Nikah invitation video, with the Bismillah and the Walima in one invite

What goes into a Nikah invitation video?

The same things that go on a good printed Nikah card, just in order, one scene at a time. A Muslim wedding invitation video on Nimantran plays like this:

1. Bismillah. "بِسْمِ ٱللَّٰهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ" in Arabic calligraphy, with "In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful" underneath.
2. The families. For example "Mrs Rukhsana & Mr Irfan Siddiqui… request the pleasure of your company". Optional, but most families keep it.
3. The couple. Bride and groom names, with your first photo if you add one.
4. One scene per function. Mehendi or Manjha, the Nikah, the Walima, a dholki night if you are having one. Each gets its own date, time, venue and address.
5. Photos (if you add two or more), then a closing line, your hashtag and up to three RSVP contacts.

With three functions the video runs around 35 to 40 seconds. That is long enough for Khala to read the venue, short enough that nobody skips it in the family group.

What does not go on the invite: the Mehr. It is agreed between the families and written in the nikahnama, and it is nobody else's business. Same with the details of the ijab-o-qubool, where the bride and groom each give their consent before the Qazi and two witnesses. Guests only need to know when to arrive.

How do you word a Nikah and Walima invitation?

Most Indian Muslim families write English invites with a few familiar phrases kept in Roman script: "Insha'Allah", "with the blessings of Allah", "Assalamu Alaikum", and at the bottom, "Talib-e-Dua" (seeking your prayers) before the family name. Use the wordings below in the WhatsApp message that goes with the video, or on the e-card.

More messages, including reminders and RSVP nudges, are in our WhatsApp invitation message guide.

Who hosts the Nikah and the Walima, and when are they held?

Customs differ between families and regions, so treat this as the usual pattern, not a rulebook. Your Nikah walima invitation should follow whatever your two families have agreed.

The time field needs a clock time. If your card would say "after Asr namaz", put the approximate time in the video (say 4:30 PM) and write "after Asr namaz" in the WhatsApp message or the closing line. Guests who are not from the community will thank you.

Can the invite be in Hindi or Urdu?

Honest answer: the invite text is English, Hindi (Devanagari) or both together. The only Arabic on the video is the Bismillah calligraphy at the start. There is no Urdu (Nastaliq) text yet, so names, families and venues are written in English or Devanagari.

• In Hindi mode the functions get Hindi names: निकाह, वलीमा, मेहंदी, with taglines like "निकाह की मुबारक घड़ी" and "दावत-ए-वलीमा".
• You can type names in Devanagari with the nukta where it belongs: ज़ोया, क़ुरैशी, फ़ातिमा. Check them with someone who reads Hindi before you pay.
• Bilingual mode puts the Hindi line first with English underneath, which suits a guest list split between Nani's friends and the groom's office.
• If some elders read only Urdu, a phone call or a printed card still does that job better than any video. Send the video to everyone else.

Which design and music suit a Nikah invite?

The Nikah Emerald design was drawn for exactly this: emerald green, gold geometric patterns and glowing lanterns, with the Bismillah as its default opening. But any blessing works with any design. Some families pick Royal Maroon & Gold with the Bismillah for a big Walima, or Modern Minimal for a small Nikah at home.

On music: plenty of families prefer an invite with no music for a Nikah, and that is one tap in the editor. Otherwise there are four instrumental recordings (the sample above uses Bach's Air for strings), or you can add a file from your own phone, such as a nasheed recording you have the right to use. It stays on your phone and is never uploaded.

Should the Walima have its own invite?

Often, yes. The Walima is the groom's family's dinner, and their guest list is usually not the same as the bride's. Two ways to handle it:

• One invite for everyone. Both families in the family line, all functions in one video. Simple, and it works when the guest lists overlap a lot.
• Two invites. The bride's family sends Mehendi and Nikah; the groom's family sends Nikah and Walima, or just Walima. Each invite is ₹499 (pay once per invite), and each family can edit its own link.

If the caterer wants numbers per function, the ₹999 invite website lets guests RSVP separately for the Nikah and the Walima, and shows you the headcount for each. Planning the other functions too? See our mehendi invitation video and reception invitation video pages, and when to send wedding invitations.

Questions people ask