Marriage biodata: format and what to include
The biodata is still the first thing most families share. A good one is short, accurate and easy to read on a phone. Here is what to put in it - and what to keep out.
The sections families expect
A marriage biodata usually fits on one page, in this order:
- Name and a recent photo. One clear, recent photo of the face; a full-length photo is a common second.
- Personal details: date of birth (or age), height, religion, community, mother tongue, marital status, where you live.
- Education: highest qualification and institution.
- Work: profession, employer (or type of employer), and the city you work in. Income only if you choose to share it.
- Family: father's and mother's occupation, siblings (married or not), family type (joint or nuclear), native place.
- Horoscope details - only if your family uses them: date, time and place of birth, nakshatra, rashi, manglik status.
- About: three or four honest lines about the person - interests, values, what kind of life they want.
- Partner expectations: a few lines, kept reasonable.
- Contact: a parent's or the person's number - or none, if it will be shared publicly (see privacy below).
Writing tips
- Be accurate. Height, age and education will all be checked eventually. Small exaggerations destroy trust.
- Write the "about" in a real voice. "Calm, enjoys cooking for friends, close to her younger brother" says more than "fair, homely, convent-educated".
- Leave out complexion and caste stereotypes. Descriptions like "fair" or demands about complexion are hurtful, and increasingly put good families off.
- No dowry, no "expectations" about gifts. Asking for dowry is a crime in India.
- Keep it to one page, in a readable font, and save it as a PDF so it looks the same on every phone.
Mistakes families often make
- Too long. A biodata is an introduction, not a life story. One page - two at most - is read fully; five pages are skimmed.
- Exaggerating. An inflated salary or a rounded-up height will come out at the first meeting and costs more trust than it ever gained.
- Leaving out what matters to you. If you want a vegetarian family, or a partner willing to move abroad, say so. It saves months of conversations that were never going to work.
- Outdated details. Update the job, city and photo whenever they change, and put the month and year at the bottom so readers know it is current.
Photos
- Recent - within the last year.
- Good natural light, face clearly visible, no heavy filters.
- The person alone: group photos make families guess who is who.
Privacy: think before you forward
A biodata shared in one family WhatsApp group can be forwarded hundreds of times within days - with a photo and a phone number on it. Before sharing:
- Leave out your full address and pincode.
- Consider leaving out the phone number, or using a parent's number.
- Share with specific families rather than large groups.
Make one free on MilanKnot
MilanKnot has a free biodata maker built into the app and website (My profile → My biodata). It turns your profile into a clean one-page PDF to share on WhatsApp, and you choose what goes on it: your photo, income, phone number, horoscope and faith details are each a switch. Your pincode and area are never included. The PDF carries your Profile ID, so a family can find your full profile on MilanKnot - where photos are checked and contact details stay private until both sides agree.
Questions families ask
What should a marriage biodata include?
A photo, personal details (age, height, religion, community, mother tongue, marital status, location), education, work, family details, horoscope details if your family uses them, a few lines about the person and what they are looking for, and a contact.
Should I put my phone number on my biodata?
Only if you are sharing it with families you know. Biodata are often forwarded widely; a parent's number, or none, is safer.
How can I make a biodata for free?
On MilanKnot, My profile → My biodata creates a one-page PDF from your profile for free, and you choose what goes on it.