Wedding Program Etiquette

Souvenirs and a gracious gesture, wedding programs help guests to understand your ceremony and to introduce your family members and wedding party. If designed carefully, it can also give them a sneak peek into your wedding theme or motif! Assign someone at the ceremony entrance to distribute them to your guests. You could also leave them on display near the entrance if you wish that your guests pick them up themselves.

What to include in the program:
-Your names
-The bride and groom’s parents (If you’re worried about how to include step-parents, I’ve found that the most comfortable way to introduce them is to word it like this:
__________, father of the bride, accompanied by his wife_________.
You get the idea!
-Your attendants’ names and their roles in the wedding. The maid or matron of honor and best man named first, followed by the bridesmaids and groomsmen, and ending with the flower girl and/or ring bearer.
-The ceremony itinerary
-A list of your ceremony’s traditions Make sure to include any religious, or unity symbols that may be unfamiliar, and explain why you’ve chosen to include them and what it symbolizes for the both of you.
-Musical selections (and musicians)
-Titles of readings (and names of readers)

Some couples choose to thank their parents and grandparents in the program. This is also the perfect place to honor the memory of a lost relative or friend, include a poem, or fond memory of them. Any tributes or other thank you’s to closes friends, relatives, and even each other can be fit in as well! Make sure to keep everything short and sweet. Guests will be reading this only from the time they sit down to when the ceremony begins, referring back to it during the ceremony only when necessary.

I found these examples in weddings.theknot.com. Remember that your wedding programs, like your invitations, should be a reflection of you and your fiancée! And make sure to order enough for the guests plus 30. You’ll want them as keepsakes for yourselves and honored guests.