Wedding Porgrams

megan8305 · January 2014

Are programs a must for the ceremony? WE are having a shorter ceremony and it is not a overly religious one ( no communion, no bible readings ect). The main point for the programs would be for the guest to know who is who. The Fi thinks they are a waste of money, which I do see but also figure if I can find nice card stock for the right price its something I can do at home since it won’t be big.

AddieCake · January 2014

The only must for a wedding ceremony are a bride,groom, officiant and (usually) a witness. I agree with your fiance that programs are a waste unless there is something complicated about your ceremony. Why do guests need to know who is who?

misshart00 · January 2014

We had planned on making ours. But time got away from us and we never did. No one missed them. Don't worry about it.

indianaalum · January 2014

We had a church ceremony. We made ours ourselves, so it ended up being probably less than 20.00

emmyg65 · January 2014

We had a religious ceremony that needed explaining, so we also made them ourselves. But if we didn't need to explain, we would have skipped them.

dramamonkey · January 2014

We had a mostly Jewish ceremony and for DHs family and some of our friends we needed it. Mine was one sheet of paper, folded in half. Front was cover only, the next 3 panels were text. It only cost me paper and ink. We had about 100 guests, so I printed 80 and had tons left over. However, it was the absolute last thing on our to do list, and if it hadn't gotten done, that would have been OK.

LowerEastSiiide · January 2014

Not necessary and I find them annoying because I feel like if I leave it in my chair, when the ceremony is done, that I'm being rude, so then I end up with the stupid thing crammed into my tiny purse for the rest of the night, just to throw out when I'm at home- skip them

HisGirlFriday13 · January 2014

We weren't going to do programmes, but enough people asked us, 'How will I know what's going on? How will I know went to sit and stand and kneel and just not do anything?' (we had a full Catholic Mass), that we ended up doing them.

I designed them myself in MS Publisher, printed them on nice heavy-weight paper we bought on clearance, and people loved them -- I've actually had two brides on here ask for copies of them and people commented for WEEKS afterwards how much they loved them.

@LowerEastSiiide just because YOU find them annoying and don't know how to dispose of them properly doesn't make them stupid or unnecessary.

Simky906 · January 2014

I think it completely depends on the type of the ceremony that you will be having. Since OP is having a very simple ceremony I don't think they are necessary in her case (though you can always have then if you want). When the ceremony has elements that many of the guests will not be familiar with then they are quite useful.

SP29 · January 2014

Not necessary, but some people like them (I do).

We pretty much made our own. DH designed ours using publisher (I think) on his computer, chose a design, font, colours, etc. Then we had them printed out at Staples on nice card stock, they also scored them so they folded nicely. We also did our place cards the same way. Place cards plus programs printed and scored on nice stock paper cost us $70 total.

You could also order some from David's Bridal online, shouldn't be too expensive there either.

dolewhipper · January 2014

My BM had some at her wedding but had a Greek Orthodox ceremony (and it was in all Greek) and was very nice. Even though I'm having a religious service, it's quite straightforward (non-denominational) so we won't. We may, however, have a chalkboard style sign with all the names and titles in the front area of the ceremony

manateehugger · January 2014

I actually like them too, but they aren't necessary. I do think they are helpful for unique ceremonies or for ceremonies in a religion unfamiliar to most guests. If you decide to go for them, just grab something cheap but pretty at a craft store or Vistaprint.

Our church included the printing in our overall fee. Score!

phira · January 2014

We're thinking of making them ourselves, but we're intentionally leaving them last (we're also making all the decor and the favors). That way, if we run out of time, we're fine.

The main reason we're considering them is that our wedding is going to incorporate a lot of Jewish traditions (my partner's family is Catholic and most of our friends are not Jewish). We are also skipping a lot of traditions (e.g. cake cutting) and want guests to know that they didn't miss anything.

If you feel like your guests might be confused during your wedding, or there's information you could provide to them during the ceremony and/or reception that would make your wedding more enjoyable, then programs may be a good idea (although certainly NOT required).

Cookie Pusher · January 2014

We're doing programs. We have a few elements in the ceremony and reception that people may not be familiar with (hand fasting, Chinese tea ceremony) and we want a place to honor my dad and FI's mom (both deceased). Also, since the wedding is a summer, outdoor event, they can double as fans in case anyone feels too warm.

MandyMost · January 2014

I think we're going to do them. We're planning a very simple, completely non-religious ceremony, but I think the program is a nice place to mention our families and also to perhaps include the readings or a nice poem or something. I always read through the program while I'm sitting there waiting for the ceremony to start, unless I end up next to friends I haven't seen in a while. We'll see. Also, I think they will add to the decor--paper is a lot cheaper than "real" decorations! And finally, it's helpful to have some logistic info on there as well, such as where to go for cocktail hour in case it's not obvious!

Inkdancer · January 2014

I don't think we'll do them, since we're doing a simple ceremony. If there are unusual elements or any kind of call and response reading, then you should strongly consider them. However, they are certainly not required.

moosette113 · January 2014

I made programs because 75% of my guests had never been to a Jewish wedding before (myself included). I originally designed them in Powerpoint, but ultimately finished it in InDesign (at work... shhhh) so I could have a specific font. I actually made them about 2 months out because I had the time and felt that they were an important aspect to helping my guests feel more comfortable. Besides the time, it only cost me ribbon, ink and paper (though the paper had to be ordered online since it was legal size heavier ivory paper). If the majority of our guests were familiar with the ceremony, I probably wouldn't have bothered. But I know that my immediate family really appreciated having a little guide.

rajahmd · January 2014

We did one big program. Since we didn't have a complicated ceremony, we didn't feel the need to write all that out, but we did want to acknowledge our parents, wedding party, and officiant. So my mom painted all the information on a large 30 x 40 canvas with designs and colors inspired by our invites. It went over really well and looks amazing. Once we get settled in our new place for residency, we're going to frame it and hang it up somewhere in our home.

cmarr684 · January 2014

I think they are nice—not necessary. They would probably be fairly easy to make and print out on your own (if you have the time). There are a ton of free templates online.

MrsMarende · January 2014

We do not plan to have them. Our ceremony is short and should be self explanatory.

If I was having a more complex ceremony I would make sure to have them.

dramamonkey · January 2014

@phira My wedding was Jewish/Nothing, and I'd be happy to send you my program template if you want to borrow from it

erinlin25 · January 2014

I made our programs and what I thought was going to be "easy" task turned into taking FOR-EV-ER...and I think maybe 5 people if that even took one.... I just through them all out this weekend.

Kauris · January 2014

I'm a graphic designer and FI works for a printing company, so we are doing ALL the printed things!! Menus, programs, fans, save the dates, thank you notes, invites, map cards, information cards and anything else I can think of. (The printing is his cheap boss's gift to us, so I'm being obnoxious.)

And when I say cheap, I mean he is cheap towards his employees.

grumbledore · January 2014

I like them. I like to know what's going to happen. I'll do them for ours, but probably just print them at home on some heavy paper.

phira · January 2014

dramamonkey said:

@phira My wedding was Jewish/Nothing, and I'd be happy to send you my program template if you want to borrow from it

YGPM

[Deleted User] · January 2014

Cookie Pusher said:

We're doing programs. We have a few elements in the ceremony and reception that people may not be familiar with (hand fasting, Chinese tea ceremony) and we want a place to honor my dad and FI's mom (both deceased). Also, since the wedding is a summer, outdoor event, they can double as fans in case anyone feels too warm.

What's a chinese tea ceremony? I've never heard of it

We will probably need programs as we are having a Catholic ceremony and many of our guests (myself included) are not Catholic and have never attended a Catholic ceremony. My sister has graciously offered to do our paper items so I will be paying for the materials (haven't picked a design or paper yet, we're still 6 months out) and for her services.

climbingsingle · January 2014

We're having a short non-religious ceremony. I'm not doing programs.

Cookie Pusher · January 2014

TexasBride2014 said:
What's a chinese tea ceremony? I've never heard of it

It's a modernization of an old Chinese tradition. It's the formal introduction of the bride to the groom's family and the groom to the bride's family (since marriages were usually arranged while the children were just infants). The couple pours and serves tea to the elders on each side of the family while kneeling or bowing to show respect. This used to be done in the groom's family home and the bride's family home as wedding receptions were not held as they are now (groom's side hosted their own party, bride's side hosted their own party), but it is now considered acceptible to serve tea at the start of the wedding reception as well.

KPBM89 · January 2014

We're having fan programs that I'm making because our wedding is in August and the ceremony will be outside. Programs are not necessary at all, but if you want people to know who's who, you could always do something simple like write their names on a chalkboard/ sign at the entrance to the ceremony or put it on your wedding website (if you have one). Even if you don't, people will know them when the bridal party enters the reception. One time I saw a program that said something like: we walk in, we say vows, we're married (paraphrasing of course); printed in foil on heavy cardstock. To me that was a total waste of money.

mimiphin · February 2014

We are having an outdoor non-religious ceremony and having programs, I like them. They tell you who's who at the zoo so to speak. It also gives me something to look at in the 15min leading up to the ceremony.

HisGirlFriday13 · February 2014

TexasBride2014 said:

Cookie Pusher said:

We're doing programs. We have a few elements in the ceremony and reception that people may not be familiar with (hand fasting, Chinese tea ceremony) and we want a place to honor my dad and FI's mom (both deceased). Also, since the wedding is a summer, outdoor event, they can double as fans in case anyone feels too warm.

What's a chinese tea ceremony? I've never heard of it

We will probably need programs as we are having a Catholic ceremony and many of our guests (myself included) are not Catholic and have never attended a Catholic ceremony. My sister has graciously offered to do our paper items so I will be paying for the materials (haven't picked a design or paper yet, we're still 6 months out) and for her services.

I have a template if you need/want it.

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