A walima is the feast after a Muslim marriage. The BBC's guide to Muslim weddings describes the walimah as "a party specifically for the purpose of announcing publicly that the couple are married". At Pakistani, Indian and Bangladeshi weddings in the UK it is usually the groom's family's event, and often the biggest of the wedding.
In Urdu it is written ولیمہ. Say it "wa-LEE-ma".
Which traditions use it
The walima comes from Islamic practice, so it belongs to Muslim weddings across cultures. The BBC guide explains that a marriage should be declared publicly, "usually achieved by having a large feast". In the UK the word is most familiar from Pakistani, Indian and Bangladeshi Muslim families, where the walima sits after the nikkah, the baraat and the rukhsati.
Hindu and Sikh weddings have receptions too, but they are not called a walima. See valima vs reception for the difference.
When it happens
The walima comes after the couple are married. The order varies by family and region, but a common British Pakistani sequence is:
- Mehndi events in the days before.
- The baraat, hosted by the bride's family, with the nikkah if it has not already happened, ending in the rukhsati.
- The walima, hosted by the groom's family, often the next day or within the week.
Some families hold the walima weeks later, or combine events to save money. The bride and groom usually sit on a stage, and guests come to congratulate them.
Vendors involved
A walima is often a large, seated banquet, so the venue and the caterer take most of the budget. You may also need a stage decorator, a photographer and videographer, bridal hair and makeup, and sometimes a qawwali group or a DJ. Our catering cost per head guide and questions to ask your caterer sheet help you compare quotes. Browse by city from locations.
Common spellings
Walima, valima and walimah are all correct. Pakistani and Indian families often write "valima" because of how it is said in Urdu; "walima" is closer to the Arabic. Invitations sometimes simply say "reception".
Planning tip. Price the walima as its own event, with its own guest list, even if the same venue hosts the baraat.
Questions
At Pakistani, Indian and Bangladeshi weddings the groom's family usually hosts and pays for the walima, while the bride's family often hosts the baraat. Many families now share costs differently, so agree it early.
It varies. Many UK families hold it the day after the baraat and rukhsati. Others hold it a week or more later, or on the same weekend as the other events.
Not quite. A walima has a religious purpose: announcing the marriage after the nikkah. A reception is a general wedding party. See our entry on valima vs reception.
Related terms: nikkah · rukhsati · valima vs reception · baraat
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