Wedding Vows & Ceremony Discussions

Programs and Menu

Are programs required?  Are menus required?  I am not sure that I want to go through the trouble of creating these, but wanted to know if these are things the guests might think are standard and will expect them.  Maybe I can get a one page listing of the wedding party and a word or two about the religious traditions we will have as part of the ceremony.  The food we are planning is self-serve buffet, so I don't feel like a menu is needed.  Any thoughts or advice? 

Re: Programs and Menu

  • Programs aren't needed.  They are nice to have, though, when the ceremony has certain ceremonies or languages that not all guests will understand.  As for the menus, I don't think you need then when there is a buffet.
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  • hlvonbhlvonb member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Answer First Comment
    edited December 2013
    ccvasquez said:
    Are programs required?  Are menus required?  I am not sure that I want to go through the trouble of creating these, but wanted to know if these are things the guests might think are standard and will expect them.  Maybe I can get a one page listing of the wedding party and a word or two about the religious traditions we will have as part of the ceremony.  The food we are planning is self-serve buffet, so I don't feel like a menu is needed.  Any thoughts or advice? 

    Based on what you say you're having, I would say they are not required but the programs might be a nice thing for the guests to read / look at before the ceremony starts.
  • Neither is required.

    That said, programs can be useful for guests who may not be familiar with the traditions and rituals incorporated in your ceremony.  They can also be useful for giving tributes to deceased loved ones.

    For your buffet, in case any of your guests have dietary issues and need to know the contents of specific dishes, it would be helpful of your caterer to label the dishes.
  • Thanks ladies.  We thought about the program being a keepsake for family and friends, so if we do it, I wanted something simple.  For food, you guys are totally right.  For allergies and dietary restrictions, I will make sure that it is labeled.  It is good for people to know what they are eating.  Thanks!
  • Just a note, most of your friends and family probably won't keep the program as a keepsake.  I know I wouldn't longer than a couple days.  It would get tossed in a pile and then thrown out whenever I sorted through it.  I would be willing to bet that your mom and your FI's mom, and possibly grandmothers, would be the only ones keeping them and preserving them for a long time.
  • Neither are required. Instead of programs my FI and I are using a chalkboard at the entrance of the aisle to inform the guests of our order of events.
  • I'm doing menu cards for my buffet simply so people can review it ahead of time and know what's available before they get up there. I will also have each item labeled.
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  • Only reason I'm even doing programs is because we're having a Catholic Mass wedding and I don't want guests to be lost and know what is happening or going to happen. 

    Also to let my guests know who everyone is =) 
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  • I'm not crazy about the idea of doing programs either, but I think it is nice for people to read and be able to follow along. We're just creating ours in Publisher and printing them ourselves on paper from Michaels. Nothing crazy or expensive, but it gets the job done. Most people don't hang onto them after the wedding, anyways.

    I agree with everyone else about labeling the food.
  • We had a Catholic mass, and most of our guests aren't Catholic, so we did programs.  We just printed them off the computer onto nice card stock and bound them with ribbon.  Most of our programs either weren't used or were left behind anyways.  I don't regret making them... but just know that most people definitely won't keep them as a keepsake.

    We did not do menus, but we also had plated dinners. 

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  • Neither are required, although I enjoy a program if the ceremony is particularly long or religious. For example, if I was going to an Indian wedding I'd appreciate knowing the traditions and symbolism via the program. 

    We're skipping them both since our ceremony is going to be short and sweet and we're having a buffet, too. At the beginning of the buffet line, we are planning to have some sort of sign on display with a list of dishes. I always like to know what's down the buffet line so I know my options!
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  • The only reason I did menu cards was to provide a color contrast because our napkins which were placed on the plate, were dark brown and we did chocolate favors which were placed at each person's seat. The favors would have gotten lost on the napkin so I did an ivory menu card so the favors would stand out when put on top of them. The programs I did only because we did a dual language ceremony & we thought it would help people follow along better.

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