Simple wedding invitation: what to keep, what to cut, and short wording for the e-invite
How to make a simple wedding invitation elders read to the end: what to keep, what families cut, the five-screen test, and short wording in English and Hindi.
A simple wedding invitation keeps five things: who is inviting, your names, each function with its date, time and venue, a map for each venue, and the families. Photos are optional. Everything else comes off or goes below: RSVP questions, outfit guides, travel notes, fun questions, the scratch card. If the oldest guest reaches the families within four or five screens, it is simple enough.
On this page
Roughly one family in three we spoke to this October asked us to make their invitation shorter, in words like these: "invite bahut lamba hai", "itna kachra nahi bharwana", "minimal simple chahiye". One family wanted the whole thing told "chaar swipe mein", in four swipes.
Here is what they kept, what they cut, the test we use for length, and short wording you can copy.
What a simple wedding invitation keeps
- Who is inviting, and your names. The parents or the family, the way your printed card would say it, then the two of you.
- Each function, in one line or on one card. Its name, the day and date, the time and the venue.
- A map for each venue. One map button per place, not one under every function held there.
- The families. Both sets of parents, and the grandparents if you name them.
- A few photos, if you want any. Five or six at most, and none is fine too: see our guide to a wedding invitation without photos.
What families cut most
| What they cut | Why |
|---|---|
| The RSVP, or most of its questions | Elders would not fill a form, and questions on party size, food, rooms and advice felt like too much |
| The dress code and the lookbook | A separate wardrobe guide had already gone out |
| "What to wear" and "Getting there" pages | Every function already said it, and the elders had fewer screens to scroll |
| Fun questions | Elders did not get them, and some teasing questions could offend |
| The family lineage, written twice | Once, near the top, was enough |
| The scratch card | Guests did not understand they had to scratch: "logon ko samjha hi nahi ki scratch karna hai" |
| A map under every function | One map per venue was enough |
The elders' test: four or five screens
Hand the invitation to the oldest person in the family and watch where they stop. The invitation itself, the names, the date, the functions and the families, should be over within four or five screens. "Koi itna scroll nahi karega", one family told us: nobody will scroll that far.
Put everything else after the families: the photos, the reply form, travel notes, a short FAQ. Our guide to invitations elders can open has the other things that trip them up, such as small fancy fonts and steps they are forced through.
Hide it instead of cutting it
Some sections are too much for everyone and right for a few guests. Families kept them for the people who need them:
- An outfit guide only for guests from abroad, who asked what to wear to each function.
- The family-only haldi only on the family's link, not on the link that goes to everyone.
Anyone who has a link sees everything on it, so this works with separate links: one for the family, one for everyone else, or a personal link for each guest. Our guide to inviting guests to only some functions shows how families split them.
Simple is a design choice
"Simple sober type" and "decent elegant card" were how families described what they wanted. A simple invitation is not a smaller one. It has the same names and the same functions with more space around them: plain, large type for the times, one colour and one ornament, and an opening that is a seal or a blessing rather than a puzzle.
Two of our designs are built that way. Gulmohar is gulmohar red on cream, with clean type and plenty of space. Sindoori's Traditional theme puts "blessings first, no photographs, everything in its place".
How Invifest makes a simple invitation
- Leave out any section. Tell us what to skip, the RSVP, the dress code, the photos or the countdown, and it is not on your invitation.
- A reply form only if you want one. If you keep it, guests choose the functions they are coming to, and the replies go to a private page only you open, not to your inbox.
- A different link for different guests. A separate link for the other family or for one event, so each guest sees only their own functions. With Aangan, every guest gets a personal link, sent from your own WhatsApp, and you see who is coming to which function.
- Hindi and English on one link, on the designs that carry the switch, instead of two cards.
- Cut it by pointing at it. On the designs that have it, your first version comes with a private review link: circle a section and say "ye hata do", or type it, and the change reaches our designers numbered.
- Ready in 3 days, or in under 24 hours on request, with two rounds of changes, and the link you already shared updates by itself.
Short wording you can copy
A short invitation in English and Hindi, every function in one line each, and short WhatsApp messages. Change what is in [square brackets].
With the blessings of our elders
[Bride's name] and [Groom's name]
[Day, Date]
[Venue], [City]
Please join us.
[Families' names]
॥ श्री गणेशाय नमः ॥
[वधू का नाम] संग [वर का नाम]
शुभ विवाह
[दिन, तिथि]
[स्थान], [शहर]
आप सपरिवार सादर आमंत्रित हैं।
[परिवार का नाम]
Haldi · [Day, Date] · [Time] · [Venue]
Sangeet · [Day, Date] · [Time] · [Venue]
Wedding · [Day, Date] · [Time] · [Venue]
Reception · [Day, Date] · [Time] · [Venue]
Namaste [Name] ji,
[Bride's name] and [Groom's name] are getting married on [date]. Every function, time and map is here:
[link]
Please do come.
नमस्ते [नाम] जी,
[तिथि] को [नाम] का शुभ विवाह है। सभी कार्यक्रम, समय और नक्शा इस लिंक पर:
[link]
आप सपरिवार ज़रूर पधारें।
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 do you write a simple wedding invitation?
Name who is inviting, then the two of you, then each function with its day, date, time and venue, and end with the families. Leave out what most guests will not use, or move it to the end. Short wording in English and Hindi is on this page.
What should a simple wedding invitation include?
The inviting family, both names, every function with its date, weekday, time and venue, a map for each venue, and the families. Photos are optional; five or six are plenty.
How long should a wedding e-invite be?
The invitation itself should be over within four or five screens: the names, the date, the functions and the families. Photos, the reply form and travel notes can follow, for the guests who want them.
RSVP zaroori hai kya wedding invitation mein?
No. Many families remove it, because their elders will not fill a form and will call instead. If you keep one, ask only what you will use: coming or not, how many, and which functions.
Should a simple invitation have a dress code?
One line under each function is enough. If you are sending a separate wardrobe guide, leave the dress code off the invitation.
Can we remove sections after the invitation is made?
Yes. At Invifest, taking a section off is a change like any other, made in your rounds of changes, and the link you already shared updates by itself.
What is a short wedding invitation message for WhatsApp?
Greet them by name, give the names and the date in one line, and put the link with every function, time and map under it. Short messages in English and Hindi are on this page.
Will elders find a simple invitation too plain?
Not if it keeps what they look for: the blessing at the top, the family names and the muhurat. What elders struggle with is length, small fancy fonts and things to scratch or solve.
Can different guests get different versions?
Yes, with separate links: the family's link with the family-only functions, and a shorter one for everyone else. Anyone who has a link sees everything on it, so the split has to be in the links.
Is a minimal wedding invitation right for an Indian wedding?
Yes, if minimal means fewer sections and more space, not fewer blessings. Keep the invocation, the elders' blessings and every function, and cut the extras.
