Wedding reception invitations: who hosts, when it happens, and what to write
The reception is the one function at an Indian wedding with no religious content at all, which is exactly why it is the most flexible and the most confusing to invite people to.
It has a different host, often a different city, usually a much larger guest list, and in several parts of India it happens before the wedding rather than after. This page sorts that out and gives wording.
Who hosts, and when
| Tradition | Name | When | Hosted by |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Indian, general | Reception | After the wedding | Groom's family |
| Muslim | Walima | After the Nikah | Groom's family |
| Bengali | Bou Bhaat | Day after the wedding | Groom's family |
| Tamil and Telugu | Reception | Very often the evening before the wedding | Either family |
| Marwari | Mooh Dikhai and reception | After the bride arrives | Groom's family |
Why the reception invitation is a different invitation
The reception guest list is usually the largest of the whole wedding. Colleagues, business contacts, extended community, neighbours. Many of these people were not at the ceremony and were never going to be.
That means the reception invitation should stand on its own. It should not assume the reader knows the wedding happened, it should not reference functions they were not invited to, and it should not make anyone wonder whether they missed something.
If you are sending one link for everything, mark clearly which functions each group is invited to. This is the single most common cause of awkwardness at Indian weddings, and it is entirely avoidable.
What belongs on it
- A start time and an end time. Receptions are the one function where guests want to know when they can leave.
- The dress code, since this is the function people most want to dress for.
- Whether dinner is served, and when. Many receptions run two hours of greeting before food, which nobody enjoys on an empty stomach.
- Parking or entry instructions for a hotel or a large venue.
- Whether there are speeches or a programme, because it changes when guests should be seated.
Reception invitation wording you can copy
Copy any of these and change the names, dates and places. They are written to be read out loud, so they sound right on a phone screen too.
Mr and Mrs [Surname]
request the pleasure of your company
at a reception in honour of the marriage of their son
[Name]
with
[Name]
[Day, Date] · [Time]
[Venue]
Dinner will be served.
We are married.
Come celebrate with us.
[Name] and [Name]
[Day, Date] · [Time] onwards
[Venue]
Dinner, music and far too many photographs.
[Name] weds [Name]
Reception: [Day, Date] · [Time]
[Venue]
Muhurtham: the following morning, [Time]
[Venue]
Yes, the reception is first. That is how we do it.
Vivah ke shubh avsar par,
Preetibhoj evam Swagat Samaroh
[Naam] evam [Naam]
[Din, Tithi] · [Samay]
[Sthaan]
Aapki upasthiti prarthaniya hai.
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Questions people actually ask
Who hosts the wedding reception?
Traditionally the groom's family in most North Indian communities, and the same for the Walima in Muslim families and Bou Bhaat in Bengali ones. In South India it is often hosted by either family and held the evening before the wedding.
Is the reception before or after the wedding?
After, in most of North India. Before, very commonly in Tamil and Telugu weddings. If yours is before, state it clearly and more than once, because guests from elsewhere will assume otherwise.
What is Bou Bhaat?
The Bengali reception, hosted by the groom's family the day after the wedding. It usually has its own guest list.
Can we invite people to only the reception?
Yes, and it is completely normal. It is usually the largest guest list of the wedding. Just make sure the invitation stands on its own and does not leave people wondering what they missed.
Should the reception invitation mention a dress code?
Yes. It is the function guests most want to dress for, and stating it saves a great many messages asking how formal to go.