Digital wedding invitations for weddings in the UAE
Guests in the Emirates are used to receiving invitations on WhatsApp, often in two languages and from families spread across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and abroad. A Dawati invitation is one link made for that habit.
Arabic, English, or one of each
Weddings in the UAE often bring together Emirati, Arab and international guests. Each Dawati invitation is in one language, so order an Arabic link and an English link and send each family the one they read.
Write the date the way your families do. Many Gulf invitations show the Gregorian date and the Hijri date together; you can type both in your wording. Our guide shows how to write them without errors.
Henna, the contract and the wedding
There is often a henna night (ليلة الحناء) before the wedding, and the signing of the marriage contract may be a separate gathering. Make one invitation for each event, with its own date, time and map pin, so each group sees only their own event.
In many families the men's and women's celebrations are held apart. Mark the women's evening with a ladies-only line, and use RSVP to give each section its own invitation.
Times, heat and venues
The venue's clock is Gulf Standard Time (UTC+4), with no daylight saving. If guests travel from Saudi Arabia or Jordan, write the time with the city so nobody calculates across zones.
Summer weddings in the UAE are usually indoors in hotel ballrooms and halls. Put the hall name and floor in the wording and drop the exact pin on the map so drivers arrive at the correct entrance.
Price and how to pay
A digital invitation costs 20 JOD, which is about AED 104 at today's indicative rate. Payment today is by CliQ in Jordanian dinars. If you are paying from the UAE and a CliQ transfer is not possible, message us before you start and we will tell you what we can arrange.
The studio is in Amman, Jordan. We do not have an office in the UAE, and we say so rather than imply one.
Choosing a design for an Emirates wedding
Guests in the Emirates often see invitations from hotels and wedding planners with a lot of gold, so a calm design can stand out. The Royal GCC collection is made for Gulf occasions, and the free Modern Khaleeji and Desert Pearl designs are a sensible place to start. For a ballroom evening, Luxury Diwaniya or Palace Garden give more drama.
If your families include international friends, pick one of the Essential or Modern designs for the English link and a Royal GCC design for the Arabic one. The two invitations do not have to match; they only have to feel like the same evening.
A checklist before you send
Put the hall name, the floor and the entrance in the wording; add the dress code if you have one; and write the time of the entry and of the bride's arrival if they differ. Add a line for children, because families in the Emirates often hold different views on that.
Test the link on your own phone and on a relative's older phone before you forward it to the family group. When it opens as expected, send it once, and use RSVP for the people whose answer you really need.
Counting guests and welcoming them at the door
For an Emirates hall that charges by the head, the number matters. RSVP gives each household a personal link, so you see who is coming, with how many, and who has not answered, in one list instead of forty voice notes.
On the night, the QR check-in lets the person at the entrance scan a guest's code. It is set up through an access code from the studio, so message us a few days before the wedding and we will explain how it works for your venue.
Questions and answers
Can I put the Hijri date on a Dawati invitation?
Yes, as text in your own wording. The editor does not convert dates for you, so use our guide to get the Hijri date right, and check it against the Umm al-Qura calendar.
Do you accept dirhams?
Payment today is by CliQ in Jordanian dinars. Prices in dirhams on this site are indicative only.
Does it work with UAE phone numbers for RSVP?
Yes. Guests' numbers are saved in international format, so +971 mobile numbers work like any other.
Can guests in different countries open the link?
Yes. It is a normal web link that opens anywhere with internet, and times are shown as you wrote them.
Is this suitable for a large Emirati wedding?
A single link and a personal RSVP link per household scale to large lists. For very large events, message us first so we can set up RSVP properly.
Design your UAE wedding invitation
Open the editor, choose Arabic or English and preview for free.