Four Steps to Making Your Own Wedding Ceremony Programs

As I’ve mentioned, I’m a big fan of doing some things yourself when it comes to wedding planning. Baking your cake and organizing your flowers? Not so much. Stationary, programs or place cards? Oh yea …

Unless you are Martha’s long-lost daughter (or marrying her long-lost son) creating wedding-worthy programs can be a bit intimidating. But thankfully, scrapbooking papers and tools can be used for more than photo pages and memory albums and the Internet really is the bride’s best friend when it comes to wedding planning.


Here are four steps to making your DIY ceremony programs a piece of (wedding) cake.

1. Choose Text
And no. I don’t mean font styles or colors, or even appropriate wedding verbiage. I mean the first step in creating your own wedding ceremony programs is to choose the information you want to include. Do you want a simple ceremony program that includes the “who” and “when” of the day or do you want a more detailed outline of what your guests can expect?

Search the Internet for details on the various kinds of programs other brides are currently using. A great list of templates is available here and here.

2. Think Style
Ceremony programs range in style from ultra-formal to cute and casual. You will need to choose your program style to coordinate with your wedding day. A hand held ceremony “fan” might be perfect for a fun, outdoor wedding but will look out of place in a formal, church setting. Likewise, glam and glimmer would be perfect for an elegant church or hotel wedding but would look silly at an outdoor, garden wedding.

Always consider your wedding day style when choosing your programs-or any other element to your wedding. You want your wedding to look coordinated, not like a 2nd grade crafts project.

3. Find a Sample
Go to Google, or your favorite Internet search engine, and enter the words “wedding programs.” Instead of clicking through the websites that come up, click the tab for “images” and search from there. You will get a variety of ideas and inspiration for your own programs.

You could also look at the site where you ordered your invitations and see if they have coordinating programs or even look at websites you know you can’t afford and see how you can modify their programs and do them yourself.

The Knot recently listed details for creating five types of wedding day programs, complete with a materials list and detailed instructions. Other samples can be found on American Greetings website and Custom Programs.

4. Put it Together
To create top-notch wedding programs, you are going to need some time, some patience, some friends and some materials. Depending on what you chose, you will likely need the following items in addition to your computer and color printer.

- Scalloped scissors
- Hole punch
- Design hole punch (for example, I bought a leaf hole punch and used it to create leaves on my programs, menu cards, etc. I then glued card stock behind the leaf so a different color would show through.)
- Card stock (several colors and/or textures)
- Brads
- Ribbon
- Other accessories

I recommend purchasing materials to create a model program. Play with your font types, sizes and colors and experiment with different ribbons, bows or accessories. Ask your family members or friends for input or suggestions and most of all … have fun.

If you get stumped and can’t move forward, ask your local crafts store for recommendations or advice.

Did you make your own programs? What websites did you find useful?

Photo courtesy of TheKnot.com

Four Reasons Why You Need a Wedding Program

How many times have you been to an event that dragged on … and on … and on? You didn’t know what to expect, you didn’t know who was who and worst of all, you didn’t know when it was going to end.

You don’t want to put your wedding guests through that, now do you?

Of course you don’t.

That, my friends, is why you need a wedding program.

I know budget-conscience brides might have hoped to cut this corner and save a little cash by not buying wedding programs. It is ok … I get that. But I’m going to let you in on two little secrets. 1) They don’t have to cost you a fortune and 2) you need one. You really do.

Let’s tackle that second secret first.

Here are four reasons you need a wedding ceremony program.


1. Your guests will know what to expect
As I said earlier, there is nothing less fun than sitting through a ceremony and not knowing the main characters, the first act or the last scene. Your program guides your guests through your ceremony and lets them know what to expect.

This is especially important if you are having any cultural or religious customs that everyone might not know. If you are having a Catholic wedding, include prayers and directions on when to stand, sit or kneel. Your non-Catholic friends will thank you.

2. Honor your attendants
This is yet another way to show your wedding attendants how much you appreciate them. Include their names, and if possible how you know them. It will be a sentimental message for them and a fun way for your guests to get to know your best friends.

Also, be sure to include the names of family members and friends who are singing or doing readings, as well as a thank you to all of your guests for attending your wedding.

3. Be creative and tie in the theme
Your wedding program is another place where you can showcase your creativity, highlight your wedding theme and offer continuity to your wedding day style. I used the same papers, ribbons, fonts and stamps on my ceremony programs, menu cards, table numbers and chair cards. (Ok, maybe I went overboard, but I made a card to hang on the back of each chair with an Italian-language wedding proverb or wish ... I know, I know. Obsessive!)

4. Create a long-lasting souvenir
Wedding programs last much longer than stale cake and are easier to conserve than many wedding favors, making them an ideal souvenir from your wedding day. Be sure to set some aside for you, your family members and attendants who might not get one at the wedding. They are also great to show your out-of-town relatives who couldn’t attend the ceremony.


As for special secret #1 regarding programs not busting your budget? Don’t worry. The Internet is full of sites where you can easily create programs, then you add your own theme and color-coordinated embellishments and … voila! Your programs are complete.

Did you make your own wedding programs or did you order them pre-made? Why did you make that choice? Are you happy with them?

Photos courtesy of Lana Stewart and dydcheung

Some Unique Wedding Ceremony Ideas

Regardless of your religious affiliation there are numerous creative wedding touches to give your ceremony that special sparkle. Just make certain that if you are having a religious ceremony at a church, temple or mosque, that you discuss each concept with your officiant to make sure you aren't going against any rules.

A couple of places where you are often given free reign are in the wedding program and the processional/recessional. Here are a few ideas to get those creative juices flowing as to how to make your wedding ceremony extraordinary.

• The wedding program can list more than just the names of the participants. For instance, in a Greek Orthodox wedding there are a number of traditions and ceremonies within the wedding service itself that need explanation. (It takes 45 minutes and has multiple parts, so it's rather complex.) This is where you can explain what is going on to guests who are not part of the faith so that they can fully participate and understand the entire ceremony - even those parts not in English! Additionally the wedding program can indicate special memorials, readings, music and so on that will enhance your guests' participation in the wedding.
  

• Even if you are not having a Jewish wedding (where it's tradition), invite your mother to walk you down the aisle with your father. Having both parents (if you are lucky) escort you to your future is a warm and loving gesture. I always feel sorry that the mother of the bride has to sit all alone in the front pew and just witness her daughter's wedding instead of being an integral part of it. I attended a wedding this summer where the bride's parents and her oldest son walked her down the aisle. It was quite moving.
  

• Ask the groom's parents to be part of the processional as well. They can lead the procession with the bride's parents ending it.
  

• See if it is acceptable to the officiant for you to change places with him (or her) so that you face the guests during the ceremony instead of having your backs to them the entire time.
  

• Hand a rose to each of the mothers as you pass them during the recessional. Have them ready at the altar so that you can each pick one up and give it to each of your mothers-in law (your mothers) as you embrace them when you are newly husband and wife. Also publicly thank your parents as a gesture of love and respect.
  

• If you are holding your wedding outdoors, have a special wedding canopy set up to designate the "altar" area where the actual ceremony will take place. At the end of the ceremony, have the guests throw grass seed or flower seeds instead of rice. Still symbolizes fertility but it is better for the birds and the environment.

• Ask a friend or family member to perform a special wedding song during the ceremony. At my friend Cindy's wedding, my then-boyfriend played classical guitar as the guests were seated. It was an elegant touch.

• If it is allowed, have a friend do a reading of a wedding poem or wedding essay at your ceremony. If it is not permitted, consider having them do a short reading at the reception during the toasts. Send them a special invitation - aside from the wedding invitation - to participate.
  

Use these little touches to create unique ceremonial aspects to your wedding and you will remember them fondly throughout the years.

Cost-Cutting On Wedding Invitations & Programs

For brides who have their eye on the bottom line, there are some really good cost-cutting ideas when it comes to invitations and wedding programs.

Purchasing offset printed invitations and ceremony programs are an expensive proposition. And you don't want to spend your entire wedding budget on these things - much better to spend it on the guests!

Sites like AmericanGreetings.com have printable wedding invitations, pre-designed, that you can modify to include your own information. Or as long as you have access to a good laser printer or a high-quality ink-jet printer, you can download your invitations and RSVP cards and print them onto wedding invitation blanks.

You can buy these blank kits online or at a paper supply store. The sets come with blank invitation forms, inner and outer envelopes, and tissue inserts. All you have to do is print that invitation you designed, address and mail them! You will save a bundle.

Creating and printing your own wedding programs is another excellent way to save money and put your own creativity into the planning.

I don't always see a program at a wedding and you are certainly within your right to not have one; however, there are several good reasons why a program is a good idea.

The program gives the order of the service:

• Each attendant and participant is listed as well as his or her relationship to the bride and groom.

• If there are any extra inclusions in the ceremony - a wreath for a deceased family member that is placed on a chair, an ethnic custom, or even the fact that the bride is wearing her mother's gown or veil are all interesting facts to give more depth to share with the guests.

• The program publicly thanks those who helped with the wedding

• It becomes a nice memento of the event for all who attend the ceremony.

• On a hot day, with no air conditioning, it's a great fan!

You can design your program on a word processor or use a wedding program template that has a layout.

Print it onto parchment or linen paper. A nice touch is to either roll the program into a scroll and secure it with an ornamental gold ring or ribbon. Or you can fold it and tie it at the fold with a narrow satin ribbon in the same color as the flowers or bridesmaid's dresses

With a little effort, you can create your wedding invitations and program in style and no one will ever know that you saved a lot of money!