A Day-of Paper Item to Plan For
Custom wedding ceremony programs (also called order of service) while not essential, can be very useful. They share important information about what is taking place. It’s a flexible piece that works for many types of ceremonies and traditions.
There’s no hard rule as to what must be included, but few common items are:
-listing the bridal party, sometimes including how the couple knows each person
-listing the order of events for the ceremony – helpful when guests are asked to participate with responses, singing, standing, sitting etc.
-Some guests might not be familiar with the customs or traditions the couple has chosen to include, so listing brief descriptions about what is taking place and the significance can be very helpful
-a thank you message to special people or guests
-an “in memory” section listing loved ones attending in spirit
It is important to meet with the ceremony officiant to get a firm outline of the order of events. Many couples choose to include readings, unity candles, sermons, prayers, blessings or traditions according to their religions, cultures or personal preferences. Couples will want to be sure the order of events is carefully reviewed by the officiant and all participating individuals assigned tasks to do during the ceremony are confirmed, so they can all be accurately listed in the program.
A couple more things to keep in mind when designing custom wedding ceremony programs:
Sometimes it is not necessary for every guest to have a program, so keep this in mind when deciding how many to print. Not all guests will likely take a program, especially those who are a couple and will share.
Couples will want to consider how they wish to distribute the programs to their guests. They can be placed on every seat (if the wedding is indoors), but every other seat is fine too. Otherwise, assign the task of greeting guests and handing out programs to someone special or leave the programs in an area where guests can easily pick them up as they arrive. You might even want to give guests a place to discard their programs after the ceremony, if there is a chance the guests leave them behind.
Check out our program gallery to see all the different styles we offer!
