Wedding programs are often cited as something that a financially or time-stressed couple can do without for their wedding. It’s true, not every wedding needs a program. But, if your wedding ceremony involves cultural or religious traditions with which not everyone is familiar, wedding programs can be very helpful. Programs can also be great if you have things you want to make sure you say and don’t trust yourself to do a speech or toast at the reception.
So, what’s in a wedding program?
• You can start your wedding program with a personal note to your guests. The note should be short and sweet and full of gratitude. If you want to ask people to refrain from using their cameras or social media during the wedding, this is a great place to do it.
• A list of the wedding party (including ushers, parents, and the officiant). Some people like to explain how they know the various members of the bridal party, but this can get tedious, and potentially, even insulting when your friends from college realize that your new co-worker is a bridesmaid and they aren’t.
• The order of the ceremony, including the titles of any songs or readings and of course the names of the people doing the readings. Again, how you know the people doing the readings or songs, isn’t really necessary. How much information you want to give about the ceremony really depends on how much information is needed.
• Info about the reception (time and place). Many people will have left their invitation with that information at home.
Remember, the more information you include, the more expensive it will be to produce the program, even if you’re producing it yourself.
Also, absolutely nothing should be printed until it’s been proofread and checked for content by you and at least one other person. A beautiful wedding program can become a keepsake item, a program with lots of typos is just embarrassing.
Are you creating a program for your wedding? Why or why not? Share your thoughts in the comments.