Guide

Walima invitation wording: 14 examples to copy

Walima invitation wording examples, traditional and modern, plus what to include and how to invite guests when the nikkah and walima are on different days.

The walima is the reception the groom side hosts after the marriage, and it carries a different tone from the nikkah: more celebration, more people, more food. The wording should reflect that. Here are fourteen examples, plus the structural decisions that cause most of the confusion.

Traditional and formal

Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Raheem. Mr and Mrs Ahmed Sulaiman request the honour of your presence at the Walima of their son Omar and his bride Khadija.

With hearts full of gratitude to Allah, the family of Ahmed Sulaiman invites you to join them at the Walima reception celebrating the marriage of Omar and Khadija.

The family of the groom cordially invites you to the Walima of Omar and Khadija, in accordance with the Sunnah of our beloved Prophet, peace be upon him. Dinner will be served.

It is with immense joy that we invite you to share in the Walima of our son Omar and his wife Khadija. Your presence and your duas would honour us.

Warm and modern

The nikkah is done. Now come and eat with us. Join Omar and Khadija for their Walima reception.

Two families, one table, far too much food. We would love you at Omar and Khadija's Walima.

We said qubool hai last month. This is the part with the biryani. Join us for our Walima.

Come celebrate the beginning of Omar and Khadija's life together. An evening of dinner, duas and dancing.

Bilingual and right-to-left wording

If a good share of your guests read Urdu or Arabic more comfortably than English, run both. Keep the names, date and venue identical in each version so nobody is reconciling two slightly different sets of details, and keep the reply action the same in both.

Walimah of Omar and Khadija. Saturday 12 September, 7:00 pm. Al-Noor Banquet Hall, Houston. Dinner served at 8:00. Your presence is our honour.

Please join us for the Walimah. We would be grateful for your duas and your company.

Short enough for a message

Walima, Omar and Khadija. Sat 12 Sept, 7pm, Al-Noor Hall. Tap to let us know by the 4th.

By the grace of Allah, Omar is married. Walima this Saturday at 7. Come hungry, reply by Thursday.

When the nikkah and walima are separate events

This is the part that produces the most confused guests. If the two are on different days, or in different cities, be explicit about which one this invitation is for and whether the guest is invited to both:

Nikkah ceremony, Friday 11 September, 5:00 pm, at the masjid. Walima reception, Saturday 12 September, 7:00 pm, at Al-Noor Hall. We would be honoured by your presence at both.

This invitation is for the Walima reception on Saturday 12 September. The nikkah was held privately with immediate family.

If a guest is invited to only one, say so plainly and warmly. Guests deal with that easily. What they cannot deal with is turning up on the wrong evening.

What belongs on a walima invitation

• The host line. Traditionally the groom family hosts the walima, so their names carry the invitation. Joint hosting is increasingly common and reads perfectly well.
• Both names of the couple, in the order your families expect.
• Date, start time, and when the meal is served. The gap between the two is worth stating, because guests plan around food.
• Venue with a maps link for anyone travelling in.
• Anything about the format: segregated or mixed seating, dress code, whether children are included.
• A reply request with a date and one way to answer.

Sending it

Walima lists get large fast, which is exactly where pricing models start to matter. Per-recipient pricing is punishing at this size: Paperless Post publishes $1.05 per guest on its Premium feature set, so a 400-guest walima runs to several hundred dollars for the sending alone. Free tiers can have their own cost, since Evite free carries third-party ads shown to your guests. The Evite and Paperless Post comparison puts both models side by side.

Dawat treats Muslim events as a first-class category rather than an afterthought, with Arabic and Urdu support and right-to-left wording handled properly. It is free at every guest count with unlimited guests, per-guest personally addressed links, open tracking and RSVP questions for meal choices. Write your walima invitation, or paste an existing one from a link and let it rebuild an editable draft.

Create your invitation — free →Unlimited guests. No card required.

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