On this page
- The three-line formula
- What to write to elders and relatives
- What to write to friends
- What to write to colleagues and business contacts
- When you send a PDF, a video or an image instead
- The wording Invifest wrote for sending on a couple's behalf
- What not to write
- Call, voice note or message: who gets what
- Wording you can copy
- Designs
- Questions
We make invitation websites that families send this way, so the advice below comes from what actually happens in those chats: the link that arrives without a picture, the uncle who expected a call, the business contact who should see the reception and nothing else.
The three-line formula
Every invitation message that works on WhatsApp has the same parts, whoever it is for. It is short enough to read in the notification, personal enough not to look forwarded, and it ends with the link.
- Greet them by relationNamaste Mama ji. Respected uncle. Dear Bua ji. The first words of your message are what shows in the notification and the chat list, so make them about the person, not a link.
- Say who, what and when, in one sentenceWho is getting married, the date and the city. Leave the function timings to the invitation: that is what it is for.
- One line of your own, then the linkSomething you would only say to this person, then the link on a line of its own at the very end.
Why the link goes last: the notification shows the first line, so a greeting gets read and a bare link gets skipped. WhatsApp also builds the preview picture from the first link in a message, so send one link only. Put a Google Maps link above your invitation link and the preview may show the map instead of your card.
What to write to elders and relatives
Elders read an invitation message the way they would receive a card at the door. Use the relation with 'ji', say who is inviting (the parents, in most families), and ask for their blessings, not only their attendance.
- The relation, not the first name. Mama ji, Bua ji, Mausi ji, Tau ji, Chacha ji. For family friends, uncle and aunty the way you address them at home.
- Who is inviting. In most Indian families the invitation comes from the parents. If you are the one sending it, say so: 'Mummy and Papa have asked me to send you this.'
- 'With family' when you mean it. Sapariwar, or 'with your family', tells the household they are all invited. Leave it out and some will read the message as inviting one person.
- Their script. An elder who reads Hindi on the phone reads Devanagari more easily than Hindi typed in English letters. There are Hindi messages in both scripts on a page of their own.
What to write to friends
Friends need less ceremony and more warmth. Hinglish is fine, a joke is fine, and the most useful thing you can add is the line they will act on: which functions they are invited to, and when to book leave.
- Name their functions. Friends are often invited to the sangeet and the wedding but not the puja. Saying so saves you a dozen 'are we invited to the haldi?' messages.
- A group post is an announcement, not an invitation. If you post in the college group, send each close friend a personal line too. Two words in their own chat, 'aana hi hai', do more than the whole group post.
- Tell friends abroad early. They need leave, flights and sometimes a visa, so send the date and the city months ahead. A save the date does exactly this job.
What to write to colleagues and business contacts
Short, formal and about one function, usually the reception. Families we make invitations for often ask for a separate link that shows only the reception, for business contacts and the father's friends, so nobody opens the invitation and finds three functions they were not asked to.
That matters because anyone who has your main link can see every function on it. On an Invifest invitation you can add a separate link with only one event on it at checkout, or use Aangan, the guest dashboard, where every guest gets a personal link with only their own functions. The ways to do it are compared in inviting guests to only some functions, and there is a full page of messages for colleagues, your boss and clients, from the team email to the Hindi card for business contacts.
When you send a PDF, a video or an image instead
Some relatives would rather have a file they can keep, and a PDF or a short video is a good way to reach them. The message changes in one way: a file cannot be corrected once it is sent. If a time moves, everyone who has the PDF has the wrong time, so point them to the link for the final details.
- Say what the file is. 'Our wedding card is attached' tells an elder what they are about to open.
- Say it has sound. A video invitation usually carries a song, and 'please turn the sound on' gets it watched properly.
- Never send an invitation as an app. Police in Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Maharashtra have warned about fake wedding cards on WhatsApp that install malware. Their advice is that a genuine card comes as an image or a PDF, never as an APK file, and that shortened links deserve suspicion. So send your link in full, where people can see what it is.
The wording Invifest wrote for sending on a couple's behalf
When someone else sends the invitation, a sibling, a cousin or a wedding planner, the message should say so. Invifest wrote the first sample below for sending a couple's invitation to their guests, and it suits anyone sending for someone else.
It works because it does three things in three sentences: it names the guest, it says whose invitation this is, and it tells them what they will find when they open it, which is exactly what a cautious elder wants to know before tapping a link.
What not to write
- A one-line 'pls come' to an elder. It reads like a forward. Three short lines with their relation and yours take ten seconds more.
- Someone else's forward with their details still in it. If you start from a message you received, read every line before you send it: the names, the dates, the venue and the sign-off.
- Your home address, in a message that will be forwarded far beyond the people you sent it to. Name the venue, and give the house address by phone to the people who need it.
- Ten lines of shayari before the date. One couplet is lovely. Keep the date and the city where they can be seen without scrolling.
- Anything you are not sure of. WhatsApp lets you edit a message for 15 minutes after sending it, and the edited message is marked as edited. After that it stays as it is. Keep the details that might change on the invitation link, where a correction reaches everyone who has it.
Call, voice note or message: who gets what
| Who | First | Then |
|---|---|---|
| Grandparents and the eldest relatives | A visit, or a call from the parents | A printed card or the link, whichever they prefer |
| Close family: mama, bua, mausi, chacha | A call or a voice note | The link, with a personal message |
| Wider family and family friends | A personal WhatsApp message | The link, in the same message |
| Friends | A personal message, or the group post plus a line to each | The link |
| Colleagues and business contacts | A word in person, or a short formal message | A link with only the function they are invited to |
Most couples we make invitations for print thirty to fifty cards for the people they will visit, and send the link to everyone else. A WhatsApp invitation is enough for most guests, as long as the people who expect more get more. Our guide to digital and printed invitations covers that mix, and how to send wedding invitations on WhatsApp covers the sending itself: broadcast lists, your parents' phones, and three hundred guests without getting your number blocked.
Wedding invitation messages you can copy
Grouped by who they are for: sent on the couple's behalf, elders and relatives, friends, colleagues, files, and the replies guests send back. Change the words in brackets, and keep the link on its own line at the end.
Namaste [Name],
[Couple's names] would be honoured by your presence, and have asked us to share their wedding invitation with you.
Inside you will find every function with its date and time, the venue with a map, and a place to send your reply.
[Link]
Namaste Mama ji and Mami ji,
I am getting married on [Date] in [City], and it would not feel complete without you both. Mummy and Papa will call you too, but I wanted to send you the invitation myself.
Every function, the timings and the venue map are here:
[Link]
Please do come and bless us.
Respected [Name] ji,
With the blessings of the elders, we are happy to share that our daughter [Bride's name] will marry [Groom's name], son of [Mr and Mrs Surname], on [Date] in [City].
We would be honoured if you and your family could join us and bless the couple. The invitation, with every function and the map, is here:
[Link]
[Parents' names] and family
आदरणीय [नाम] जी,
सादर प्रणाम।
हमारे बेटे [नाम] की शादी [तिथि] को [शहर] में तय हुई है। आप सपरिवार आकर वर-वधू को आशीर्वाद दें, यही हमारी इच्छा है।
सभी कार्यक्रम, समय और स्थान का नक्शा इस लिंक पर है:
[लिंक]
[माता-पिता के नाम] एवं परिवार
Namaste [Naam] ji,
Hamari beti [Naam] ki shaadi [Tithi] ko [Shahar] mein tay hui hai. Aap sab ka aana aur aashirwad dena hamare liye bahut maayne rakhta hai.
Saare functions, timings aur venue ka map is link par hai:
[Link]
Saadar,
[Naam] parivar
प्रणाम [दादीजी],
[तिथि] को हमारी शादी है। हम आपको फ़ोन भी करेंगे, पर कार्ड पहले भेज रहे हैं ताकि आप आराम से देख सकें।
आपका आशीर्वाद सबसे ज़रूरी है। सारी जानकारी इस लिंक पर है:
[लिंक]
Namaste everyone,
With the blessings of all the elders, [Bride's name] and [Groom's name] are getting married on [Date] in [City]. You are all invited, with your families.
Every function, the timings, the venue map and the RSVP are on this link:
[Link]
We will call each of you as well. Please reply on the link so we can plan the arrangements properly.
Dear [Name] uncle and aunty,
You have watched [Name] grow up, so we wanted you to hear it from us: [he/she] is getting married on [Date] at [Venue], [City].
Please come with the whole family. The invitation and the map are here:
[Link]
[Your names]
Namaste [Name] ji,
We had hoped to come and give you the card in person, but the distance has not allowed it this time. Please accept this as our personal invitation.
[Bride's name] and [Groom's name] are getting married on [Date] in [City]. Every detail is on the link:
[Link]
We will call you this week. Your blessings mean a great deal to us.
Namaste [Mausi ji], pranaam. Main [Your name] bol [raha/rahi] hoon.
[Naam] ki shaadi pakki ho gayi hai, [Tithi] ko, [Shahar] mein. Hum khud aakar card dena chahte the, par is baar ho nahi pa raha. Card aur saari details abhi WhatsApp par bhej rahe hain.
Aap sab ko zaroor aana hai. Aapka intezaar rahega.
Oye [Name]! Finally ho raha hai.
[Date] ko meri shaadi hai, [City] mein. Tere bina sangeet ka dance floor khaali rahega, toh chhutti abhi se apply kar de.
Saari details, timings aur location is link pe:
[Link]
Aana hi hai, koi bahana nahi chalega.
Hi [Name],
It's happening! [Partner's name] and I are getting married on [Date] in [City], and we would really love you there.
You are invited to the [Sangeet] and the wedding. The timings, the venue and a place to tell us you're coming are all on the invitation:
[Link]
Block the dates?
Hello everyone!
The one you all said would never settle down is getting married. [Date], [City].
All of you are invited. Timings, the map and the RSVP are here:
[Link]
Reply on the link by [RSVP date] so I can sort out the rooms. The group photo is compulsory.
Hi [Name],
Saving you a seat, and a room! I'm getting married in [City], India, with the functions running from [Date] to [Date]. I know it's a long way, so I wanted to tell you early.
Everything is on the invitation, including the venues and what to wear:
[Link]
Tell me if you need help with flights or a hotel.
Hi [Name], it has been far too long, and I would love to fix that at my wedding.
I'm getting married to [Partner's name] on [Date] in [City]. It would mean a lot to see you there.
Here is the invitation: [Link]
Breaking news: [Name] ki shaadi pakki ho gayi hai. Haan, sach mein.
[Date] ko [City] mein. Khaana zabardast hoga, DJ loud hoga, aur tumhari attendance compulsory hai.
Details aur RSVP: [Link]
[Bride's name] and [Groom's name] are getting married on [Date] in [City], and we would love you there. Invitation: [Link]
Hi [Name],
I'm getting married on [Date], and I would be very happy if you could come to our reception on [Reception date] at [Venue], from [Time].
The invitation and the map are here: [Link]
Thanks,
[Your name]
Respected [Name] ji,
I am pleased to invite you to the wedding reception of my son [Groom's name], on [Date] at [Venue], [City], from [Time].
Your presence would be an honour for our family. The invitation, with the venue map, is here:
[Link]
With regards,
[Your name]
[Company]
Namaste [Name] ji,
Our wedding card is attached as a PDF. [Bride's name] and [Groom's name] are getting married on [Date] in [City], and we would be honoured by your presence.
If any timing changes, the latest details will always be on this link:
[Link]
Namaste [Name] ji,
We made a short video invitation for [Name]'s wedding, and we wanted you to see it first. Please turn the sound on.
Wedding: [Date], [Venue], [City]
Full schedule and map: [Link]
Please come and bless the couple.
Sharing our wedding card with love.
[Bride's name] weds [Groom's name]
[Date] · [Venue], [City]
The schedule, the map and the RSVP are on the link: [Link]
Congratulations, and thank you so much for the invitation! We will definitely be there for the [Wedding]. Many blessings to [Bride's name] and [Groom's name].
Many congratulations to the couple, and thank you for thinking of us. We are sorry we will not be able to make it on [Date], but our blessings are with them. We will call you soon.
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Questions people ask
What should I write when sending a wedding invitation on WhatsApp?
A greeting by relation, who is getting married, the date and the city, one line of your own, then the link on a line of its own at the end. Keep it under fifty words: the invitation carries everything else, from the function timings to the map.
Is it okay to invite relatives only on WhatsApp?
For most guests, yes, and most families now do. For grandparents, the eldest relatives and very close family, call or visit first and send the link after, so the message follows the invitation instead of replacing it. Many families print thirty to fifty cards for these people and send the link to everyone else. Is it rude to send a wedding invitation on WhatsApp? goes through it person by person.
Should the message be in Hindi or English?
Match the person. Devanagari for elders who read Hindi on their phones, Roman Hindi or Hinglish for cousins and friends, English for colleagues and anyone who writes to you in English. There are Hindi messages in both scripts on a page of their own.
Should I send the same message to everyone?
A broadcast saves time but reads like a forward. Putting the person's name or relation in the first line changes that, and it takes seconds per guest. For a long list, Aangan, Invifest's guest dashboard, sends every guest a personal link from your own WhatsApp in a few taps, and shows you who has opened it and who is coming.
Why does my invitation link show no preview?
Wait for the preview card to load above the typing box before you press send. If it never appears, look in Settings, Privacy, Advanced on the sending phone: one family we worked with found 'Disable link previews' switched on there. On another family's phone, WhatsApp Business would not build a preview that ordinary WhatsApp built for the same link. And after a cover photo changes, WhatsApp can keep showing the old picture for a while.
When should I send the WhatsApp invitation?
Six to eight weeks before the wedding for most guests, and four to six weeks for smaller functions such as the Mehndi and the Sangeet, as our invitation timeline sets out. Send earlier to anyone who has to travel. Many families also wait for an auspicious day, or until the first card has been offered to Ganesh ji, before the rest go out.
How do I reply to a wedding invitation on WhatsApp?
Congratulate the couple, thank them for the invitation and say whether you will come, in one or two lines. If the invitation has a reply form, fill it in as well, because that is where the family counts heads. Two replies you can copy are at the end of the samples.
