A marriage resume is another name for a marriage biodata. It is a one or two page profile of a boy or girl, sent by the family to other families before anyone meets. It has four parts, in this order: personal details, horoscope, family and contact. One photo goes at the top.
People who search for a "marriage resume" or "marriage CV" usually have a job resume in mind and want the wedding version. The idea is close, but the content is quite different, as you will see below.
Is a Marriage Resume the Same as a Biodata?
Yes. In India the paper is mostly called a biodata, and some people call it a marriage resume, a marriage CV or a matrimonial profile. The other family will not mind what you call it. They look for the birth details first. Then the job, then the family.
The word biodata is short for biographical data. Wikipedia's page on biodata notes that in South Asia it is used in place of a CV for jobs and grants as well as marriage. For marriage, it took on its own shape over the years. Nobody wrote the rules down. Families copied what they saw.
Marriage Resume Format, Section by Section
The format below is the one most Indian families follow. It moves from the person, to the stars, to the family, to the phone number.
| Section | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Top | A god image or symbol, a blessing line, the title "Marriage Biodata", then the photo |
| Personal details | Full Name, Date of Birth, Time of Birth, Place of Birth, Height, Religion, Caste / Community, Education, Job / Occupation |
| Horoscope | Rasi, Nakshatra with pada, Lagna, Manglik or chevvai dosham, and gotra if your family uses it |
| Family details | Father's and mother's names and work, brothers and sisters (how many, how many married), native place |
| Contact details | A parent's mobile number and the city you live in |
Optional lines go into the same sections. Annual income, diet, blood group, languages known and a few lines About Me sit under personal details. Family type and the maternal uncle's name sit under family.
A Muslim or Christian family usually drops the horoscope section. In its place they add the sect, or the parish church.
A Filled Marriage Resume Sample
Here is how the format looks when filled in. The person and details are made up for this page.
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Sneha Deshpande |
| Date of Birth | 21 March 1998 |
| Time of Birth | 6:15 am |
| Place of Birth | Nagpur, Maharashtra |
| Height | 5 ft 3 in |
| Religion | Hindu |
| Caste / Community | Deshastha Brahmin |
| Education | B.Tech (Computer Science), VNIT Nagpur |
| Job / Occupation | Software developer, Pune |
| Annual Income | ₹14 lakh |
| Rasi | Meena |
| Nakshatra | Revati, Pada 3 |
| Manglik | No |
| Father's Name | Anil Deshpande, retired from MSEB |
| Mother's Name | Vaishali Deshpande, school teacher |
| Brothers | 1 (unmarried, studying) |
| Native Place | Amravati |
| Mobile Number | 98XXX XXXXX (father) |
| Current City | Pune |
That is the whole thing. It fits on one A4 page with a photo, and it answers every question a family would ask on the first phone call.
Our sample marriage biodata page has more filled examples, for boys as well as girls.
How a Marriage Resume Differs from a Job Resume
A job resume sells your skills to an employer. A marriage resume introduces you and your family to another family. So the two share almost nothing beyond your name and degree.
| Marriage resume (biodata) | Job resume | |
|---|---|---|
| Who reads it | Parents, elders, the family astrologer | An HR person or a manager |
| Who makes it | Usually the parents | The candidate |
| Starts with | Photo and name, then the birth date and time | Name, email, career summary |
| Main content | Birth details, horoscope, family | Skills, work history, projects |
| Photo | Expected | Often not asked for |
| Contact | A parent's mobile number | Your own email and phone |
| Length | One page, two at most | One or two pages |
A few lines from a job resume look odd on a marriage biodata. "Career objective" is one. A signature at the bottom is another. Both belong to the office world, so leave them out.
Your job still matters, of course. Write it in plain words. Give the role and the city, with the company name or the type of company. "Senior accountant, a private bank, Indore" says enough. Families rarely want your project list.
Things That Make a Marriage Resume Easy to Read
Elders read the biodata on a phone, often with the screen held at arm's length. Keep the text big and the lines short.
Write dates the Indian way, like 21 March 1998. Write height in feet and inches, because that is how most families still speak about height. Give the time of birth with am or pm, since the astrologer needs it to the minute.
Put a parent's number, not your own, unless you are making the biodata yourself and your parents agree. Families expect the first call to be between elders.
Keep the About Me to three or four lines. Something like "I enjoy cooking Maharashtrian food on weekends and I am learning the tabla" tells the reader more than "I am a simple, caring person". Our guide on what to write in a marriage biodata goes through each field.
Mistakes We See in Marriage Resumes
These come up again and again in biodatas that families send around.
- Using a Word resume template. The two-column job layout pushes the photo to a corner and the family details to page two.
- A wrong time of birth. Check it against the horoscope written at birth, because a change of even a few minutes can change the lagna.
- Writing the full house address. The city or area is enough until both families are serious.
- Four or five photos. One clear, recent photo is plenty.
- Salary in a range like "10 to 15 LPA". Families read it as the lower figure. Give one honest number, or leave it out.
Making a Marriage Resume on Your Phone
You can make one in the format above with our free biodata maker. Pick This Biodata Is For: Male / Female, type the full name, and fill the four sections: Personal Details, Horoscope, Family Details and Contact Details. Rasi, nakshatra and lagna are worked out from the date, time and place of birth.
There are 66 designs to choose from, 63 of them free. The biodata can be in English or in 11 Indian languages. The download is an A4 PDF or a single JPG image, ready to send on WhatsApp. If you want the format rules in more detail, our marriage biodata format page has them.
Common questions
What Is a Marriage Resume Called in India?
Most families call it a marriage biodata or simply a biodata. In Hindi it is the shadi ka biodata. Marriage resume and marriage CV mean the same thing.
Can I Use My Job Resume for Marriage?
No. A job resume talks about skills and work history. It leaves out the birth details and horoscope, and it has no family section and no photo. Make a separate marriage biodata.
How Long Should a Marriage Resume Be?
One page is best and two pages at most. Elders read it on a phone, and anything longer gets skipped.
Should a Marriage Resume Have a Photo?
Most families add one passport-size photo at the top. Some send the photo separately, only to families they are serious about.
Is Horoscope Compulsory in a Marriage Resume?
No. Add it if your family or the families you are talking to match horoscopes. Many Hindu families do, and most Muslim and Christian families leave it out.
Sources
Related Guides
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