembered:

• With the blessings of the late Shri Mohan Sharma
• Smt. Kamla Sharma
• Smt. Neha and Shri Anil Sharma
• cordially invite you and your family to the wedding of
• Kavya and Rohan
• on Saturday, 13 February 2027, in Jaipur

Modern, from the couple:

• Together with their families
• Kavya and Rohan
• invite you to celebrate their wedding
• 12 and 13 February 2027, Jaipur
• It would mean the world to have you with us

Reception only:

• Smt. Ritu and Shri Vikram Mehta
• request the pleasure of your company at the reception
• to celebrate the marriage of their son
• Rohan with Kavya
• on Sunday, 14 February 2027, at 8 pm
• in New Delhi

A Sikh wedding:

• Ik Onkar
• With Waheguru's blessings
• Sardarni Harleen Kaur and Sardar Gurpreet Singh
• request the honour of your presence at the Anand Karaj of their daughter
• Simran with Arjun
• on Saturday, 13 February 2027, at 10 am, at the Gurdwara, followed by lunch

For church weddings and Nikah cards, there are full formats and samples on the pages for Christian wedding invitations and Muslim wedding invitations, and Hindi and Tamil wording on the Hindu and Tamil pages.

What it means for you: pick the sample closest to your family, then change one thing at a time: hosts, line, names, functions.

10. Wording an online invitation

An online invitation follows the same order, but it can be lighter. The functions sit on their own cards with directions and a calendar button, so the main text does not need to carry every address. The RSVP becomes a reply form, so there is no need to print phone numbers. And each family can receive its own link that greets them by name and shows only their functions, which a printed card cannot do.

What does not change is the heart of it: the top line, the hosts, the invitation line and the names. Write those exactly as you would on paper. On Shaadiwaale, an online wedding invitation card takes these parts in English, Hindi or Tamil, with wording ideas for each.

What it means for you: write the card matter once, carefully, and use the same words for the printed cards you give elders and the link you send everyone else.

11. Mistakes to check before you print or send

• A date that does not match its day of the week. Check every one against a calendar.
• A late-night muhurat on the wrong date. A muhurat at 1:30 am on Sunday belongs to Sunday's date, even though guests think of it as Saturday night; write "Sunday, 14 February, 1:30 am" and, if it helps, "the night of 13 February".
• Names spelt differently in different places, or a title used for one parent and not the other.
• A venue without its city, or a city without its venue.
• "With family" printed on cards meant for one person, or missing from cards meant for a family.
• Two families' cards with different dates or timings for the same function.

What it means for you: have someone who did not write the card read it, aloud, against the calendar.

Frequently asked questions

What is the correct format for a wedding invitation card?

From top to bottom: an invocation or blessing, the hosts, the invitation line, the couple's names (often with their parents' names), the functions with dates, times and venues, a closing line, and the RSVP. Some cards add "With best compliments from" and a children's line at the end.

What do you write on a wedding card in English?

Start with a blessing, then write the hosts and the invitation line: "Smt. Neha and Shri Anil Sharma request the pleasure of your company at the wedding of their daughter Kavya with Rohan." Add the date, time and venue of each function, and an RSVP with the names of family members to contact.

Should it be "honour of your presence" or "pleasure of your company"?

Use "the honour of your presence" when the ceremony is in a place of worship, such as a church or a gurdwara, and "the pleasure of your company" for every other venue.

What does "with family" mean on an Indian wedding card?

It means the whole family is invited, not only the person named. Leave it out if you are inviting only that person.

What is "with best compliments from" on a wedding card?

A list of relatives, often the extended family, who send their greetings along with the invitation. It is optional.

What is the children's line on a wedding card?

A playful line printed at the bottom in the name of the family's children, such as "Mere chacha ki shaadi mein zaroor aana". It is optional.