It’s overwhelming how many Indian wedding invitation ideas are out there these days. You might have googled it too, right? Are you wondering what to incorporate in your Indian wedding Invitation cards? What do you say inside the invitation?What is the basic structure of an Indian wedding card? Remember, a destination wedding card will have additional/different wording requirements. It’s not that complicated! Just keep reading. Here are some SAWC tips that will tell you about the important things which you should remember while you are working on your wedding invitations:

Parents name
Your wedding invitation card is the first formal announcement of your love that you make even before you start planning your forever after. Indian wedding invitations usually mention parents’ names under the bride’s and groom’s name. In a formal invite, the parents name should be addressed with Mr. and Mrs. salutations to add a ceremonial touch to your invitation.

Names of Bride and Groom
The rule says that if the invitation is going out from the bride’s side, her name goes on the top and if it’s from the groom’s side, his name goes first. If the couple is sending out the same invitation card from both sides of the family, in that case, both Bride and Groom names are listed together.

Photo @mangostudios

Remember to include hall numbers and maps
Directions are most important for weddings especially with locations that are difficult to get to. All invitations MUST include the Hall numbers and names of the respective halls to make it convenient for the guests. It’s a key element that you should remember. It would be great and an apt choice if you attach a map of the venue with your invite.

RSVP
RSVPs have to go somewhere. Before doing your wording, you have to figure out what type of RSVP you want. All invitations must indicate a phone number for RSVP since a lot of guests might not be very tech-savvy. And remember! You will need to follow up with people who don’t respond. This is inevitable with Indian weddings regardless of everyone’s best intentions.

Background color and font of your card
It is important that the background and font color of your wedding card should complement each other because if both the background and the font colors are either bright or light, it will make it difficult for your guests to read. Make sure that you are mindful about the color scheme of your invitation cards.

Timeline for your invitation
Are you questioning when to send out your wedding invitations? Don’t worry. Here’s a reasonable timeline that you can follow:
Save the Date- 6+ months before the wedding date. ** Special tip- When sending out your save the dates, ask for guests mailing addresses so you can get a head start.
Wedding Invitations- 8 weeks before the wedding date
RSVP-4 weeks before the wedding date

Vidai/Doli/ Happy Tears
Sometimes people mention their Vidai timings on their invitation cards. You are not required to mention ‘Vidai’ on the cards unless you want the majority of your guests to stay for it. Consider whether you want it to be a private affair and then see where you would like to include it on the invite!

Did you get it proof-read?
Wording can be traditional or modern, depending on how you want it to be. You can use templates and then customize it the way it caters to your needs. The most important thing here is to have it proof-read by someone else. You can ask your fiancée, parents or siblings to look for some typos if any. Be sure to send the invitation wording draft to your wedding planner as well before sending for print.

A Gifting Tip
You obviously don’t want your guests to bring boxed gifts to your wedding. After all, who wants to carry those big boxes throughout the wedding? So, it is considered to be a good idea to add ‘No boxed gifts, please’ on the invitation cards to let your guests know about it beforehand. If you’re asking your guests to donate to the charity of your choice instead of giving you gifts, then you can include that information on the card.

Here at SAWC Planners, we work very closely with invitation vendors and with our couples to ensure no details are missed on your wedding invite. An invitation sets the tone of your wedding and we believe that it is important to set the right expectations of the event with your invitation. Be sure to get a custom logo designed to reflect both of you as a couple and that logo should be used on all of your stationery.