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Wedding Program Tips

Need help with writing your wedding programs? Looking for a wedding programs template or wedding programs sample wording? Read below and check out our printed sample pages for help on how to write a wedding program.

Sample Wedding Programs

These pages include some examples of wedding programs printed by Antonia Rose Printing. You can use them as a template or for sample wording. If you want blank stock samples of our wedding programs to see what they look like, you can order them here.

Fan Wedding Program Samples
Regular Wedding Program Samples

Do I Need A Wedding Program?

Wedding programs are not a requirement for your wedding. Whether or not you use a wedding program depends on you, but there are some factors to consider. Is your wedding party large? Are there a number of participants whom many of your guests will not know? Will your ceremony be long or incorporate special rituals or traditions you want your guests to be aware of? Will you have many guests of a different religious tradition who might not understand parts of your ceremony without the guidance of a program? Do you want to make sure everyone sings along to your favorite hymn? Do you have people who have passed away you want to remember in writing? Do you have people who need to be given a special thank you? Finally, have you ever been at a wedding where you didn't bother to read the program? EVERYONE reads the wedding program! It is a great way to connect with your guests as your celebration gets started, and many guests will bring it home as a memento of the day.

When to Order

You can order your wedding programs as soon as your details are final; most brides order 4-6 weeks before their wedding. If you have less than 3 weeks before your wedding, you will usually need to pay for expedited shipping, and if you have less than 2 weeks you probably cannot get professionally printed wedding programs and will have to use print-your-own or photocopied ones.

What to Include

What you include in your wedding programs depends on you, your ceremony and the format of your wedding program. If you have a large wedding party, a long ceremony, or want to include a lot of detail, you will need a larger program format, perhaps a booklet or folder with additional inserts. However detailed you get, most programs include the first four listed elements.

1. Introduction: Your Names, Date and Location
This generally goes at the top of the front or the first panel of your printed wedding programs. A monogram is also a very popular addition to the introduction. Another design element often used is a motif (small picture) setting the introduction apart from what follows.

2. Ceremony Order, with or without songs and readings listed
This is generally the next thing after your introduction, often taking up the second panel of a traditional printed wedding program or one side of a fan wedding program. It can be as simple as a list of the ceremony elements or so detailed it includes all of your readings and songs along with authors and readers/performers, and perhaps even the text of the reading or song. You need to finalize the details of your order of ceremony with your minister and music coordinator before your programs are printed. Your meetings with them will provide a draft of this portion of your wedding programs.

You can set off your songs and readings by using a different font, indenting them, or using leading dots to connect the name and author or reader; see our wedding programs samples pages for ideas.

3. Wedding Party, usually with parents and grandparents listed also
This is generally the third panel of a standard wedding program or one side of a fan wedding program. If space permits, many brides include the relationship of each party member (for example, sister of the bride, friend of the couple, etc.) Some brides give attribution to everyone who helped with the ceremony, even those such as the photographer and florist, but listing paid vendors is generally frowned upon. (Your program should not serve as advertising material.) Don't forget to list the officiant!

Traditional etiquette dictates using the full names and personal titles of all wedding party members, but few brides now actually do that. Using the full name is common, but the vast majority of our customers omit personal titles (Mr., Mrs., etc.)

Divorced parents and grandparents are typically listed on separate lines under or across from their title. Step-parents and step-grandparents are generally included in the listing as well, to avoid any hurt feelings.

There are different ways to lay out the names and titles, using indentation, underlining, different fonts and leading dots to show their roles and names. Many examples are shown on our sample wedding programs pages.

4. Closing: Many brides include at the end of their programs (the fourth panel if there is one, or the bottom of the back of a fan wedding program) a thank you or closing message of appreciation to their guests. Many also have a few lines noting a dedication to those who have passed away--often flowers are dedicated this way. Another item you can include, if space permits, is your new At Home address. The closing is another popular place to put a monogram or motif as a design element. Our samples pages show a variety of closings.

5. OPTIONAL: Instead of listing the wedding party or ceremony order, some brides choose to include a poem, an explanation of rituals or traditions included in their ceremony, lyrics to a song, or something else they feel is important to include. We can print whatever you want on your wedding programs, as long as it fits. And you are not required to include all of the first four elements listed. Especially in cases where the ceremony follows the traditional format, many brides omit that part of their program and include some other elements.

One of our sample wedding programs includes a list of Jewish wedding traditions, for example, which is nice if many of the guests come from another religious tradition.

Another popular item to include in your wedding program is one or more photographs of the two of you. Many program formats are designed around photographs, most often printed in black and white.

Design Choices

1. Quantity of text is the first consideration in designing your wedding programs. Some program formats simply won't work for large wedding parties and long ceremonies, if you want to include everything noted above. Some wedding program formats allow for the inclusion of extra inserts, so you can have more than the standard three or four panels of text. The availability of extra inserts is noted in the program details page.

When you are assessing how much text you have to fit on your programs, keep in mind that the text on the program will take up about as much space as it does in your typed version. It is often helpful to type it up in Word and see how much of the page it takes up. In printing wedding programs, you can go down to about 9 point type in a simple block font and still have it legible, but if you are using a more complex font or want your text larger, keep that in mind.

2. Color is the next thing to consider, after you have selected the style of your wedding programs. Most wedding programs are ecru or white, though some colored stock is available and a few programs feature a colored background in your chosen ink color. Brides most often bring in their wedding colors through their ink and ribbon choices. Some program formats allow for a decorative ribbon, and some require a ribbon to hold the insert in place. Make sure you get enough ribbon for your programs; ask if you need help figuring it out, or download this pdf list of the lengths needed for each program style we sell.

3. Design Motifs, Monograms, Photos are all ways to accent your wedding programs. Many brides use a monogram as part of their introduction, and a motif to separate different parts of the program. Some wedding program styles allow for the use of a photo. It is important to choose one that has good contrast (not too light or dark) and a plain background. Our samples pages show many creative uses of these design elements.

4. Fonts are another design option you will have to choose. It is always best to use a simple block font for the list portions of your wedding programs, so people can easily read the names of the people, songs, etc. If you want to incorporate more script than just the names and headings, you can use script for the titles of their wedding party and then block for the names.

5. Styles of programs Browse through our program selection to see the different styles of printed wedding programs we have, or download this pdf showing the most common formats and some design options. Folders with additional inserts and booklets are the best choice if you have a lot to include. Keep in mind not only the shape of the program, but the dimensions. The more modern formats are stacked cards and wrap programs, often incorporating translucent vellum. Fan wedding programs are extremely popular for weddings when it will be warm at the ceremony location.

Distributing Wedding Programs and How Many to Order

Wedding programs are most often passed out by ushers seating guests, but can also be placed in baskets or other containers at the entrance of the ceremony location or on the pews or chairs. Handing out programs is a task often given to children related to the wedding party. One program can be given out per couple or per individual. For the new fan wedding programs, most brides choose to print one per guest. It's always good to talk to your mother and mother-in-law to be before deciding how many to get. An extra 25 programs is generally inexpensive when you place your initial order, so it is best to get a few too many rather than not enough. In any case, be clear about how to distribute programs with whoever is handing them out.

Conclusion

What you include in your programs and how you lay it out is up to you, but be sure to consult with your mother and future mother-in-law as well, to ensure there are no hurt feelings. You also want to have them review your copy for spelling and name errors, preferably BEFORE you submit your order and get your proof.

You will get a proof of your wedding program before it prints, so you will have a chance to make changes if you are unhappy with your layout choices or a mistake has been made. However, each proof takes another 2-4 business days, so if time is tight it is best to know what you want from the start.

Look at our sample pages for ideas and to see how other couples have done their programs. We have sample fan programs and sample regular format wedding programs. Finally, you can order a sample of the program stock to see if you like how it looks before you order, if you have enough time in your schedule.

And Don't Forget...

Ordering your wedding programs is one of the last things you have to worry about ordering before your wedding. Think about whether there is anything else you still need: printed napkins, a guest book, thank you notes...combine all your last-minute items into one order and save on shipping.

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