Shadi card format: the order of lines on a Pakistani wedding card, with 3 samples

A Pakistani shadi card (or shaadi card) follows a format that has barely changed in fifty years, and that is a good thing: guests know where to look for the date and the hall. The format is a fixed order of lines: an opening, the host line, the couple's names with their parents, the functions with day, date, time and venue, the contact or RSVP, and the closing words. This guide lays out that order, gives three complete samples and shows how the same format sits on a digital card.

If you want the text itself rather than the layout, the Urdu samples are in شادی کارڈ کا نمونہ and the English ones in shadi card matter in English. This post is about the shape of the card.

The order of lines

• 1. Opening: بسم اللہ الرحمٰن الرحیم, a verse, or a short Masha'Allah line. Some families leave this out on the public card.
• 2. Host line: who is inviting. 'Mr. and Mrs. [Name] request the pleasure of your company' or محترم و مکرم followed by the family name at the end.
• 3. The couple: the groom's name with his father's name (ولد), and the bride's with hers (بنت). The bride's side puts the bride first; the groom's side puts the groom first.
• 4. The functions: one block per function in order, each with the day, the date, the time and the venue. Mehndi, Nikah, Baraat and Rukhsati, Walima. Decide which go on the card: see how many functions to list.
• 5. RSVP or contact: at least one phone number, and a date to reply by if the hall needs a count.
• 6. Closing: المنتظر, منجانب, دعاگو or 'with best compliments', followed by the names of the elders and the family.
• 7. Small lines: 'no boxed gifts', 'ladies and gents separate', parking, dress code; these go in a corner or on the inside page.

Sample 1: Urdu format, bride's side

بسم اللہ الرحمٰن الرحیم — محترم و مکرم! السلام علیکم۔ اللہ تعالیٰ کے فضل و کرم سے ہماری صاحبزادی [دلہن کا نام] کی شادی [دولہا کا نام] ولد [نام] کے ساتھ طے پائی ہے۔ اس خوشی کے موقع پر آپ کی شرکت ہمارے لیے باعثِ مسرت ہوگی۔

• مہندی: بروز [دن]، [تاریخ]، بوقت [وقت]، بمقام [گھر کا پتہ]
• بارات و رخصتی: بروز [دن]، [تاریخ]، بوقت [وقت]، بمقام [ہال کا نام، علاقہ]
• رابطہ: [نمبر] — المنتظر: [والد کا نام] و اہلِ خانہ

Sample 2: English format, groom's side

Mr. and Mrs. [Name] request the pleasure of your company at the wedding of their son [Groom] with [Bride], daughter of Mr. and Mrs. [Name].

• Mehndi: [Day], [Date], [Time], [Venue, Area]
• Baraat: [Day], [Date], [Time], [Venue, Area]
• Walima: [Day], [Date], [Time], [Venue, Area]
• RSVP: [Name] [Number] by [Date] — With best compliments: [Family name]

Sample 3: bilingual format, both families

[Groom] & [Bride] — [دولہا کا نام] و [دلہن کا نام]۔ The families of [Name] and [Name] invite you to the wedding celebrations of their children. [نام] اور [نام] کے خاندان آپ کو اپنے بچوں کی شادی کی تقریبات میں مدعو کرتے ہیں۔

• Nikah / نکاح: [Day, Date], after Asr, [Masjid, Area]
• Baraat / بارات: [Day, Date], [Time], [Venue, Area]
• Walima / ولیمہ: [Day, Date], [Time], [Venue, Area]
• RSVP / رابطہ: [Number] — Awaiting your arrival / المنتظر: [Family names]

Mistakes that confuse guests

• A date without the day: '14 December' means less to an elder than 'Sunday, 14 December'. Write both.
• A hall without the area: there are two halls of the same name in most cities. Write the area or the road, and on a digital card attach the pin.
• Only one time for a function that has two parts: 'Nikah after Asr, dinner at 8' saves phone calls.
• No contact number. Someone will be lost at 8 pm.
• The bride's full name on a card that will be forwarded widely, when the family prefers not to. Put the full name on the private links and a first name on the public one.
• A verse printed on a card that will be thrown away; see Islamic wedding card design.
• Too many functions: a Dholki that only the girls attend does not need to be on the biradri's card.

The same format on a digital card

A digital shadi card keeps the same order: the opening line, the host line, the names, then each function as its own block with a map button and a calendar button, then the RSVP and the closing. Two things change. First, the card is in Urdu and English at the same time; the guest taps to switch. Second, each guest's private link shows their name, the seats held for them and only the functions they are invited to, so the Dholki can be on the card without being on everyone's card. If the hall or time changes, every link updates and the format stays intact.

Among the designs, Noor and Lavish Wedding Theme follow the classic formal layout most closely; Taj Mahal puts a film under the same order of lines. Try one with your own names free, and see the wedding invitations page for the whole set.

Common questions

• Whose name comes first? The host side's child: the bride on the bride's family's card, the groom on the groom's. On a joint card, most families put the groom first, some the bride; either is fine.
• Should the grandfather's name be on it? If he is the elder of the house, yes, in the host or closing line.
• One card for all functions or separate cards? One card with all functions is the Pakistani default; a separate Walima card from the groom's side is common when the families are in different cities.
• Where does the 'no gifts' line go? Bottom corner, small; on a digital card it goes in the notes.

Related: شادی کارڈ کا مضمون for ten Urdu texts in this format, shadi card matter in Urdu and English for a bilingual card, and wedding invitation message in Urdu for the WhatsApp line that goes with it.

Is format par mobile se card banane ka tareeqa: shadi card kaise banaye.