What to write on a traditional marriage invitation card, with Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa samples
· comtev
A traditional marriage invitation card names the two families first, because the families are the hosts. After them come the couple, the name of the ceremony, the date and time, the venue with a landmark, the colours for the day, and one way to reply by a date. A card that gets those seven lines right can carry any design. The samples below are written for a Yoruba engagement, an Igbo igba nkwu, a Hausa Daurin Aure and a card that covers both the traditional and the white wedding, each with a short WhatsApp version.
What a traditional marriage invitation card should say
In the order guests read it:
- The families. "The families of Mr and Mrs Adebayo and Chief and Mrs Okonkwo" or the family names alone. For a traditional wedding the families invite; the couple are being joined.
- The invitation line. "cordially invite you to", or "request the pleasure of your company at".
- The ceremony. Say which one: traditional marriage, engagement ceremony, igba nkwu, introduction. Guests often get three cards from one couple, and the event name is how they tell them apart.
- The couple. Usually first names, sometimes with surnames when the families are large.
- Date and time. The day of the week, the date and the start time. "Saturday 14 November 2026, 11am" leaves no room for guessing.
- Venue. The hall or compound and the area, plus a landmark or a map link. For a compound wedding in a village, the landmark is the address.
- Colours and reply. The colours of the day or the aso ebi, and how to reply by a date, with a phone number or "reply to this message".
Leave off the full program, the menu, gift account numbers on the front of the card, and anything a guest only needs on the day. Those go in a follow-up message or on a separate insert. If the engagement is Yoruba, the Yoruba engagement list covers the items the bride's family usually asks for.
Sample 1: Yoruba engagement
The families of Mr and Mrs Babatunde Adeyemi and Mr and Mrs Chukwuma Obi
joyfully invite you to the engagement ceremony of their children
Folake and Emeka
Saturday 14 November 2026 at 11am Eko Event Centre, Lekki Phase 1 (opposite the Shoprite)
Colours of the day: wine and gold Kindly reply by 31 October to 0803 000 0000
WhatsApp version:
You are invited to the engagement ceremony of Folake and Emeka, hosted by the Adeyemi and Obi families. Saturday 14 November, 11am, Eko Event Centre, Lekki Phase 1. Colours: wine and gold. Please reply YES or NO by 31 October.
Sample 2: Igbo traditional marriage (igba nkwu)
The igba nkwu, the wine carrying, is held at the bride's family home or a hall the bride's family chooses, so the bride's family usually leads the card.
The family of Chief and Lolo Ikechukwu Nwosu of Umuahia, Abia State
invite you to the traditional marriage (igba nkwu) of their daughter
Chiamaka to Tobenna, son of Mr and Mrs Okafor of Awka
Saturday 5 December 2026 at 12 noon Nwosu Compound, Ugwunchara, Umuahia (after St Michael's Church)
Colours: emerald green and gold RSVP: 0805 000 0000 by 20 November
WhatsApp version:
The Nwosu family invite you to the igba nkwu of Chiamaka and Tobenna. Saturday 5 December, 12 noon, Nwosu Compound, Ugwunchara, Umuahia, after St Michael's Church. Colours: emerald and gold. Kindly reply by 20 November.
Sample 3: Hausa wedding (Daurin Aure and Walima)
In many Hausa Muslim weddings the Daurin Aure, the solemnisation, holds at the mosque and the Walima, the reception, comes after. A single card can carry both with separate times.
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
The families of Alhaji and Hajiya Musa Abdullahi and Alhaji and Hajiya Sani Bello
invite you to the wedding of
Aisha and Abubakar
Daurin Aure: Friday 20 November 2026, after Jumu'ah prayer Central Mosque, Kaduna
Walima: Saturday 21 November 2026, 4pm Hamdala Hotel, Kaduna
RSVP: 0806 000 0000
Families differ on wording, events and order, so check each line with the family before it is printed.
Sample 4: one card for the traditional and the white wedding
When the two ceremonies are on one weekend, a single card saves money and confusion if each event gets its own block.
The families of Mr and Mrs Adeyemi and Mr and Mrs Obi invite you to celebrate the marriage of Folake and Emeka
Traditional engagement Friday 13 November 2026, 4pm, Eko Event Centre, Lekki Colours: wine and gold
Wedding service and reception Saturday 14 November 2026, 10am, Our Saviour's Church, Ikoyi Reception follows at Eko Event Centre, Lekki
Kindly reply for each event by 31 October
The reply line asks for each event, because a guest coming to one is a different number from a guest coming to both, and the caterer is paid per head.
Getting the reply line to actually work
Most invitations ask guests to reply and few guests do. The reply line works better when it names a date, gives one method, and the reminder goes out before that date rather than after it. We wrote about this in the Nigerian RSVP problem, and there are five more message samples in what to write on a wedding invitation.
Printed card or WhatsApp?
Some couples now print a small number of cards for parents' friends and elders and send the rest on WhatsApp. A printed card is a keepsake; a WhatsApp invitation is read within minutes and can be answered with one tap. If the card is also the gate pass, remember that a printed card can be copied, which is how gatecrashers get in. See stopping gatecrashers.
On Comtev, a planner collects the guest list from both families on WhatsApp, sends each guest an invitation with their own QR access pass, and door staff scan the pass at the gate. Each pass is for one guest and can be revoked. See how it works.
FAQs
What should a traditional wedding invitation say?
The names of the two families who are hosting, an invitation line, the name of the ceremony, the couple's names, the date and time, the venue with a landmark, the colours of the day, and how and by when to reply.
How do you write an invitation card for a traditional wedding?
Lead with the families, then the invitation line, the ceremony, the couple, the date and time, the venue and the colours, and finish with the reply line. Keep the program, the menu and gift details off the front of the card.
Who invites guests to a traditional wedding in Nigeria?
The families. The card usually names both sets of parents, or the bride's family when the ceremony holds at the bride's home, as an igba nkwu does.
Can one card cover the traditional and the white wedding?
Yes, if each event has its own block with its own date, time and venue, and the reply line asks guests to confirm for each event separately.
How do I invite people to my traditional marriage on WhatsApp?
Send a short version of the card text with the date, time, venue and colours, ask for YES or NO by a date, and send a reminder a few days before that date. Our guide to sending wedding invitations on WhatsApp covers broadcast limits and how to avoid a ban.