Dawat-e-Walima card matter in English: 10 complete cards, line by line

'Card matter' is what Pakistani printers call the words on the card, and the Walima card has the most formal matter of the wedding week. Below are ten complete Dawat-e-Walima card texts in English, each written line by line in the order it sits on the card: heading, hosts, request, couple, day and time, venue, closing and RSVP. Copy the one closest to your situation and change the names.

If you want the same card in Urdu, the six texts in Dawat-e-Walima card in Urdu follow the same order. For shorter English paragraphs rather than full cards, see Dawat-e-Walima in English, and for what the words themselves mean, Dawat-e-Walima meaning.

The order of lines on a Walima card

• Opening: Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim, written in Arabic or English, or the heading 'Dawat-e-Walima' on its own.
• Hosts: the groom's parents, 'Mr. and Mrs. [Name]' or '[Father's name] and family'.
• Request line: 'request the honour of your presence' (most formal), 'cordially invite you' (warm) or 'would be delighted to have you' (modern).
• The occasion and the couple: 'at the Walima reception of their son [Groom] with [Bride], daughter of [Name]'.
• Day, date and time, then the venue with the city. The day of the week prevents more confusion than anything else.
• Closing: 'Awaiting your presence' (the English for المنتظر), followed by two or three family names.
• RSVP: one or two numbers, or 'Reply on the card' for an online invitation.

1. Classic matter from the groom's parents

• Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim
• Dawat-e-Walima
• Mr. and Mrs. [Father's name]
• request the honour of your presence at the Walima reception of their son
• [Groom's name]
• with
• [Bride's name], daughter of Mr. [Bride's father]
• on [Day], [Date] at [Time]
• at [Venue name, Address, City]
• Awaiting your presence: [Grandfather], [Uncle], [Uncle]
• RSVP: [Number], [Number]

2. With an Islamic opening

• In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
• 'And We created you in pairs' (Surah An-Naba, 78:8)
• By the grace of Almighty Allah, the Nikkah of our son [Groom] with [Bride], daughter of [Name], has been solemnised.
• [Father's name] and family seek the pleasure of your company at the Dawat-e-Walima
• on [Day], [Date], after Maghrib prayers
• at [Venue, City]
• Your presence and prayers will be our honour.
• Awaiting you: [Names]
• RSVP: [Number]

3. From the groom himself

• Dawat-e-Walima
• Alhamdulillah, I have entered a new chapter of life.
• [Groom's name] s/o [Father's name]
• invites you to the Walima dinner held in honour of my marriage with
• [Bride's name] d/o [Father's name]
• [Day], [Date] | Dinner at [Time]
• [Venue, City]
• Your presence will complete the occasion.
• RSVP: [Number]

4. When the groom's father has passed away

Many families want the late father's name on the card. The matter stays the same; only the host line changes, and the family's elder usually signs the closing.

• Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim
• Dawat-e-Walima
• Mrs. [Mother's name] and family
• request the honour of your presence at the Walima reception of her son
• [Groom's name] s/o (Late) [Father's name]
• with [Bride's name] d/o [Name]
• on [Day], [Date] at [Time]
• at [Venue, City]
• Awaiting your presence: [Elder brother], [Uncle]
• RSVP: [Number]

5. Baraat and Walima on one card

When both sides print one card, the bride's family hosts the Baraat line and the groom's family hosts the Walima line. Keep the hosts separate so nobody is thanked for the wrong dinner.

• Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim
• [Bride's father] and family, together with [Groom's father] and family,
• request the honour of your presence at the wedding ceremonies of
• [Bride's name] and [Groom's name]
• Baraat (hosted by the bride's family): [Day], [Date], [Time], [Venue]
• Walima (hosted by the groom's family): [Day], [Date], [Time], [Venue]
• Awaiting your presence: [Names from both families]
• RSVP: [Bride's side number] | [Groom's side number]

On an online card each function is its own block with a map and calendar button, and a guest invited only to the Walima can be sent a private link that shows the Walima alone.

6. A small Walima dinner at home or a restaurant

• Dawat-e-Walima
• Alhamdulillah, our son [Groom] is now married to [Bride].
• We are keeping the Walima small, and it would mean a great deal to have you with us for dinner.
• [Day], [Date] at [Time]
• [Home address or restaurant name, City]
• With love, [Father's name], [Mother's name] and family
• Please let us know by [Date]: [Number]

7. For family and friends abroad

When the Walima is in Pakistan and many guests are overseas, add the city and the time zone, and send the card a month early.

• Dawat-e-Walima
• Mr. and Mrs. [Father's name] of [City]
• request the pleasure of your company at the Walima reception of their son
• [Groom's name] with [Bride's name], daughter of Mr. [Name]
• [Day], [Date], [Time] (Pakistan Standard Time)
• [Hotel or hall, Address, City, Pakistan]
• Guests travelling from abroad are welcome to contact [Name] for accommodation: [Number or WhatsApp]
• Awaiting your presence: [Names]

8. For colleagues, clients and office friends

• Dawat-e-Walima
• [Groom's name] and family
• cordially invite you to the Walima reception celebrating the marriage of
• [Groom's name] and [Bride's name]
• [Day], [Date] | [Time]
• [Venue, City]
• Your presence will be a pleasure.
• RSVP by [Date]: [Number]

9. A lunch Walima after Jumma

• Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim
• Dawat-e-Walima
• [Father's name] and family
• request the honour of your presence at the Walima lunch of their son [Groom]
• with [Bride's name], daughter of [Name]
• Friday, [Date], after Jumma prayers (lunch at [Time])
• [Venue, City]
• Awaiting your presence: [Names]
• RSVP: [Number]

10. Short matter for WhatsApp and stories

• Dawat-e-Walima
• [Groom] weds [Bride]
• [Day], [Date] | [Time]
• [Venue, City]
• You are warmly invited. Details and map: [link]
• [Father's name] and family

Send it with a two-line message: 'Assalam-o-Alaikum! Alhamdulillah, [Groom]'s Nikkah has taken place. We would be honoured to have you at the Dawat-e-Walima on [Day, Date]; the card is here: [link]'. More messages are in wedding invitation messages for WhatsApp.

Lines you can swap in

• Request lines: 'request the honour of your presence' · 'solicit your gracious presence' · 'cordially invite you' · 'would be delighted to have you'.
• Occasion lines: 'at the Walima reception of their son' · 'at the Dawat-e-Walima of their son' · 'at the Walima dinner in honour of the marriage of'.
• Closing lines: 'Awaiting your presence' · 'With best compliments from' · 'Your presence and prayers are requested' · 'Looking forward to welcoming you'.
• Time lines: 'Dinner at 8:00 pm' · 'after Maghrib prayers' · '7:30 pm onwards'. Avoid 'sharp'; it reads as a scolding on a card.

Small rules for English Walima matter

• It is 'Walima', the spelling most Pakistani printers and websites use; 'Valima' is common in speech and 'Walimah' is the Arabic transliteration. Pick one and keep it.
• The Walima is the reception after the marriage, so write 'Walima reception' or 'Walima dinner', not 'marriage ceremony'. The Nikkah is the ceremony.
• The groom's family hosts. The bride is introduced as 'daughter of', never as a co-host, unless the couple is inviting in their own names.
• Use 'Mr. and Mrs. [Father's name]' or '[Father's name] and family'; do not mix both on one card.
• Write the day of the week, the date in full and the time once. 'Saturday, 14 November 2026, 8:00 pm' reads better than '14/11/26'.
• RSVP is a request for a reply, not a reminder; give a number and, if you want replies by a date, say so.

Putting the matter on a card

On Dawatnama you paste these lines into the card's text block, add the date with a calendar button and the hall with a map button, and the guest gets a page instead of a picture. Chandni and Jashan-e-Bahara are made for English matter; Noor suits a bilingual card with the Urdu text above the English. Open the Walima cards page, or try a design with your own names free. The complete guide to the function itself is Dawat-e-Walima, and the Urdu meaning of the word is in walima meaning in Urdu.

How to put this matter on a card and send it in minutes: Dawat-e-Walima card online.