Sufi night invitation: wording, timing and who gets the link, with the after party
Sufi night and qawwali night invitation wording in English and Hindi: when to hold it, the dress code, the after party, and keeping it off some guests' links.
A Sufi night is an evening of qawwali and Sufi music at a wedding, usually on the first evening or the night before the wedding. Its invitation gives the name, the day, a start time, the venue, who is singing and the dress code. It often reaches only some guests, so families make one link with the Sufi night and one without it, and take its dress code off the second.
On this page
This season, a few of the families who called or messaged us about their wedding invitations had a Sufi night, and a few more had an after party, a bachelorette or another friends' night. Most of them kept these evenings off some guests' invitations, the elders' above all. One family said it simply: 'Sufi night exclude karna hai'.
So a Sufi night invitation is two jobs: the wording, and deciding who sees it. This page covers both, with the timing, the dress code, the music to check and wording to copy in English and Hindi, and then the after party and the other friends' evenings.
What a Sufi night is
A Sufi night, also called a qawwali night or a mehfil, brings a qawwali group or Sufi singers to one evening of the wedding. Qawwali is Sufi devotional singing from South Asia. Its form is credited to Amir Khusrau, the 13th-century poet and musician of Delhi who was a disciple of the Chishti saint Nizamuddin Auliya, and the gatherings where it was sung were called mehfil-e-sama, 'assemblies for listening'.
At a wedding it is an evening for sitting and listening more than for dancing: a lead singer with side singers, a chorus that claps the rhythm, harmonium, tabla and dholak, often with low seating, lanterns and dinner. Some families hand the floor to a DJ once the qawwals finish; if yours will, say so on the card.
When to hold it
The families we spoke to held it on the first evening of the functions, or on the night before the wedding as a family get-together. One described theirs as 'a family get-together, Sufi night type'.
Start early enough for a full evening. On an open lawn, India's noise rules bring loudspeakers down at 10 pm, and a state may allow them till midnight only on a few festive days a year; a closed hall is exempt. A 7:30 or 8 pm start leaves two good hours of music before the cut-off.
Who gets the Sufi night link
Decide this before anything is written. The families who had a Sufi night or an after party did it in one of two ways:
- Two links. One invitation with the Sufi night and one without it, in the same design. Friends, cousins and the couple's own circle got the first; the parents' wider circle got the second.
- A link for every guest. Others ticked the functions for each guest or group in a guest dashboard, so each person's link showed only their own evenings.
Either way, take everything that belongs to the evening off the link without it: the card, the time, and above all the dress code. A guest who reads 'Sufi night: ivory and gold' in the outfit section of a link with no Sufi night on it knows there is an evening they were not asked to. Our guide to inviting guests to only some functions has the wording for each tier.
What to put on a Sufi night invitation
| Line | Example | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| The name | Sufi Night, Shaam-e-Sufi or Mehfil-e-Qawwali, with 'Sufi Night' under an Urdu name | Everyone knows what the evening is |
| Whose | [Bride's name] and [Groom's name], or the host family | Says whose evening it is |
| Day, date and time | Friday, [Date], from 8 pm | A start time; the end can stay open |
| Venue | [Lawn or hall], [Venue], with a map pin | At a resort, name the lawn or the hall |
| The music | Qawwali by [Singers or group] | One line, because guests come for it |
| Dress code | Ivory and gold, or Indian festive | Say if it is outdoors on a cold night |
| Dinner | Dinner will be served | Guests know not to eat first |
| Reply | Please reply by [Date] | Seating and dinner are planned by headcount |
Dress codes that suit the evening: ivory and gold, whites and pastels, jewel tones, or simply 'Indian festive'. Our guide to dress codes on the invitation has the line for every other function.
Check the words before the song
Some families want a qawwali or a Sufi song as the invitation's music. Read what it says first. Qawwali is devotional, and a famous one can be a prayer, praise of a saint, or a song of longing and parting that sits oddly on a wedding invitation. Ask someone who knows the language.
Then send the full track and the second it should start from, not a 15-second clip. Our guide to the wedding invitation song covers the rest.
The after party and the other friends' evenings
The Sufi night has company. These are the other evenings families put on some guests' links and kept off the parents':
| Evening | What the card says | Who gets it |
|---|---|---|
| After party | 'After the sangeet' or 'till late', with no clock time, because it starts when the function before it ends | Friends and cousins |
| Bachelorette | The day, the place and a theme | The bride's friends |
| Pajama party | A night in, with a theme | The closest friends |
| A '[Name] takeover' night | The theme in one line | Friends |
| Welcome lunch or dinner | The time and the venue, often the hotel where guests stay | Guests who have travelled, at destination weddings and weddings abroad |
How Invifest does a Sufi night
Invifest makes invitations and guest management for weddings and every big moment. Our designers make each family its own invitation website, and this is how a Sufi night sits on it:
- With and without, from one design. We make the link with the Sufi night and the link without it in the same design, and the second carries no trace of the evening: no card, no time, no dress code.
- A link for every guest. With Aangan, you keep one guest list, tick the functions for each guest or group, send everyone their own invitation from your WhatsApp, and see who is coming to which function.
- Replies for each function. Guests answer for the Sufi night on its own, so the seating and the dinner get their own number.
- Your song, from the right second. Send the full track and the time it should start from, and it plays from the guest's first tap.
- Hindi and English on one invitation, for the relatives and the friends on the same link.
- Changes on the same link. If the time or the singers change, the link you already sent updates itself. On our newest invitations you tap the spot and say or type the change.
- Ready in 3 days, or in under 24 hours on request. It opens on any phone from WhatsApp, with no app and no login.
The cocktail party and sangeet guides cover the other evenings of the wedding.
Sufi night wording you can copy
Cards in English and Hindi, messages for WhatsApp, then the after party and the bachelorette. Change everything in [brackets].
Shaam-e-Sufi
An evening of qawwali
[Bride's name] and [Groom's name]
[Day, Date] · from [Time]
[Venue]
Qawwali by [Singers or group], then dinner.
Dress code: [Dress code]
Kindly reply by [Date]
Before the wedding, one night of qawwali with the people we love.
[Bride's name] and [Groom's name]
invite you to their Sufi Night
[Day, Date] · from [Time]
[Venue]
Dress code: [Dress code]
Tell us you are coming: [link]
A family get-together, with Sufi music
The [Surname] family invite you to an evening of qawwali and dinner
on the eve of the wedding of [Bride's name] and [Groom's name]
[Day, Date] · from [Time]
[Venue]
शाम-ए-सूफ़ी
(क़व्वाली की एक शाम)
[वधू का नाम] एवं [वर का नाम] के शुभ विवाह के उपलक्ष्य में
दिनांक: [दिन, तारीख़]
समय: रात्रि [समय] बजे से
स्थान: [स्थान]
क़व्वाली: [गायक या ग्रुप का नाम]
ड्रेस कोड: [ड्रेस कोड]
रात्रि भोज साथ में
आपकी उपस्थिति से महफ़िल सजेगी।
[परिवार का नाम]
नमस्ते [नाम] जी,
शादी से पहले [दिन, तारीख़] की शाम हमने एक सूफ़ी नाइट रखी है: क़व्वाली, संगीत और खाना, रात [समय] बजे से, [स्थान] पर।
आप ज़रूर आइए।
ड्रेस कोड: [ड्रेस कोड]
लोकेशन और RSVP: [लिंक]
[आपका नाम]
Ek shaam, qawwali ke naam!
[Naam] aur [Naam] ki Sufi Night
[Din, Tareekh] · raat [Samay] baje se
[Venue]
Dress code: [Dress code]
Aap aaoge toh mehfil jamegi. RSVP: [link]
The sangeet ends. The night doesn't.
After Party
[Day, Date] · after the sangeet
[Venue]
For everyone who stays till the DJ gives up.
Dress code: [Dress code], or anything you can dance in.
In? Tell us here: [link]
Sangeet ke baad asli party!
After Party · [Din, Tareekh]
Sangeet khatam hote hi, [Venue] par
Sirf doston ke liye. Aa rahe ho? [link]
[Bride's name]'s Bachelorette
One last night out before she is a bride.
[Day, Date] · [Time]
[Place]
Theme: [Theme]
Just the bride's friends. Reply here: [link]
Tonight: Shaam-e-Sufi from [Time] at [Venue].
Dress code: [Dress code]
Map: [link]
The qawwals start on time, so come early for a good seat.
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
What is a Sufi night in a wedding?
An evening of qawwali and Sufi music, with a qawwali group or Sufi singers, dinner, and often low seating and lanterns. Guests mostly sit and listen rather than dance. It is usually held on the first evening of the functions or the night before the wedding.
When is the Sufi night held in an Indian wedding?
On the first evening of the functions, or the night before the wedding as a family get-together. If it is outdoors, start by 7:30 or 8 pm, because loudspeakers in the open must stop at 10 pm unless the state has relaxed the rule that night.
What should a Sufi night invitation say?
The name, such as Sufi Night or Shaam-e-Sufi, whose evening it is, the day, date and start time, the venue with a map, who is singing, the dress code, whether dinner is served, and how to reply.
What is the dress code for a Sufi night?
Whatever you choose, in one line. Ivory and gold, whites and pastels, jewel tones or simply Indian festive are common choices. If it is outdoors on a winter night, say so, so guests bring a shawl.
Can we keep the Sufi night off some guests' invitations?
Yes. Make one link with the Sufi night and one without it, or give every guest a personal link that shows only their functions. Take the evening's dress code off the second link too, or the outfit section gives it away.
What is the difference between a Sufi night and a sangeet?
A sangeet is the family's music night, with performances by relatives and friends and a dance floor. A Sufi night brings in qawwals or Sufi singers, and guests sit and listen. Some families hold both, on different evenings.
Is a Sufi night only for Muslim weddings?
No. Qawwali comes from the Sufi tradition, and Sufi nights are held at weddings of many faiths in India. Check what each song says before you choose it, because many qawwalis are prayers.
Can a qawwali be the background song of the invitation?
Yes, once you know what it says. Many qawwalis are devotional, and some are songs of parting. Read the words or ask someone who knows the language, then send the full track and the second it should start from.
How do I write an after party invitation for a wedding?
Name it, give the day and the place, and instead of a clock time write 'after the sangeet' or 'after the reception', because it starts when the function before it ends. Send it only to the friends it is for, on a link the parents do not get.
Should the after party be on the main wedding invitation?
Only on the links of the guests invited to it. Families keep the after party, the bachelorette and the pajama party off the parents' and elders' links, along with their dress codes.
