funvite makes the WhatsApp version something guests actually open. Instead of a PDF or a forwarded photo of a card, you send a link. It plays: a wax seal breaks and a royal scroll unrolls, or an envelope opens and the card slides out, or the invite arrives as a little chat from the couple. Then it settles into the details — every function, a map pin for each venue, and an RSVP so you know who is coming to what.
This page covers what a wedding invitation should include, how wording works across regions and faiths, how to plan the sending, and the templates you can start from today. If you already know what you need, jump to wedding invitation wording, wording in Hindi or sending on WhatsApp.
What every wedding invitation should include
Whatever the region, a good invitation answers the questions guests would otherwise call you about. Read your draft as a guest who knows neither family well: can they tell who is inviting them, to what, when, and where to go?
- An opening line or invocation — "Shri Ganeshaya Namah", "Ik Onkar", "Bismillah", a verse, or simply "with joy"
- Who is inviting: usually parents, often grandparents above them, sometimes the couple themselves
- The couple's full names, and whose son or daughter each one is
- Each function on its own line with date, start time and venue — haldi, mehendi, sangeet, wedding, reception
- The muhurat or ceremony time if guests should arrive for it, not just the start of the evening
- A map link for every venue, and a note on parking or the gate to use at large venues
- Dress code if there is one: yellow for haldi, Indo-western for sangeet, traditional for the pheras
- RSVP by a date, especially if you are booking rooms or a fixed head-count for catering
- A contact person who is not the bride or groom — a cousin or uncle who can answer questions
One invitation or one per function?
Most weddings invite different circles to different events. Close family comes to everything; colleagues may only be invited to the reception; the sangeet might be friends and cousins only. There are two common ways to handle it.
The first is a single main invitation that lists all functions, sent to close family, and a shorter reception-only version for everyone else. The second is separate invites for each function — a playful haldi invite, a sangeet invite with the dress code, a formal reception invite — each sent to the right group. On funvite you can duplicate an invite in a click and keep only the events a group should see, so nobody is accidentally invited to the mehendi.
Wording across regions and faiths
Wording is where families care most about getting it right. Hindu invitations in the north often open with a Ganesh invocation and close with "darshanabhilashi" or "swagatotsuk" followed by the family names. A Marathi lagna patrika names the kuladevata and the mangalashtak time. A Gujarati kankotri traditionally lists the Ganesh sthapana and mandap muhurat. Tamil and Telugu cards give the exact muhurtham window, which guests plan their morning around. A nikah invitation opens with the Bismillah and often pairs with a separate walima card. An anand karaj invite begins with Ik Onkar and names the gurdwara.
If your family has a line it always uses — a shloka, a family deity, a particular way of naming the elders — keep it. Templates are a starting point; every word on a funvite invite is editable, in any script.
Why families are moving to digital invitations
Many families still print a small number of cards for elders and send the digital version to everyone else. Both can carry the same wording; see digital wedding invitation for how the two work together.
- Reach: one link on WhatsApp reaches outstation and overseas guests the same day, without courier costs.
- Changes: venue moved or the sangeet starts an hour later? Edit once and everyone sees the update.
- Directions: each venue has its own map pin, which a printed card can't offer.
- Head-count: RSVPs per function tell you how many plates to order for each night.
- It is more fun: guests tap, swipe and play — and some of our templates end with a couple quiz or a quick game.
When to send the invitation
For a wedding with travel involved, send a save the date three to four months ahead and the full invitation six to eight weeks before. For a local wedding, four to six weeks is plenty. Function-specific invites such as haldi or sangeet can go out two to three weeks ahead, once timings are firm. A short reminder message the day before, with the map link, saves a lot of phone calls on the day.