Do I have to do programs for the wedding ceremony?

mexicomatch

I want to keep things simple and easy and I don't feel like we need a program.  Do we need one?  

stinkerbell6879

I think they are nice, but not a mandatory item. I am not doing one.

chrisandeva

It just depends on your ceremony and what you want. We are not having programs because: Ceremony is only 15 minutes and doesn't call for much "guest participation" and everyone knows the wedding party so no need to list them.

dvohnout

We are not having one. We are having a smallish wedding of 60ish guests, so everyone knows the bridal party. It is totally up to you.

kimnoble

I made some from left over invite paper.  I don't think it's a traditional wedding program, it's more of info sharing for the logistics of transportation, dinner, tour.  Where to meet and when while FI and I are shooting some pics.  

pamila51510

You only need to do what you want too. No more no less remember its your day! You can do what your heart desires leave out the details you don't want to do!!!!!

thefuturemrsrumley

We decided not too have one. Our ceremony is very simple and very short!

RachNRich

We aren't doing programs for similar reasons as PP's---we have a small wedding party (just our sisters), and the ceremony is going to be about 15 minutes. I would have liked to do them just for fun--but it would have been an added cost I couldn't justify.

impslave

Our wedding party is small (MOH and BM only) and we have fewer than 30 guests.  But I'm still making some using leftover resume paper.  Not so much so people can follow the ceremony, but so I can remind our guests about where to go for the dinner, about the after-party and it includes our Shutterfly account information.

futurecoachk

I decided to do programs.  I listed the wedding party on one page, the "Thank you" to our guests on the next and a map of the strip with a "you are here" star directing them to the reception site. 

meyerse

We have one because my sis wanted to design one and we had left over paper.  Pic in my Bio, it's really simple!

choxie_77

If you are having a full mass ceremony, it might be a good idea. Just so your guests know what and why it's going so long! Plus, if people weren't raised in the church or aren't familiar with certain parts - like taking communion - then it's a good roadmap for them. We are doing programs since our ceremony is an hour long and so people know what to expect.

cinegrad

I certainly wouldn't say you HAVE to have one.  We're doing one largely because we want to make it feel more like a "real" wedding and not just the Vegas-Elvis-chapel thing I'm certain my mother is envisioning.  Also, as some others have mentioned, it's helpful when people either don't know your wedding party or need further information about later activities (i.e. reception).

Micheles60

If you want to have one, hey, it's your day! I would say the only time a program really comes in handy (as a guest, anyways) is 1. when the ceremony is long/complicated or 2. there is a long, long time between when the guests are seated and the ceremony starts - it helps to have reading material to pass the time waiting!

I've found it doesn't help to identify the bridal party at all. The program just lists a bunch of names. When the folks come down the aisle, they don't have name tags, so I still don't know who's who. And, unless the program identifies this person as the bride's sister-in-law by marriage or the groom's best buddy since kindergarten, I've no idea how these people know each other, especially in large weddings.