The wording is the soul of a Gujarati wedding card. The paper and foil catch the eye, but it's the kankotri matter — the message, the muhurat, the family names — that carries the meaning and gets read aloud in living rooms across Gujarat. This guide gives you ready-to-use Gujarati wedding invitation messages for every situation, each with transliteration and an English translation so you can adapt them with confidence.
Every sample below is a template. Replace the bracketed
[…]parts with your own names, dates, and venue — and always proofread the final wording with a family elder before printing.
The Anatomy of a Gujarati Wedding Invitation
Before the samples, it helps to know the parts that make up a traditional kankotri:
- Invocation (મંગલ પ્રારંભ): a religious opening — most often Shri Ganeshay Namah, inviting Lord Ganesh's blessings for an auspicious start
- The invitation line (આમંત્રણ): a warm request for the guests' presence
- The couple: the bride's and groom's names, usually with parents' names
- Shubh muhurat (શુભ મુહૂર્ત): the auspicious date, tithi, and time
- Venue & sequence: where each function is held, in order
- Hosts & blessing: the inviting families' names and a closing blessing
Keep this structure and your card will read correctly, however you word the details.
Religious Invocation Lines
Most Gujarati kankotri open with one of these at the very top:
- શ્રી ગણેશાય નમઃ — Shri Ganeshay Namah — "Salutations to Lord Ganesh"
- || શ્રી ગણેશ પ્રસન્ન || — Shri Ganesh Prasann — "May Lord Ganesh be pleased"
- શ્રી કૃષ્ણ શરણમ્ મમઃ — Shri Krishna Sharanam Mamah — "I take refuge in Lord Krishna" (common in Vaishnav families)
- જય શ્રી કૃષ્ણ — Jai Shri Krishna — a familiar, warm blessing
Formal Kankotri Wording (Full Card)
Use this as the main matter of a traditional printed kankotri:
શ્રી ગણેશાય નમઃ
સ્નેહની સાંકળે બંધાયેલા આપ સૌ સ્નેહીજનોને અમારા ઘરના શુભ પ્રસંગે સાદર આમંત્રણ પાઠવીએ છીએ.
અમારા પુત્ર [ચિ. વરનું નામ] ના શુભ લગ્ન [ચિ. કન્યાનું નામ] સાથે
તારીખ [date] ના રોજ, [time] કલાકે, [venue] ખાતે યોજાયેલ છે.
આપની હાજરી અમારા આનંદમાં વૃદ્ધિ કરશે.
લિ. [કુટુંબનું નામ] પરિવાર
Transliteration: Shri Ganeshay Namah. Sneh-ni saankale bandhayela aap sau snehijano-ne amara ghar-na shubh prasange saadar aamantran paathviye chhiye. Amara putra [groom] na shubh lagna [bride] saathe, taarikh [date] na roj, [time] kalaake, [venue] khaate yojayel chhe. Aapni haajri amara aanand-maan vruddhi karshe. Li. [family] parivaar.
English: Salutations to Lord Ganesh. We warmly invite all of you, bound to us by affection, to the auspicious occasion in our home. The wedding of our son [groom] with [bride] is arranged on [date] at [time] at [venue]. Your presence will add to our joy. — The [family] family.
Short WhatsApp Invitation Messages
For sharing the card image or PDF with a caption, keep it tight:
Sample 1 — warm & simple
સ્નેહનું આમંત્રણ 💐 [વર] & [કન્યા] ના શુભ લગ્ન પ્રસંગે આપ સૌને સાદર આમંત્રણ. 📅 તારીખ: [date] 🕕 સમય: [time] 📍 સ્થળ: [venue] આપની હાજરી પ્રાર્થનીય છે. — [કુટુંબ] પરિવાર
Sneh-nu aamantran. [Groom] & [Bride] na shubh lagna prasange aap sau-ne saadar aamantran. Taarikh… Samay… Sthal… Aapni haajri praarthaniya chhe. — [family] parivaar.
Sample 2 — one line
જય શ્રી કૃષ્ણ 🙏 [વર] – [કન્યા] ના શુભ લગ્નમાં આપ સૌ સ્નેહીજનોને હાર્દિક આમંત્રણ. [date], [venue].
Add a location pin and the card file right below — that's what guests actually tap.
Shubh Muhurat & Lagna Lines
Phrases to introduce the auspicious timing:
- શુભ મુહૂર્ત — Shubh Muhurat — the auspicious moment
- લગ્ન મુહૂર્ત: [date], [time] — Lagna Muhurat — the wedding time
- શુભ લગ્ન — Shubh Lagna — "auspicious marriage", introducing the ceremony
- સપ્તપદી / હસ્તમેળાપ — Saptapadi / Hastmelap — the seven steps / joining of hands, the heart of the ceremony
Wording for the Ceremonies (Sequence)
Gujarati weddings have several functions. Label them clearly:
- ગણેશ સ્થાપના — Ganesh Sthapna — the installation of Lord Ganesh
- મંડપ મુહૂર્ત — Mandap Muhurat — the mandap ceremony
- ગ્રહ શાંતિ — Grah Shanti — the pre-wedding puja
- લગ્ન — Lagna — the wedding itself
- સ્વાગત / ભોજન સમારંભ — Swagat / Bhojan Samarambh — reception / dinner
List each with its date, time, and venue so guests know exactly where to be.
Blessing & Closing Lines
Warm ways to close the card:
- આપની હાજરી અમારા આનંદમાં વૃદ્ધિ કરશે. — "Your presence will add to our joy."
- સ્નેહભર્યું આમંત્રણ સ્વીકારશો. — "Kindly accept this affectionate invitation."
- બે કુટુંબોના મિલનમાં આપ સૌ સાક્ષી બનો. — "Be a witness to the union of two families."
- પધારીને અમને કૃતાર્થ કરશો. — "Grace us with your presence."
A Few Quotes for Modern Cards
For couples who want a line of poetry alongside the tradition:
- "બે હૈયાં, એક ધબકાર — સ્નેહનું નવું ઘર." — "Two hearts, one beat — a new home of love."
- "સાથે ચાલવાનું વચન, આજથી કાયમ માટે." — "A promise to walk together, from today, forever."
- "પ્રેમથી શરૂ, પરિવારથી પૂર્ણ." — "Begun with love, made whole by family."
Tips to Get the Wording Right
- Names first, in the right order — follow family custom for whose name leads
- Double-check the muhurat — the date, tithi, and time are the one thing you cannot get wrong
- Match the language to your guests — a bilingual kankotri serves both elders and out-of-state relatives
- Read it aloud — Gujarati wording that reads smoothly aloud is wording that lands well
- Proof with an elder — a second, older pair of eyes catches tone and spelling you'll miss
Let Jalaram Cards Handle the Wording
Writing a kankotri is equal parts tradition and precision. At Jalaram Cards, Vadodara's Raopura wedding-card studio since 1995, we typeset your invitation in Gujarati, Hindi, English, or a bilingual layout — with the correct family-name order, properly formatted shubh muhurat, and a closing blessing that suits your family. We proof every name and date with you before printing a single card.
Ready to put your wording on beautiful paper? Contact Jalaram Cards with your names and muhurat, and we'll take it from there. For the full picture on designs, budgets, and traditions, see our Complete Guide to Gujarati Wedding Invitations.