are programs necessary

bridalmarch · March 2013

We're really coming down to the wire and I sort of forgot about this part. The only reason I think they would be is because we're having a Catholic ceremony, but I'd say about 60% of our guests are Catholic or have been at some point and will know what's happening. We don't have a home printer, so doing them here and printing them out isn't an option. I guess I could always go to Kinkos or something if I need to. We have a VP groupon to use but at this point I'm afriad of the ship time.

itzMS · March 2013

Ask your parish secretary and/or priest. Ours made some up for us (similar to the orders of worship for Mass).

All I had to do was provide the names of the wedding party, and a list of our hymns and readings. She did the "design" work.

They weren't high quality by any means, but they helped people follow along with the ceremony.

tiny speck · March 2013

I wouldn't bother.

vanityink · March 2013

Do you have to, definitely not.

If you want to, you can have them made up at Kinkos or Office Depot same day, so you still can if you like (Office Depot also has a 30% off coupon if you upload them online and then head over).

s-aries8990 · March 2013

They arent' necessary, but they are nice. You may be able to ask your parish or print out simple ones that are like onepage on 5x7 cardstock?

Bridalmarch & FI
Date
BMs GMs
name name
etc. etc.

Procession
Greeting
Opening prayer
etc.

I only say this because a large % of your guests aren't Catholic, and a full Catholic mass can be confusing to newbs.

STARMOON44 · March 2013

I think you should have them. For your nonCatholic guests, having no idea what's going on can be very difficult. I'm Protestant, and there are many parts of a Catholic ceremony I'm comfortable participating in hymns, prayers, etc but I can't without a program.

Tami87 · March 2013

I had some printed for our Catholic wedding mass at kinkos the week of the wedding, but about half the guest list was not Catholic and I was worried about people not knowing what was going on. I don't remember it being very expensive and they had them done in a few days (although I am sure you could same day if you needed to). They weren't anything fancy but they served their purpose.

I would also check with the parish secretary or priest to see if worship aids are already available in the pews so that guests can look at those if you chose not to do programs.

misssunshine17 · March 2013

I also think if you have a spare couple hours, it would be nice so people can follow along. If not, no big deal.

CallaLily25 · March 2013

In Response to Re:are programs necessary:[QUOTE]I also think if you have a spare couple hours, it would be nice so people can follow along. If not, no big deal. Posted by misssunshine17[/QUOTE]

Ditto. I'm Catholic but FI is not, and even though he's been to quite a few Catholic masses, he still likes to have a program to follow along with at weddings, funerals, etc. I think it'd be a nice touch, but definitely don't stress about it if you don't have the time!

WalkersFurMama · March 2013

It would be nice, but not completely necessary. I know my grandmother keeps them as momentos from the wedding she attends along with the invite. She'd be disappointed, but I am sure she'd get over it.

wittykitty14 · March 2013

It's not necessary, but helpful. We're having a full Catholic mass, and over half of our guests aren 't Catholic, and we're definitely doing programs. Out of the ones who are Catholic, most won't have much of a clue as to what happens during the Rite of Marriage, and would like to know what happens. Having programs will help people stay more engaged in your ceremony. They'll also let people know what to do at certain times during the mass, like Communion. (Although, your Priest will probably help guide them along the way). To save money, we're making ours ourselves. We're making them in Microsoft Word, then printing them on standard paper, and having them folded into card stock, tied together with ribbon. It will be a bit of a DIY project for us, but it will only cost about $35 bucks! That's what we're doing, but it may not work for you. If you don't have programs, no one will be complaining about it. But they will (likely) appreciate having them! The choice is yours!

arco13 · March 2013

Yeah, as a non-religious and also super awkward person who gets confused easily in new situations, I would enjoy having a program at a catholic wedding. I've honestly never been to one, but I know they tend to be longer and have a lot of different traditional parts, so it would be nice to have one just so I know everything that's going on. You don't have to spend an arm and a leg on them, but I think they would be appreciated by your non-catholic guests.

TheBaysideBride · March 2013

Totally not necessary - especially in a church service.
we're doing them just bc we want to mention our grandparetns and explain some of the traditions - but totally just bc we want to have fun with it.

I think the ceremony is generally self-explanitory

bridalmarch · March 2013

We're just having a ceremony, not a full Mass, so there aren't as many parts. I know our church alreayd has sort of a follow along card in the pews because they changed the words to a bunch of things awhile ago and people have those cards to help them remember.

I spoke to FI and he really think we should have them for a lot of the reasons you guys mentioned so we're going to put something together tonight. He figured becuase we have the VP Groupon, we can pay for expedited shipping and we'll probably come out about even to what we would have paid if we were more on the ball

QueerFemme · March 2013

they are totally unnecessary, and I agongized over mine for way to long. In the end, yeah, they were probably wasteful and useless, but I loved how they turned out. So, I guess I'm glad we did them.

nicoleandersonmd · March 2013

I am Catholic and have been to many Catholic Ceremonies and have found that they are pretty standard for Catholic weddings specifically. For the same reasons that they have missals for every mass even for the members of the religion. That being said, I've only been to the hour long ones with the full mass....so I'm not entirely sure what is cut out in the abbreviated ceremonies.... If your church already has the cards, they may be sufficient! The programs/personal missals do take a long time to make though! I spent, literally, hours on ours. I'm just going to print them off and then tie them together myself with a hole punch and a ribbon. I went over ours line by line with our priest. If you would like me to send it to you, let me know! It's in the correct format and would make a great template for you. You'd only have to change the names and the readings!

[Deleted User] · March 2013

ah! I'm so glad you ask the question! I also dont want to do programs! we are having a short and swet ceremony with maybe one reading. (FI is catholic Im baptist). The ONLY reason I was considering doing a program was because my grandmother insisted I have my 16 year old cousin in the wedding.. handing out programs was my comprimise..but now shes not coming. its her prom (grandmother tried to get me to chage wedding date for this) so anyway programs are out I just wasnt sure it's ok.

OwningAHome1981 · March 2013

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_are-programs-necessary?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:f7d16723-0131-4891-ac1a-0cc05c77e649Post:54d8b0ad-3ca8-4676-90aa-cb5eca753211">are programs necessary</a>:
[QUOTE]We're really coming down to the wire and I sort of forgot about this part. The only reason I think they would be is because we're having a Catholic ceremony, but I'd say about 60% of our guests are Catholic or have been at some point and will know what's happening. We don't have a home printer, so doing them here and printing them out isn't an option. I guess I could always go to Kinkos or something if I need to. We have a VP groupon to use but at this point I'm afriad of the ship time.
Posted by bridalmarch[/QUOTE]

Staples can do it in an hour if you are worried about shiptime. Note: I do not know how much it costs, I only know that it is an option.. and they will do any editing work as well. Also Vistaprint but I don't think they do any editing. Ours are on 8.5x11 standard size paper as of now but we want it shrank down to 5x7 but couldn't find an option to do that with Vistaprint, and also with Vistaprint you really don't know what the paper feels like.

They aren't necessary but they are a nice touch. Also, it's a good way to print a message inside thanking your guests, BP and parents for the day.

BTW my wedding is not religious. We are using the programs to say who is in the bridal party, the officiant's name, the music, listing our parents, lisiting the 2 readings people are doing and who is doing them and then we have a section for the names of the deceased people in our families, and also we have thank you messages.

are programs necessary

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