Wedding guest questions · For the host
What time should we actually get there?
“Sach mein kitne baje pahunchna hai?”
Give guests one real arrival time for each function, not the window printed on the card. If the baraat leaves at 7 and the pheras are at 11, say which one they should come for. Add how long it runs and whether it goes past midnight, so families can plan their drive back.
What to tell guests
How should you answer it?
- Separate the start from the arrive-by. "Sangeet 7 pm onwards" brings people at 9. "Please be seated by 7:30, performances start at 8" brings them on time.
- Name the moment worth arriving for: the varmala, the pheras, the first performance.
- For the muhurat, tell close family the exact time and everyone else when to be seated.
- Say if a function runs past midnight. Elders and families with children plan around it.
Ready to send
A WhatsApp reply to copy
Change the words in brackets to your own.
English
The sangeet starts at [7:30 pm]; please be there by [7:15], as performances begin at [8]. It goes on till about [midnight]. The pheras on [date] are at [time], so please be seated by [time].
Hinglish
Sangeet [7:30 baje] shuru hai, [7:15] tak aa jaiye, performances [8 baje] se hain. Lagbhag [12 baje] tak chalega. Phere [date] ko [time] par hain, [time] tak baith jaiye.
Avoid
What goes wrong with this one?
- Printing a time you don't mean. Guests learn to add an hour, and the one function that starts on time is half empty.
- Giving a muhurat window without saying when guests should be seated.
- Not sending the new time when a function moves.
On ShaadiMode
Can someone answer this for you on WhatsApp?
ShaadiMode's guest helper answers this from your invitation on WhatsApp. Filled in for you. The helper reads each function's time and arrive-by time from your invitation, and when a function moves its answer moves with it. A typed answer that no longer matches the invitation is set aside rather than quoted. It comes with Signature, where it either drafts the reply for you to approve or sends it on its own when it is sure. How the guest helper works
Questions
Related questions
How early should guests arrive at an Indian wedding function?
Ask them to arrive 15 to 30 minutes before the moment you most want them for, and say that moment out loud: the varmala, the pheras or the first performance.
Should a wedding invitation say 'onwards'?
Only if you mean it. "Onwards" tells guests the time is loose. If you want people seated, give an arrive-by time instead.
Guests also ask