Celebrations of Love, Culture, and Traditions
You already know that Indian wedding traditions are overflowing with opportunities to celebrate the new couple. But who gets invited to what? How do you communicate the details of the beautiful events and ceremonies that you’ll be hosting throughout your wedding weekend? That’s where your invitations come in.
Wedding invitations are a key part of a seamless big day for any couple—but they are especially important for ceremonies rooted in Punjabi, Hindu, and other Indian wedding traditions. Here’s what couples need to know.
Traditional Elements in Indian Wedding Invitations
Wedding invitations can reflect a couple’s personality and still adhere to Indian traditions. In addition to incorporating plenty of color, look for designs that include a few of the following elements to keep things feeling grounded in and respectful of your heritage.
- Ganesh. As the god of good fortune, Ganesh is a key part of many traditional Hindu weddings. Hindu wedding ceremonies begin by invoking Lord Ganesh, and many couples opt to include iconography of Ganesh on their invitations to bring prosperity to their marriage.
- Paisley & Mandalas. In Hindu and Buddhist symbolism, the mandala traditionally represents the universe and unity. This makes it a popular motif in wedding invitation designs.
- Florals. Flowers play a key part in Indian wedding ceremonies, and many couples choose vibrant floral decor during their wedding events. If that is your style, you can also opt to include floral elements in your wedding invitation. Traditional florals for Hindu ceremonies include marigolds, which are associated with the positivity and brightness of the sun, and jasmine, meant to bring good luck to the bride and groom.
Elegant Takes on Traditional Indian Wedding Invitations
In addition to incorporating some of the elements discussed above, couples can choose to add more of their personal style by playing with the small details of their invitations. From foil-pressed accents to modern typography, there are plenty of ways to layer your unique aesthetic into your invitations.
- Foil-pressed. Add a dose of glamour to your invitations by opting for a design that features foil-pressed accents. Many of Minted’s designs are available in a range of foil-press colors, including metallics like gold, silver, rose gold, and copper, as well as red and black.
- Letterpress. If the glitz of foil-pressed designs isn’t your style, you can still use texture to add interest to your invitation with a letterpress design. These styles are crafted by pressing the design onto soft, thick paper using our vintage Heidelberg press to create a tactile look and feel. This works particularly well for invitations that feature henna-inspired elements, as the entirety of the invitation—including design and typography—can be printed using the letterpress treatment.
- Typography. For a modern feel, go for a design that offsets the intricate elements of traditional Indian wedding invitations with crisp and minimal typography. This contrast keeps the invitation feeling fresh, and helps ensure that the details of your wedding events are as easy to read as possible.
- Bold Patterns. Instead of featuring a single illustration of some of the traditional Indian wedding design elements, look for an invitation that uses them in a bold pattern to capture your guest’s imagination. Think of designs that call to mind the intricate henna the bride will wear during the wedding events or traditional Indian textiles whether it be a pattern that mimics the glittering threads of a sari or one that features a more rustic block-printed paisley design.
Top 5 Indian Wedding Invitation Essentials
- Sangeet and Mehndi Enclosure Cards. Typically held the day before the wedding ceremony, Sangeet and Mehndi enclosure cards should be included for your nearest and dearest guests. The Mehndi ceremony is usually a more intimate affair, with the female family members on both sides of the aisle and close female friends attending. The Sangeet, on the other hand, is usually a bigger event in which the two families and their guests come together to dance, sing, and celebrate.
- Detailed Event Information. Because Indian weddings typically involve events across multiple days, be sure to clearly communicate the details of each event on your invitation. This may mean including a separate card that outlines the timing of the day (or days) in your invitation suite, or dedicating a page of your wedding website to providing the nitty-gritty details of each wedding event such as time, location, and dress code.
- Wording. In addition to providing information about the various wedding events, couples looking to adhere to traditional Indian wedding customs should pay close attention to the wording of their invitation. For some it is traditional to include a religious quote from the couple’s faith at the top of your invitation in order to ensure the wedding receives the blessing of God. (Though if you and your partner aren’t religious, it is definitely OK to skip this.) It is also common to include the name and background (hometown or country) of the parents and grandparents of the bride and groom on the invitation.
- Send the Invitations Well In Advance. Because it is common to invite extended family and friends who may need to travel internationally to your wedding, it is courteous to send your invitations well in advance of your big day. Many couples choose to send their invitations at least 10 weeks in advance of their wedding to give guests enough time to coordinate travel.
- Skip the RSVP Enclosure Card. It is not traditional to include an RSVP date or enclosure card in an Indian wedding invitation suite. Traditionally, it was assumed most invited guests would attend out of respect—and that they would send their regrets if they couldn’t make it. That said, today many couples ask for RSVPs by including a line directing guests to their wedding website to indicate if they will attend.
Indian Wedding Invitation Suites by Minted
To keep all of your wedding events feeling cohesive, opt to carry the design of your wedding invitation across your entire invitation suite. All of Minted’s Indian wedding invitation designs include coordinating designs for Sangeet and Mehndi invitations. Our talented independent designers have also adapted their designs to be carried across your wedding website, belly band, menu cards, place cards, table numbers, programs, favor tags, and more.
Wedding Invitation Customization
Do you need your wedding invitation design to accommodate wording in multiple languages? Or maybe you’re looking to incorporate a family heirloom into your invitation design? Minted provides custom design services for couples looking to design their invitation suite from scratch. Our team of in-house designers will work closely with you throughout the process—from creative conceptualization to tweaking the smallest details of the finalized design—to bring your dream wedding vision fully to life.
Free Samples of Your Indian Wedding Invitations
We know that the small details mean the most on your big day. So to make sure you love every aspect of your invitation, Minted offers a variety of free sample options. If you’re unsure where to begin with selecting your invitation design, choose our free sample kit, which includes a mix of our various paper options, colors, and printing styles for you to get a sense of what you like best. Or, if you’re stuck between two designs, you can order samples to compare and contrast them in person.
