South Indian wedding invitation video, with the muhurtham time up front

Can the invite be in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada or Malayalam?

Not yet, and we would rather say that up front. The invite text is English or Hindi (Devanagari), or both together. There is no Tamil, Telugu, Kannada or Malayalam text, so names, functions and venues are typed in English.

In practice most South Indian families already have an English side to their printed card, and English invites in the South have their own well-loved style (more on that below). The sample at the top, Meenakshi and Karthik in Chennai, is entirely in English.

• The opening blessing is either Shri Ganesh (॥ श्री गणेशाय नमः ॥ with a kalash and "With the blessings of Lord Ganesha") or none, which opens with the couple's initials.
• There is no Venkateswara, Murugan or Guruvayurappan opening. If your family card always starts with your kula deivam, pick "none" and mention the deity in your message instead.
• If you want the details in your own language for the elders, keep a printed card for them. The video is for the 300 people who will never receive one.

How do South Indian families word an English wedding invitation?

Formal, warm, and a little old-fashioned in the best way. You will see "We solicit your gracious presence", "Chi. Sow." (Chiranjeevi Sowbhagyavathi) before the bride's name, "Chi." before the groom's, "Smt." and "Sri" for the parents, and grandparents named on the card. A muhurtham invitation usually gives a time window, not a single time.

The video's family line uses the standard "request the pleasure of your company". Put the full "We solicit…" wording in your WhatsApp message, or use the closing line (up to 90 characters) for "Kindly bless the couple with your presence". More options are in our WhatsApp invitation message guide.

How do you show the muhurtham time on the video?

The muhurtham is fixed by the family priest from the panchangam, and it is often early: 6:00 to 7:30 AM, or 7:30 to 9:00, or 9:00 to 10:30 are all common slots. Guests need to be seated before it starts, so the start time is what matters most.

1. Add The Wedding, tap "Call it something else" and name it Muhurtham, the way the sample does.
2. Enter the start of the muhurtham as the time (7:30 AM). The time field takes one clock time.
3. Put the full window, "between 7:30 and 9:00 AM", in the message you send with the video.
4. If you want people there for the Kashi Yatra or the Oonjal, which happen before the muhurtham, give an earlier arrival time in the message. Nobody wants to miss the groom setting off for Kashi with his umbrella and being talked out of it.

Telugu weddings often have a night muhurtham, sometimes after midnight. The date on the video is the calendar date of the time you enter, so a 12:40 AM muhurtham on the night of the 27th belongs on the 28th. Write "night of 27 January" in your message so nobody turns up a day late.

Which functions go on a South Indian wedding invite?

It depends on the community, and every family has its own version. A typical Tamil wedding, which is what the sample shows, looks like this:

Telugu families might add Pellikuthuru and Pellikoduku, Kannadiga families the Naandi or Devara Samaradhane, and Malayali Hindu weddings are often just a short morning muhurtham followed by sadya. Use "Something else" for any of these. You can add up to 8 functions and reorder them, so a reception-first order is fine. For engagement-only invites, see our engagement invitation video page; for the evening, the reception invitation video page.

Which design suits a South Indian wedding?

The South Indian Temple design was drawn for this: Kanjeevaram silk colours, zari borders, brass lamps and jasmine strings, with Shri Ganesh as the default opening. Pair it with "Veena at dawn", one of the four built-in recordings, and it feels like the morning of a wedding in a kalyana mandapam.

For a Bengaluru couple who would rather keep it quiet, Modern Minimal (ivory, one gold line, big type) works well for a home wedding and a reception. You can switch designs at any time in the editor and your details stay.

Questions people ask