In an effort to cut down on expenses and to keep the wedding simple, stress free, and environmentally friendly, I have been thinking about skipping the programs.
We are having the ceremony and the reception in the same brick courtyard adjacent to a historical mansion. After the ceremony, the wedding party and guests will go into the mansion for the toasts. Meanwhile, a group of volunteer friends will "flip" the ceremony space into a reception apace, setting up 15 tables and surrounding them with the ceremony chairs, putting table cloths and centerpieces on each table. My concern is that they will also have to pick up people's programs they leave lying around. I also just don't like the idea of putting a lot of time/money into making stuff that will become garbage by the end of the night.
We are having a very short/simple ceremony, and i doubt any of our guests will be lost without a program. The only thing I think people would miss is the who's who guide for the wedding party. In lieu of a program, I am thinking about having my mom paint a sign (she's a very talented painter) listing the officiate, readers, and all of the wedding party info. The sign would be posted near the entrance. Bios will also be on our website. Do you think this is a good enough substitute for programs???
Re: Poll: is this an acceptable substitute for programs?