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Urdu Wedding Invitation Wording: Phrases That Never Go Out of Style
The classic Urdu and Arabic phrases used on Pakistani wedding invitations, what they mean, and where each one belongs.
Zainab Rehman
Community & Culture
Even a fully English invitation is warmer with a line of Urdu on it. These are the phrases families have used for generations — and the ones our couples reach for most often.
Opening the invitation
بسم اللہ الرحمٰن الرحیم
وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ أَنْ خَلَقَ لَكُم مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَاجًا
Naming the event
- تقریبِ نکاح — Taqreeb-e-Nikah, the Nikah ceremony
- دعوتِ ولیمہ — Dawat-e-Valima, invitation to the Valima
- رسمِ مہندی — Rasm-e-Mehndi, the Mehndi ceremony
- تقریبِ بارات — Taqreeb-e-Baraat, the Baraat function
- رسمِ حنا — Rasm-e-Hina, a more formal name for the henna ceremony
The request itself
آپ کی تشریف آوری باعثِ مسرت ہوگی
برائے مہربانی تشریف لا کر ہماری خوشیوں میں شریک ہوں
Closing with dua
اللہ تعالیٰ اس جوڑے کو ہمیشہ خوش رکھے
بَارَكَ اللَّهُ لَكُمَا وَبَارَكَ عَلَيْكُمَا وَجَمَعَ بَيْنَكُمَا فِي خَيْرٍ
A note on transliteration
If part of your guest list reads Urdu comfortably and part does not, use the script and a short English line beneath it — not a Roman-Urdu transliteration. 'Taqreeb-e-Nikah' helps nobody: those who read Urdu would rather see the script, and those who do not would rather see 'Nikah Ceremony'.