Wording guide
Baby shower invitation wording for seemantham, valaikappu, godh bharai and more
By the Wishly team · Updated
An Indian baby shower invitation names the ceremony your family holds, such as the valaikappu, seemantham, godh bharai, dohale jevan, shaad or shrimant, and invites guests to bless the mother-to-be, usually in the later months of her pregnancy. It is often sent by her parents or her in-laws, in her name alone or with her husband's.
Below: what each ceremony is, samples for a formal invitation from her family, a couple-hosted one, a WhatsApp message and single ceremonies, and the etiquette.
The ceremony's name in each tradition
Use your family's word for the ceremony; it tells relatives what to expect and what to bring.
- Valaikappu (Tamil): women slide glass bangles onto her wrists, and their sound is said to reach the baby.
- Seemantham or srimantham (Telugu, Kannada and many Tamil families): prayers for mother and child, with her husband beside her.
- Godh bharai (North India): her lap is filled with fruit, sweets and gifts, a wish for abundance.
- Dohale jevan (Marathi): a meal of the dishes she craves, with her seated on a decorated swing or chair, often crowned with flowers.
- Shaad (Bengali): a meal of her favourite dishes, cooked by her family.
- Shrimant (Gujarati): prayers and rituals for the mother, with her family's blessings.
What to put on the invitation
A baby shower invitation is short, but relatives look for a few things on it, especially when the ceremony has a set time chosen by the elders.
- The ceremony's name, and her name, with her husband's if you wish.
- Who is hosting: her parents, her in-laws or the couple.
- The date and the time of the main ritual, and the venue.
- The meal that follows, since many guests plan their day around it.
- Anything guests should bring or wear, and a reply-by date.
Formal wording from her family
Depending on the family, her parents or her in-laws host the ceremony, and the invitation comes from whoever hosts. Here is one from her parents, in English with a Tamil line, and one from her in-laws, in Hindi.
With the blessings of the family's elders,
Mr and Mrs R. Natarajan
invite you to the valaikappu of their daughter
Divya Arvind
Sunday, 10 January 2027, 10 am
[hall], Chennai
Lunch follows
Engal magal Divya-vin valaikappu vizhavirku anbudan azhaikkirom.
What it says: We lovingly invite you to the valaikappu of our daughter Divya.
Godh Bharai
Hamari bahu Neha ki godh bharai ki rasam par
aap saparivar saadar aamantrit hain.
Ravivar, 17 January 2027, dopahar 12 baje
[venue], Lucknow
What it says: Godh bharai: you and your family are respectfully invited to the godh bharai ceremony of our daughter-in-law Neha, on Sunday, 17 January 2027, at 12 noon.
Couple-hosted and WhatsApp baby shower wording
Couples living away from both families often host the baby shower themselves, and their friends are part of the list. A warm, plain message works for them; elders still get a call.
A little one is on the way!
Divya and Arvind invite you to a baby shower
Sunday, 10 January 2027, 10 am
[venue], Chennai
Come and bless us, and stay for lunch.
Divya's valaikappu is on Sunday, 10 January, at 10 am in Chennai.
Come with your bangles and your blessings: [link]
Seemantham, dohale jevan and shaad
A seemantham is a ritual with a priest and a set time, so its invitation reads like a small wedding card. The dohale jevan and the shaad centre on the food she longs for, so their invitations can say what is being cooked, and many families keep those guest lists to close relatives and friends.
Seemantham
Mr and Mrs K. Raghavendra
invite you to the seemantham of their daughter-in-law
Sahana Karthik
Thursday, 21 January 2027, 9.30 am
[venue], Bengaluru
Lunch follows the ceremony
Dohale Jevan
Aamchya sunbai Mrunal hichya dohale jevanala aapan nakki yave.
Saturday, 16 January 2027, 5 pm
[address], Pune
What it says: Please do come to the dohale jevan of our daughter-in-law Mrunal.
Shaad
Our daughter Paromita's shaad
Sunday, 24 January 2027, 1 pm
At home, [address], Kolkata
A lunch of her favourite dishes, and your blessings for her and the baby
Etiquette for a baby shower invitation
Customs differ on who hosts: in some families her parents hold the ceremony, in others her in-laws, and in some both. The invitation can name her alone, as many families prefer when her own family hosts, or her and her husband.
Some families tell only close relatives about a pregnancy until the ceremony, so send the invitation only to those you would tell in person, and let her decide the list.
- Give the time of the main ritual; elders like to be present for it.
- Say whether guests should bring bangles, flowers or nothing at all, and give her bangle size if they are bringing glass bangles for a valaikappu.
- Leave out games that guess whether the baby is a boy or a girl; the day is about her and the baby's health.
Questions families ask
- When is the baby shower held?
- In the later months of pregnancy, often the seventh, on a day the family's elders or priest choose. Some families hold it in the eighth or ninth month instead.
- Can the invitation name only the mother-to-be?
- Yes. When her family hosts, it is common to name her alone, and the invitation reads naturally either way.
- Who is invited to a valaikappu?
- Traditionally married women from both families, and now often friends and men as well. Say in the invitation who is welcome.
