Programs...To Do or Not To Do?

fperez7542

I wasn't planning on doing Programs.  I've never been to a wedding with programs. Then I started getting ideas of DIY fan programs since our wedding is outside on September 1st which may be a little warm still.  

Our Ceremony and Reception is in the same place.  Ceremony at 5:30, Cocktail Hour 6-7pm,

Reception is 7-11:30pm...Dinner should be about 7:30-7:45pm...

What are your opinions on programs?

07ultraclassic

I only ever remember programs at giant Lutheran or Catholic ceremonies, where guidance in the order of the ceremony might be needed. Those get looooong!

Fans are fine, and quite useful, but I think you'll save yourself a lot of stress and money (even if DIY) if you don't make them a program.

CallaLily25

I don't think they're necessary, but I think it's a nice touch. I personally like having something to look at before something starts, whether it be a play, concert, or a wedding, haha. I'd keep them cheap though since they'll end up being thrown out most likely. The DIY fan programs sound like a cute idea.

Lored

I'd agree - not necessary but if you can afford it, I like them. I don't know if its a regional thing, but most weddings around me have them. It's not something I save or anything, but like CallaLilly said, it's kind of nice to look through. This goes more for a longer church ceremony. If your reception is short, I wouldn't worry about them (Esp. if budget's tight) I've never seen fan programs but sounds like a cute idea.

fperez7542

Thank you ladies! Great help!

acaponi87

I was very much "I'm not doing programs!" until the week before the wedding and then I was like "omg wtf was I thinking I need to make programs NOW". So I designed my own and then had the UPS store print them all. I think it cost me like $50 grand total.

Not neccessary, but nice. They don't have to be expensive or fancy.

Jager1219

Love them as a fan. I saw it once and thought it was the greatest Idea. I was gong to do them but then our date changed from July to may so it will be cooler and not needed. The other thing to consider is if your doing introductions of the wp or a toast. We're including in our programs the wp names and a thank you message from us.

Peledreamsofrain

Ditto to PP. Not critical, but nice to have, especially if you have a longer ceremony. We had the fan programs, and they looked really elegant while making amazing keepsakes for those that wanted one. I kept two and put them in my wedding scrapbook. I'm so glad I busted out the extra expense.

Jen4948

They're not required, but they can be useful to give information about the ceremony, especially if it's held in a religion that isn't "mainstream" and/or is conducted, in whole or part, in a foreign language, or if the couple wants to remember deceased loved ones in a memorial tribute.

But it's up to you.

ljsquintz

We did programs, mainly because I wanted to list the bridal party and ceremony participants.  It was important to me to acknowledge them and make sure my guests knew their names.

Twowarlocks

We're going to have programs because my "bridesmaids" are men and my conservative family will undoubtedly be confused. Since they will just get thrown away, we're using re'sume' paper, printed ourselves.

rajahmd

We're sorta doing programs.  It's more like "program".  To avoid wasting paper, we're doing one giant program.  My fiance and I are coming up with the wording (pretty simple, order of events, songs, key participants, etc).  My mom, who loves to paint as a hobby, offered to create a design inspired by our invitations.  She's going to paint her design and our wording on an extra large canvas, that we will display on an easel in the entrance to the room where the ceremony will occur. The reception room is connected and will be opened up after the ceremony.  At that point, the ceremony room becomes the food room, so the program will also be on display during the reception.  This is our way of recoginizing our wedding party and our parents by listing their names, but without wasting paper.

kipnus

We didn't do them and didn't miss them. I think they're a waste of paper, money, and effort.

mvance3

I wasn't planning on them either until FMIL asked about them.  I started looking into them and they can get pricey, but I went to Office Depot and had them printed up for $23 including the cost of the pearl-finish card stock.  They're nothing fancy, but I decided it'd be nice to have a little something to say 'who's who' up there with us.