The anatomy of a henna invitation
A good henna invitation has seven parts, no matter which community you come from. Once you have those seven parts on the page, everything else is voice and language.
- Host line. Traditionally the bride's family hosts the henna, though this varies. Ashkenazi families joining a Sephardi or Mizrahi henna often write "together with" to honor both households. Say who is inviting; it sets the tone.
- The joy line. One phrase that carries the tradition, ideally in the family's home language. "With hearts full of light," "b'simcha rabba," "ba shadi va nur," "with the blessing of both our families."
- Who and what. The bride's name, the groom's name if he'll be present, and the word henna (or hina, or mehndi) so no one confuses it with the wedding itself.
- Date and time. Include the day of the week; henna nights often run late and guests plan childcare around that.
- Venue. Home, hall, garden, riad. The address goes on the website; the vibe goes on the card.
- Dress code. Almost always specified. "Color welcome," "traditional dress joyfully welcomed," "our family wears green."
- Food and RSVP. Say plainly whether it's a full meal, a spread of sweets, or coffee and pastries, and where to reply.
Everything else, meaning the map, the parking, the story of the evening, the order of the ceremony, the meaning of the tray of henna, belongs on the engagement and henna website the card points to. That's what the URL at the bottom of the card is doing: giving the paper permission to stay beautiful and brief.
Six wording examples
Adapt any of these to your own names and details. Each one carries all seven parts from the section above, so you can lift the structure and change the language to fit your family. The joy line stays; that's the piece guests photograph.
Marhaba, ahlan wa sahlan.
The family of Yael Bouhnik
together with the family of Elie Cohen
invite you to celebrate the henna of our daughter and future son,
Yael and Elie,
on Sunday, the ninth of March, at seven in the evening,
at the family riad.
Green, gold, and joy welcome. Traditional dress warmly encouraged.
A full Moroccan spread, sweets, and the night. Please rise late the next day.
Details, map, and RSVP at yaelandelie.com
Khosh amadid. With joy in our hearts,
Mr. and Mrs. Nazarian
invite you to the shab-e henna of our daughter,
Shirin,
as she prepares to marry Daniel,
on Thursday evening, the fourteenth of April, from seven o'clock,
at the Nazarian home in the garden.
Please come in color; the aunties will paint your hands.
Persian dinner and sweets. RSVP with love by the seventh.
shirinanddaniel.com
Bruchim habaim.
The family of Rivka Yosefi
invites you to the hina of our beloved Rivka,
daughter of Yosef and Tamar,
bride of Avi ben Shalom,
on Motzei Shabbat, the second of Iyar, at nine in the evening,
at the Yosefi home in the courtyard.
Yemenite dress is a gift to us and to Rivka; color always welcome.
Meat platters, jachnun the next morning for those who stay.
rivkaandavi.com carries the map and the RSVP.
Mazal tov u'brachot. מזל טוב וברכות.
Miriam and Ilan, with the blessing of both families,
invite you to celebrate their engagement and henna
Miriam bat Rachel v'David and Ilan ben Sarah v'Yaakov
מזמינים אתכם לחגוג את האירוסין והחינה שלנו
on Saturday night, the eighteenth of May, at eight thirty,
at Beit Miriam, 14 Ha'Ahava Street.
במוצאי שבת, בשעה שמונה וחצי, בבית משפחת כהן.
Come in white and gold, or in the color of your grandmother's dress.
לבוש חגיגי בלבן וזהב, או בצבע השמלה של סבתא.
Sweets, wine, music. RSVP by the tenth. אנא אשרו הגעה עד העשירי.
miriamandilan.co.il
Bismillah, mazal tov.
Nadia Rahman and Ariel Levy,
with the joy of both our families,
invite you to our mehndi and henna,
one evening, two blessings, one dance floor,
on Friday, the twenty-first of June, from six in the evening,
at the Rahman family garden.
Please come in color. Dupattas, kippot, saris, suits: all welcome.
Halal and kosher stations; sweets in every direction.
RSVP and full details at nadiaandariel.com
Assalamu alaikum, shalom, and we can't wait to see you.
With full hearts.
Zohara and Sam invite you to our henna,
the night before we begin the wedding week,
on Wednesday, the third of July, at seven in the evening,
at the family home.
Dress code: color. Any color. All colors. Bring the joy of it.
Small plates, big music, and the henna tray at eight.
RSVP, map, and the story of the evening at zoharaandsam.com
Dress code language: how to tell guests what to wear
Say what you want clearly, then trust the website to explain the rest. A one-sentence line on the card, a warm paragraph on the site: that combination lets every guest, from your grandmother to your groom's college roommate, arrive dressed in a way they feel good in. The wording matters. It's the moment a guest decides whether they belong in the room.
Please wear color. Traditional dress joyfully welcomed but never required. If you're not sure, our website has photos and a short guide, and honestly the best guests bring nothing more than themselves.
The bride will wear our family's Moroccan green; guests are invited to bring the joy of any color they choose. No black, please, and no all white; leave that for the wedding.
The card and the website divide the work
The card is a photograph on a fridge; the website is a living map. Give each one the job it does best. The paper carries the tenderness (the names, the joy line, the promise) and the digital carries the logistics (the map, the RSVP, the dress code paragraph, the parking note, the food story, the glossary of tradition-specific words).
| Belongs on the card | Belongs on the website |
|---|---|
| Host line and the joy line | Full address, map, parking |
| Bride and groom names | RSVP form with meal choices and dietary needs |
| Date, time, city | Full evening timing and order of ceremony |
| Dress code (one warm sentence) | Dress code paragraph with photos and context |
| Website URL | Glossary for guests new to a henna |
Timing: when to send the invitations
For a henna, plan two touches. The save-the-date typically goes out four to six weeks before the evening; the invitation itself goes out two to three weeks before. Send too early and guests forget the address; send too late and out-of-town family can't book their flights. The website goes live the day the save-the-date does, because the save-the-date's real job is to point at the site.
If the henna is part of a longer wedding week, the save-the-date can list every event with the henna in bold, and the invitation can focus on the henna night specifically. For a full guide to sequencing the evening within a wedding week and the digital timeline that supports it, see our companion piece on engagement party website ideas.
Your card is beautiful. Your website should be, too.
Tell us about your henna and we'll reply within 24 hours with a design direction, a timeline, and the wording touches your card and site will share.
Questions families ask
How do we word a henna invitation?+
Warmly, and with specific joy. Open with a phrase that carries the tradition (a Hebrew or Farsi or Arabic word feels good here). Say who's celebrating, when, and where. State the dress code plainly (colorful, or traditional dress welcomed, or your family's guidance). Say what food to expect. Point to the website for maps, RSVP, and full details.
Should the invitation be bilingual?+
If either family speaks a second language at home, yes. English plus Hebrew, plus Farsi, plus Judeo-Arabic, plus Urdu; whichever fits. The bilingual line signals that both families' worlds are welcome in this celebration. A grandparent whose English is imperfect will read the second language line first and know they were thought of.
What information belongs on a henna invitation vs the website?+
The card carries the names, the joy line, the date, and the URL of the website. The website carries maps, dress code detail, floor plan, RSVP, gift information, timing, food, and any translation of tradition-specific words for guests unfamiliar with them. A henna generates more logistics questions than a Western engagement party; give the website room to answer them.
How do we specify a dress code without offending guests unfamiliar with the tradition?+
Say what you want in one warm sentence, then let the website explain. 'Please wear color; traditional dress is warmly welcomed but not required.' Then a paragraph on the website that says what the bride is wearing, what other family members traditionally wear, and what a guest completely new to henna nights should expect. Clarity is kindness.
We design custom event websites for families across the English-speaking world: bar and bat mitzvahs, brits, engagements, hennas, and weddings. Updated July 2026.