Traditions guide
Tamil wedding invitations: wording, customs and what to include
A Tamil wedding invitation is usually sent by the parents of both families, and its most important line is the muhurtham: the auspicious date and time window for the ceremony. This guide covers who invites, how to write the muhurtham line, how names are usually written, Tamil and English wording you can adapt, and how to send the card on WhatsApp without leaving the elders out.
By the Wishes2Vows team Last checked: 8 min read
1. Who invites
In many Tamil families the invitation goes out in the parents' names, not the couple's. Both sets of parents are often named as hosts, and some cards also name grandparents or other elders whose blessings the family is asking for. The couple appear as the son and daughter being married.
Which side's parents come first, and whether the bride's family or the groom's family is the main host, varies from family to family and sometimes from function to function. If the two families are hosting different events, such as a muhurtham hosted by one side and a reception hosted by the other, it is fine for each event to carry its own host line. Agree this between the families before anything is printed or sent.
2. The muhurtham date and time
The muhurtham is the auspicious time chosen for the wedding ceremony. Many families fix it with their priest or a family astrologer, using the Tamil calendar, and the invitation gives it as a window: between a start time and an end time, rather than a single moment.
The muhurtham line often carries more than a date. Depending on the family it can include:
- The Tamil month and day, alongside the Gregorian date.
- The day of the week.
- The start and end of the muhurtham window, with am or pm.
- The nakshatram (star) for the day, if your family includes it.
- The venue: the temple or the wedding hall, with its full address.
Guests should be seated before the window begins, so give the start time plainly. If you want guests to arrive earlier, say so in its own line rather than moving the muhurtham time. And check the Tamil date and the Gregorian date against each other before anything goes out: they are easy to get one day apart while plans are moving.
If the priest has not confirmed the time yet, you do not have to guess. On a Wishes2Vows card you can leave an event's time empty: the card shows Time to be confirmed, and you add the time once it is fixed, so guests who open the link later see the right one.
3. How names are written
Naming customs differ between families, so treat these as common patterns rather than rules.
- In Malaysia, many cards follow the identity-card form: the given name, then a/l (anak lelaki, son of) or a/p (anak perempuan, daughter of), then the father's name.
- Some families instead write the father's initial before the given name.
- Parents are often written as Thiru (Mr) and Thirumathi (Mrs).
- The couple are often introduced as Selvan (the groom) and Selvi (the bride), or with the fuller Thiruniraichelvan and Thiruniraichelvi.
The harder part is spelling. A name written in Tamil script can be spelled several ways in English, and the same person may use different spellings on different documents. Ask each family how they want each name spelled in English, and use that spelling everywhere on the card.
4. Tamil and English wording
Many Malaysian Tamil invitations are bilingual. The opening lines and the host lines are in Tamil, where the elders will read them first, and the event details are repeated in English for friends and colleagues who do not read Tamil. The samples below show the Tamil lines in transliteration so everyone can read them. On the card itself, families usually set those lines in Tamil script.
Thiru [Groom's father's name] & Thirumathi [Groom's mother's name]
Thiru [Bride's father's name] & Thirumathi [Bride's mother's name]
Anbudan azhaikkindrom
We warmly invite you to the wedding of our children
and
Thiruniraichelvi [Bride's name] a/p [Father's name]
[Tamil month] [day] · [Day of the week], [Gregorian date]
Between [start time] am and [end time] am
Nakshatram: [star], if your family includes it
[Temple or wedding hall, full address]
Sri Vinayagar Thunai is a common opening line for Hindu families, invoking Lord Vinayagar (Ganesha) before any new beginning. Use the opening your own family uses, or none: some families name their family deity instead, and families of other faiths open in their own way.
5. What to include
A Tamil wedding is often several functions, sometimes over two or three days. Not every family holds all of them, and the order varies, but a card commonly lists some of these:
| Function | What guests need from the card |
|---|---|
| Nichayathartham (engagement) | Date, time and place, often a family home or a small hall |
| Pre-wedding rituals, such as the nalangu | Who it is for, since some are family-only |
| Muhurtham | The date, the time window and the temple or hall |
| Wedding lunch or reception | Date, time and venue, which may be a different hall |
- Each function on its own line with its date, time and venue. Never merge two venues into one line.
- The full address of each venue, and a map link on a digital card.
- A dress code, if you have one, such as sarees and veshti for the muhurtham.
- Practical notes the elders will appreciate: parking, and that footwear is removed at the temple.
- How to reply, and by when.
6. Etiquette: elders first
Many families still invite elders and close relatives in person, or at least with a phone call, before the wider guest list hears about the wedding. A digital card does not replace that visit. It is what you leave behind, so the times and the address are in their phone when they need them.
Some families keep the custom of delivering printed cards with a thamboolam: a tray or packet that may hold betel leaves, areca nut, fruit, turmeric or kumkum, offered with the invitation. Some also place the first card before the family deity or at the temple before giving out the rest, or dab turmeric on the card's corners. These are customs some families keep, not rules, and many families today combine them: printed cards and a home visit for the elders, and the digital card for everyone else.
As a guideline, send invitations 6 to 8 weeks before the wedding, set the RSVP deadline 3 to 4 weeks before, and send one reminder a week before that deadline. If you are visiting elders in person, start those visits before the digital card goes out.
7. Sending the card on WhatsApp
A digital card is a link. Guests open it in their phone's browser, with no app and no account, and reply on the card itself. Most Wishes2Vows designs have a Share Our Invitation button at the bottom, so parents and aunties can pass the card to their own contacts without asking you for the link.
The message that goes with the link is what relatives read first, and you can write it in Tamil, English or both. In the editor, open WhatsApp messages and edit Share invitation message. Use placeholders for your names, date and link, and the card fills them in.
Muhurtham details, venues and RSVP: {inviteUrl}
{deadlineLine}Nandri
If your card has the muhurtham and the reception as separate events, the RSVP form asks guests which ones they will attend, so a colleague coming only to the reception is not counted for the temple. Each venue also gets its own address on the schedule, and your main venue has Google Maps and Waze buttons.
8. See it on a card
The Tamil demo shows these pieces together on a phone. It opens with Sri Vinayagar Thunai in Tamil script with its romanised reading beneath, puts the Tamil host line under the couple's names, and prints the Tamil calendar date and the nakshatram under the wedding date. Its schedule lists four functions over two days: two family evenings at the bride's home, including a nalangu, then the muhurtham at a temple and a wedding lunch at a hall.
You can design your whole card before you pay. See current prices on our pricing page.
Common questions
What is the muhurtham on a Tamil wedding invitation?
It is the auspicious time chosen for the wedding ceremony, often fixed with a priest using the Tamil calendar. The invitation usually gives it as a window, with a start and an end time, alongside the date and the venue.
Who sends a Tamil wedding invitation?
In many families the parents of both the bride and the groom send it, in their own names, and some cards also name the elders whose blessings the family asks for. Families differ, so agree the host line between both sides.
Should a Tamil wedding invitation be in Tamil or English?
Many Malaysian Tamil families use both: the opening and host lines in Tamil for the elders, and the event details in English as well for friends who do not read Tamil.
When should Tamil wedding invitations be sent?
As a guideline, send them 6 to 8 weeks before the wedding, with the RSVP deadline 3 to 4 weeks before. Visit or call the elders first, before the wider guest list receives the card.
Is it acceptable to send a Tamil wedding invitation on WhatsApp?
For most guests, yes, and it is now common in Malaysia. Many families still invite elders and close relatives in person or by phone first, and send them the digital card as well so the details are on their phone.