How long does it take to make a wedding invitation? The days, what slows it down, and sending on a muhurat
How long a digital wedding invitation takes: 3 days from complete details, under 24 hours on request, what really slows it, and how to send it on a muhurat.
At Invifest the first version of a wedding invitation arrives within 3 days of your complete details, or in under 24 hours on request, and two rounds of changes follow within 7 days. The making is rarely what holds a family up. Details sent in pieces, photos the photographer has not delivered and Hindi nobody has written are. Start one to two months before the wedding, earlier in the season.
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"Kitne din mein ban jayega?" is one of the first things families ask us. On our calls this October, roughly one family in four asked it outright, from "within a week?" to "mujhe aaj hi bhejne hai". Many had already tied the first send to a shubh din: the start of Navratri, the card puja on Dussehra, or the day Ganesh ji was installed at home.
Here is how long each step takes, what really slows it down, and how to have the invitation ready for a muhurat, or for today.
From booking to sending, step by step
| Step | What happens | How long |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Reserve | You choose a design and reserve it, or message us on WhatsApp | A real person messages you within 15 minutes, 9 am to 10 pm IST |
| 2. Your details | Names, every function with its date, time and venue, photos, your song, the language | Up to your family, and the step that takes longest |
| 3. First version | Your invitation, on its own link | Within 3 days of complete details; under 24 hours on request |
| 4. Changes | Two rounds of changes | Within 7 days of the first version |
| 5. Sending | The same link goes out on WhatsApp | The day you are happy with it; the link stays live |
What actually slows it down
The delays we saw this season came from these five places:
- Details in pieces. The venue today, the haldi time tomorrow, the grandparents' names next week. Every new piece means another look at the whole invitation.
- Pre-wedding photos not back yet. Many families this October were still waiting on their photographer. The invitation does not have to wait: send one photo now, or none, and add the gallery to the same link later.
- The Hindi not written. If an elder is writing the Hindi, ask for it first, not last.
- Times the pandit has not fixed. Early-morning times, such as the vidaai, often come late from the pandit. Leave that time off the first version and add it when it is confirmed.
- Ten people, ten sets of changes. "Shaadi wale ghar mein 10 log 10 tarah ke": changes that arrive one relative at a time take far longer than one list.
How to have it ready in days
- Decide the functions and who sees whichThe bride's side, the groom's side, family only, reception only. Families often settle this last; settle it first.
- Send everything in one messageThe format is in the wording below, and our invitation checklist lists what a designer needs. Fill in what you know and mark what is pending.
- Send photos as filesAs a WhatsApp document or by email, so they are not compressed. Five or six are enough.
- Let one person collect the changesOne list for the whole family, or everyone adds their own on the review link, where each change shows who left it.
- Tell us your dateIf a muhurat or a function is coming, say the day you need the invitation, and we confirm the time with you before we start.
Need it today?
"Aaj card send karna hai": nearly every family that booked with us this October was racing a date. Invifest can make an invitation in under 24 hours on request. Ask on WhatsApp before you book, and we confirm the time with you before we start.
- Send it all at once. A rush works only when nothing is pending.
- Pick a ready design. A design from the catalogue suits a rush; art drawn from scratch takes longer.
- Keep the extras for later. The photo gallery and your story can follow on the same link after it has gone out.
Sending it on a muhurat
For many families the first send is itself a ritual ("mahurat pe bhejna hai"), and some open nothing until Ganesh ji is installed at home ("Ganesh ji baithne ke baad kholna"). If you have such a day, count back from it:
- A week beforeYour complete details reach the designer.
- Four days beforeThe first version arrives, and the family looks at it together.
- One or two days beforeThe changes are made. The link is ready, and nobody has it yet.
- At the muhuratThe first invitation goes to God, then to the first person on your list.
If it is not final by the muhurat, do not wait for it. Send the link to one family member at the muhurat, so the invitation has gone out on the shubh din, and finish the changes on the same link. The link does not change when the invitation does, so everyone who opens it later sees the final version.
Where the first card goes to God, families print one page of the invitation for the puja. Our etiquette guide covers that custom, and the muhurat guide the periods families avoid.
When to start
Most families we spoke to started one to two months before the wedding and sent to outstation guests first. In the wedding months our designs fill up: each takes a limited number of families a month, so reserve the slot first and send the details after.
| The first function is | What to do |
|---|---|
| Two months away or more | Reserve now and send the details within a week, so the invitation can go out six to eight weeks before |
| Four to six weeks away | Reserve and send everything this week; send to outstation guests first |
| One to three weeks away | Send the details in one message today, and call the elders while the invitation is being made |
| This week | Ask for the under-24-hours rush on WhatsApp, and keep the extras for later on the same link |
The invitation timeline has the rest: function invitations four to six weeks ahead, replies due three weeks before, and the reminders.
How Invifest keeps it fast
Invifest makes invitations and guest management for weddings and every big moment: our designers make each family its own invitation website. This is what keeps it quick:
- A real person on WhatsApp within 15 minutes of reserving, 9 am to 10 pm IST.
- The first version within 3 days of complete details, or in under 24 hours on request.
- Changes by voice. With the first version we can send a private review link of your own invitation: tap or circle any spot and say the change in Hindi or English, type it, or add a photo. Everyone in the family can add theirs on the same link, so nobody forwards screenshots.
- Two rounds of changes within 7 days of the first version, all on the same link, which never changes.
- No waiting for the shoot. A caricature of the two of you on every function card, made from a few close-up photos you already have, or a design that shows the couple without faces.
- A link for each side and each group. Each guest sees only their own functions, with a reply for each one.
- Sending with Aangan. With Aangan, our guest dashboard, your guest list is in one place, each guest's own link goes from your own WhatsApp, and you see who is coming to which function.
Every invitation opens on any phone from WhatsApp, with no app and no login. See how to send it on WhatsApp once it is ready.
Messages that save days
The details in one message, a rush request, the family's changes in one list, and the first send on a muhurat. Change everything in [brackets].
Names, as they should be written:
Bride: [Full name], daughter of [Mother's name] and [Father's name]
Groom: [Full name], son of [Mother's name] and [Father's name]
Grandparents, and anyone late: [Names]
Functions:
1. [Function] · [Day, Date] · [Time] · [Venue] · [Map pin] · [Dress code]
2. [Function] · [Day, Date] · [Time] · [Venue] · [Map pin] · [Dress code]
Links: [Bride's side / Groom's side / Reception only]
Language: [English / Hindi / both, and which opens first]
Song: [Name], from [0:35]
Photos: [5 or 6, sent as documents]
Still pending: [what is not fixed yet]
Hi Invifest, our [function] is on [Day, Date] and we need the invitation by [Day, Time]. Every detail is in my next message. Can you confirm the time?
All our changes, in one list:
1. [Page or section]: [what it says now] to [what it should say]
2. [Page or section]: [what it says now] to [what it should say]
3. Remove: [what]
Screenshots attached, with the spot circled.
The first version of the invitation is here: [link]
Please send your changes by [time] tonight, all in one message, or add them on the review link. Type the spelling of every name exactly.
॥ श्री गणेशाय नमः ॥
आज शुभ मुहूर्त में [नाम] के विवाह का पहला निमंत्रण आपको भेज रहे हैं।
आपका आशीर्वाद चाहिए।
[लिंक]
Today, at the muhurat, the first invitation to [Name]'s wedding goes to you. We would love your blessings.
[link]
Card ban raha hai, [din] tak aa jayega. [Tareekh] free rakhiyega, [Naam] ki shaadi hai.
Want these words on a real invitation? See the designs.
Invitation designs
6 designs you can personalise. Open any one to see it full size, with a live demo.
Questions people ask
How many days does it take to make a digital wedding invitation?
At Invifest the first version arrives within 3 days of your complete details, and you then have two rounds of changes within 7 days of it. A family that sends everything in one go can be sending the invitation within a week.
Can I get a wedding invitation made in one day?
Yes, on request: Invifest can make one in under 24 hours. Ask on WhatsApp first, send every detail in one message and choose a ready design. We confirm the time with you before we start.
When do the 3 days start?
From the day your details are complete: names, every function with its date, time and venue, the photos and the song. Details that arrive in pieces push the start back.
How early should we book the wedding invitation?
Most families start one to two months before the first function, and earlier in the wedding months, when designs fill up. The invitation itself usually goes out six to eight weeks before the wedding.
Our pre-wedding photos are not ready. Should we wait?
No. Send one photo now, or none, and add the gallery to the same link when the photographer delivers. A caricature or a design without faces needs no shoot at all.
Can we send the invitation before every change is done?
Yes. The link stays the same when the invitation changes, so everyone who opens it later sees the latest version. That is how families keep a muhurat when the invitation is not quite final.
Is it shubh to send the invitation on a muhurat?
Many families think so and choose the day: Navratri, after the card puja on Dussehra, or after Ganesh ji is installed at home. The first invitation usually goes to God, then to the eldest relatives. Your pandit can name the day.
Will the link change after corrections?
No. Every change, before or after sending, is made on the same link, and the link stays live.
How many changes can we make?
Two rounds of changes are included, within 7 days of the first version. Put each round in one list, with everyone's changes together, or add them all on the review link, so nothing is missed.
