The present study examines through a genre and critical discourse analysis a total of 200 Arabic written wedding invitations in terms of their component patterns, and the role played by the broader socio-cultural norms and values in shaping this genre. It draws on two analytic frameworks from discourse: genre analysis, and critical discourse analysis (CDA). CDA has exposed at least two interrelated aspects of culture - religion and masculine authority - that have a fundamental effect on the organizational details of this communicative event, and a detailed genre analysis has identified eight generic components that are ritually drawn upon in the process of wedding invitation production. CDA results have shown how religious affiliation and masculine kinship authority not only construct and shape text component selection but also color the lexical choices and naming practices. I hope that the results of this study will be of help in further understanding the socio-cultural aspects that constrain the communicative behavior of the target language speakers, and in providing cross-cultural contrast in intercultural communication.