Wedding invitation wording: phrases in Arabic and French

The text of a wedding invitation fits in a few lines — and yet it is the part everyone rewrites ten times. Who invites? In which order? With which phrase? Here is how a Tunisian invitation is built, with ready-to-use wording in Arabic and in French.

The structure of a Tunisian invitation

Whatever the style, an invitation almost always follows the same order: an opening line, the inviting families, the couple’s first names, then the moments with their date and venue, and finally a closing phrase. Digital invitations add the reply button and the directions, but the text itself remains the traditional one.

1. The opening — an invocation, a verse, or a simple warm sentence.
2. Who invites — both families, one family, or the couple themselves.
3. The couple — first names are enough; the family name already appears in the parents’ line.
4. The moments — the henna, the outia, the contract, the evening party: each with its date, time and venue.
5. The closing — a phrase of welcome, and sometimes the dress code.

Who invites: the four situations

This is the most delicate question, because it touches the families. In practice there are only four cases, and each has its own sentence.

• Both families invite — “Mr and Mrs Mohamed Ben Salah and Mr and Mrs Ali Trabelsi have the honour of inviting you to the wedding of their children Ahmed and Amira.”
• One family invites — an invitation sent by the groom’s side or the bride’s side: “The Ben Salah family is delighted to invite you to the wedding of their son Ahmed with Amira.”
• The couple invites — “Ahmed and Amira would be happy to have you with them to celebrate their wedding.”
• In Arabic, both families — “يتشرّف السيد محمد بن صالح وحرمه، والسيد علي الطرابلسي وحرمه، بدعوتكم لحضور حفل زفاف ابنهما أحمد وابنتهما أميرة.”

Five styles of opening line

• Spiritual — the verse from Surah Ar-Rum about tranquillity and tenderness between spouses is the most used in Tunisia. It is quoted in Arabic; on a bilingual invitation, a recognised translation follows.
• Classic — “have the honour of announcing” / “يتشرّفون بدعوتكم لحضور”. The wording of our parents’ cards, still right today.
• Romantic — “Two families, one joy” / “قلبان اجتمعا على المحبّة”. A short sentence, never a poem.
• Derja — “فرحتنا ما تكمل إلا بحضوركم”. Everyday Tunisian, the one you hear on the henna night.
• Minimal — the names, the date, the venue. Nothing else, and it is elegant.

Closing phrases

• “حضوركم شرف لنا” — your presence honours us.
• “دامت لكم الأفراح” — may joy always be with you.
• “بالرفاء والبنين” — the traditional blessing addressed to the couple.
• “We would be honoured by your presence” / “Your presence will be our joy”.

The dress code, and what you leave out

If you wish for a dress code — “traditional dress welcome”, “an evening in white” — say it in one line, at the end. But do not write the number of seats or “no children” on the invitation itself: those things are said in person, or in the reply the guest sends you.

On invi.tn these phrases are offered in every style and every language: you choose, adjust a word if you like, and the invitation composes itself. The catalogue shows the result on each design.