The invitation says nikah at four, and the group chat is debating what that means for your outfit. Here's the liberating secret: the religious pieces are the nikah (a brief contract and blessing) and the walima banquet, which Egypt's Grand Mufti calls a Sunnah practice in principle; the mehndi night and baraat procession around them are South Asian wedding culture doing what culture does. Which means the details are the couple's, and your job is the same as at any wedding: dress well, follow the room, and follow your hosts' lead.
The quoted policies come from named mosques and institutions. They genuinely differ on seating, photography, and head covering, and that is exactly why "ask your host" appears so often below.
The religious core (the nikah) can be brief: an offer and acceptance, with consent essential ('a marriage cannot proceed without the consent of the woman,' as Egypt's Dar al-Ifta puts it), often closed with a short supplication. On witnesses, the schools differ: in the Sunni institutional account Dar al-Ifta gives, 'The minimum requirement in Islam for a marriage contract is the presence of two witnesses', while the Twelver Imamiyya position in Mughniyya's comparative account treats witnesses as recommended rather than obligatory. Everything else, the mehndi night (South Asian henna custom) and the baraat (the groom's procession from the same tradition), is beloved culture, not an Islamic requirement. A Muslim wedding can be a mosque office signing or a weekend festival.
It usually tells you which event you're invited to: the nikah (ceremony, possibly at a mosque), the walima (the celebration banquet, 'a Sunnah practice in principle,' per Dar al-Ifta's Grand Mufti), or a combined reception at a hall. Multi-day South Asian weddings may invite you to a mehndi night too. Each event has its own dress register and vibe; when the invitation is vague, asking 'what's the dress code and where is it?' is normal guest behavior, not ignorance.
Modest and festive is the register: covered shoulders and knees, nothing sheer or tight; then as dressed-up as the invitation suggests. If any part happens at a mosque, that venue's rules apply: some ask women to cover their hair in the prayer area, others say a scarf is welcome but 'not required.' Bring one if a mosque is involved; wear it only if asked.
Some ceremonies seat men and women separately (one mosque's policy reads 'we observe strict gender segregation during the ceremony'), while other venues offer mixed or family seating; both are normal. Walk in, see how the room is arranged, and follow it without comment. During the nikah and any Arabic recitation, you observe quietly; nobody expects a non-Muslim guest to recite or pray. After the contract: congratulations, and possibly photos and sweets, where the hosts and venue permit.
Both are venue-and-family variables, not fixed rules, and the named policies genuinely differ. Photography: at Aston Masjid, 'No photography or video recording is permitted' during the ceremony; Birmingham Central Mosque lists photography and videography among its event facilities, and the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh's sequence permits guest photographs after the religious portion. So hold the phone until others raise theirs. Alcohol: Idris Mosque requires 'no alcoholic beverages' at on-site receptions, while Pittsburgh's policy anticipates alcohol may be present at some off-site receptions. Never bring your own unless the invitation explicitly requests it, and if the reception policy matters to you, ask the host.
There is no Islamic law of wedding registries: gift norms are social and genuinely unsettled across communities, so the couple's registry, invitation, or family custom is the controlling information, exactly like any other wedding. A registry item, a card, cash, or no gift can each be right. Follow what the invitation indicates, or ask someone close to the couple. One vocabulary rescue: the mahr you might hear mentioned is the marriage gift the groom gives the bride within the contract itself; it has nothing to do with what guests bring.
Modest and festive: covered shoulders and knees, nothing sheer or tight, and as colorful and dressed-up as the event suggests. If any portion is at a mosque, its rules apply, some require hair covering in the prayer area, others explicitly don't, so women may want to carry a scarf and use it only if asked. The invitation or a quick question to your host settles specifics.
The nikah is the Islamic marriage contract: one mosque's published sequence describes a brief address by the imam, the couple's offer and acceptance, and a closing supplication. Sunni institutional accounts require witnesses, two at minimum, while the Twelver Imamiyya position treats witnesses as recommended rather than obligatory. Guests observe quietly; non-Muslims aren't expected to recite or pray. Congratulations, photos, and sweets may follow where the hosts and venue permit, with the celebration banquet (walima) as its own event.
Follow the invitation and registry like any wedding, no Islamic rule governs guest gifts, and no universal Muslim custom about registries, cash, or gift value is established, so the couple's instructions are the controlling information. When the invitation doesn't say, ask someone close to the couple. Note that the 'mahr' sometimes mentioned is the marriage gift from groom to bride within the contract itself, not something guests contribute to.
Some are, some aren't, published mosque policies themselves range from strict separation during the ceremony to mixed and family seating as venue options, and receptions vary the same way by family and culture. Read the room when you arrive and follow the arrangement; asking your host beforehand is equally fine.
It varies by venue, and the named policies show the split: Idris Mosque requires 'no alcoholic beverages' at on-site receptions, while the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh's policy anticipates that alcohol may be present at some off-site receptions. Never bring alcohol unless the invitation explicitly requests it, and if the reception policy matters to you, ask the host, the couple's choices set the evening.
Cultural celebrations, not Islamic requirements: the mehndi is a henna celebration that Harvard's Pakistani Students Association president calls 'an integral part of weddings in many South Asian cultures,' and the baraat is the groom's public arrival procession from the same tradition. The religious core is the nikah contract, and even its details vary by school, with Sunni accounts requiring witnesses and the Twelver Imamiyya position treating them as recommended.