The barat is over, the rukhsati has happened, and now the groom's family is hosting the dinner. The walima card is their invitation, in their voice, and it should read clearly on a phone because that is where most guests will see it.
Quick answer: good walima card wording has five parts: Bismillah at the top, the line "Dawat-e-Walima" (or "Walima Reception"), the groom's and bride's names with their parents, the day, date and dinner time, and the venue with city. End with a "Muntazir" or RSVP line from the groom's family. Keep it short, and send the same wording in English and Urdu if your guests are mixed.
What walima card wording should include
The walima is the reception that makes the marriage public, hosted by the new couple and the groom's family (see marriage customs in Pakistan). Because it comes after the nikah and barat, the card can be a little lighter in tone, but the facts still need to be exact:
- Bismillah at the top, in Arabic or written out.
- The heading: "Dawat-e-Walima", "Walima Reception" or "بسلسلہ دعوتِ ولیمہ".
- Hosts: the groom's parents, e.g. "Mr & Mrs Javed Iqbal request the pleasure of your company".
- The couple: the groom first ("Hamza, son of Javed Iqbal"), then the bride ("with Ayesha, daughter of Tariq Mehmood").
- Day, date and time: write the day as well as the date. Say "dinner 8:00 pm" so guests know a meal is served.
- Venue and city: hall or hotel name, then the city.
- Muntazir or RSVP: one or two names and a phone number from the groom's side.
Fathers' names are optional. Many families keep them because elders expect them; others leave them off a short WhatsApp card.
Formal walima card wording in English
This is the classic version for a printed card or a formal WhatsApp picture:
Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Raheem
Mr & Mrs Javed Iqbal
request the pleasure of your company
at the Walima Reception of their son
Hamza
with
Ayesha
daughter of Mr Tariq Mehmood
on Saturday, 19 December 2026
Dinner at 8:00 pm
Pearl Continental, Lahore
Muntazir: Javed Iqbal & family · 0300 0000000
A warmer, shorter English version
With the blessings of Allah
we invite you to the Walima of
Hamza & Ayesha
Saturday, 19 December 2026 · Dinner 8:00 pm
Pearl Continental, Lahore
Your presence will make our joy complete.
— Javed Iqbal & family
If you are still deciding on the nikah card too, our guide to nikah invitation card wording uses the same names and format, so the two cards match.
Walima card in Urdu: dawat e walima wording
For many families the Urdu card is the main one. The structure is the same, but the wording follows its own formal pattern:
بسم اللہ الرحمن الرحیم
بسلسلہ دعوتِ ولیمہ
عزیزم حمزہ ابنِ جاوید اقبال
ہمراہ عزیزہ عائشہ بنتِ طارق محمود
آپ کی شرکت ہمارے لیے باعثِ مسرت ہوگی
بروز ہفتہ، ۱۹ دسمبر ۲۰۲۶
وقتِ طعام: رات ۸ بجے
بمقام: پرل کانٹینینٹل، لاہور
منتظرین: جاوید اقبال و اہلِ خانہ
Short Urdu version
بسم اللہ الرحمن الرحیم
دعوتِ ولیمہ
حمزہ و عائشہ
ہفتہ، ۱۹ دسمبر · رات ۸ بجے
پرل کانٹینینٹل، لاہور
Write Urdu dates and times the Urdu way: "ہفتہ، ۱۹ دسمبر" and "رات ۸ بجے", not "8:00 PM" dropped into an Urdu line. It looks more natural and elders read it faster.
Walima invitation message for WhatsApp
The card is the picture; the message is the text you type under it. Keep it to three or four lines so it shows fully in the chat preview:
Assalam o Alaikum! Alhamdulillah, Hamza and Ayesha's walima is on Saturday, 19 December at Pearl Continental Lahore, dinner at 8:00 pm. We would love to have you with us. Card attached. — Javed Iqbal & family
An Urdu message to go with it:
السلام علیکم! الحمدللہ، حمزہ اور عائشہ کا ولیمہ بروز ہفتہ، ۱۹ دسمبر، پرل کانٹینینٹل لاہور میں ہے۔ کھانا رات ۸ بجے۔ آپ کی شرکت ہمارے لیے خوشی کا باعث ہوگی۔
Send it to each family chat yourself rather than relying on one big forward. WhatsApp limits forwarding to five chats at a time, and a message that has been forwarded many times can only go to one chat at once, so a personal send is quicker and feels warmer.
Useful extra lines for the note
Most walima cards have room for one short note at the bottom. Pick one, not all of them:
| Purpose | English | Urdu |
|---|---|---|
| RSVP | Muntazir: Javed Iqbal & family · 0300 0000000 | منتظرین: جاوید اقبال و اہلِ خانہ |
| Dress code | Dress code: formal, pastels or ivory | لباس: رسمی |
| Timing | Guests are requested to arrive by 8:00 pm | مہمانوں سے گزارش ہے کہ رات ۸ بجے تشریف لائیں |
| Dua | Please keep the couple in your duas | نئے جوڑے کو اپنی دعاؤں میں یاد رکھیں |
Barat and walima on one card
When the same guests are invited to both, a combined card saves sending two pictures. List each event on its own line with its own day, time and venue:
Barat: Thursday, 17 December 2026 · Faletti's Hotel, Lahore
Walima: Saturday, 19 December 2026 · Dinner 8:00 pm · Pearl Continental, Lahore
A ready-made barat and walima card lays the two events out side by side, so guests can see at a glance which hall is which. If you want a separate card for each event instead, the "whole set" option makes one card per event, or one card with all events, or both.
Choosing a walima card design
The walima is usually the more relaxed, elegant evening, and the design can reflect that. Emerald, jade and bottle green feel calm and fresh; royal maroon, wine and ruby feel richer and more formal. All of them sit with gold frames: a Mughal jharokha arch, a dome, a scalloped mehrab arch, a classic border or a medallion. For more on matching colours and frames across events, see these nikah card design ideas, which apply just as well to walima.
You can add one of 11 illustrated couples, including faceless and back-view couples for families who prefer them, or leave the picture off completely. Premium designs add rose petals and royal gold details, and let you use your own photo.
Wording for a small or home walima
Not every walima is a hotel dinner. If the family is hosting a smaller gathering at home or in a lawn, the wording can be simpler and more personal:
Alhamdulillah, Hamza and Ayesha are now married.
Please join us for a small Walima dinner
Saturday, 19 December 2026 · 8:00 pm
At our home, Lahore
— Javed Iqbal & family
Share the exact address privately with guests rather than putting it on a card that may be forwarded.
Common walima card mistakes
- Missing the day. "19 December" alone makes guests check a calendar. "Saturday, 19 December" does not.
- No dinner time. Write "Dinner 8:00 pm" so guests know when food is served.
- Bride's family as hosts. The walima is hosted by the groom's family; the card should say so.
- Different details in English and Urdu. Check names, date and venue match on both.
- Too many lines. If guests need to zoom in on a phone, cut something.
Making the card and an invitation website
On the nikah and walima card maker you type the names once, choose "walima" as the event, pick English or Urdu and download a 1080×1920 picture for WhatsApp and a PDF. It is free, with no sign-up. Each card page also shows ready-to-copy wording in both languages, so you can paste the WhatsApp message straight from there.
If you want more than a picture, the same page makes an invitation website at an address like chatwrapper.site/i/ayesha-hamza, with a countdown, the programme with Google Maps directions and Add to Google Calendar, and RSVP with guest count, so the groom's family can see who is coming. That part needs a free account. Our guide to an online wedding invitation website explains how it works.
Whatever you choose, keep the walima wording short, warm and accurate. Guests will remember the evening, not the card, but a clear card gets them there on time.
