Wedding Invitations

It is the personal touches that really make a wedding celebration memorable. Your care and attention to detail will be appreciated and noticed by many, so take the time to really think about how you want these elements to be perceived. Accessorize, accessorize, accessorize…

Programs can be as simple as a sheet of pretty paper placed on each guest’s seat listing the members of the wedding party, those who are doing readings, and short descriptions of traditional elements or facts relating to the ceremony.

Consider including a sentence or short phrase after each of the attendants listed, describing their relationships to the bride or groom. This is a nice personal touch and makes guests feel more a part of the ceremony.

If you are blending two cultures of religious traditions in your ceremony, include a short description of those traditions in your program so all the guests will feel included and understand the proceedings.

Offer a bilingual program (or a translator) if appropriate.

You can print your own homemade programs from your computer or copy them at your local printer.

Fancy ribbons, sheer papers, and other romantic embellishments can enhance your program if your budget allows of it you so desire.

Roll your program up like a scroll, and use a pretty ribbon or a plastic wedding ring to hold it closed.

To save money, place one program on every other chair at the ceremony, or have ushers distribute one per family or couple at the entrance.

An “order of events” of the ceremony or a “schedule” of the day or evening festivities can be included to let guests know what the flow of events will be.

A personal message from you and your groom to your parents or the guests in general is a nice touch that invitees will enjoy reading while waiting for the ceremony to begin. Programs make nice souvenirs for guests to take home.

Programs can also include fun facts about you and your groom, such as the story of your courtship or engagement or your future plans.

You can avoid having the same conversation over and over at the reception by putting something about where you’ll be honeymooning in the program, too. (Just don’t include your contact information!)

The back cover can feature a meaningful quotation, poem, or song lyrics that you and your groom choose to share with guests.

You can also list what your “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue” are. These are fun facts for guests to peruse while waiting for the ceremony to begin.

One bride and groom even compiled a stapled packet entitled “Wedding Guide of Our Friends and Family—Everything You Wanted to Know about Our Friends and Family but Were Afraid to Ask,” and put one in each guest’s hotel room. This extensive program included a detailed paragraph on each individual guest, couple, or family and their background and relationship to the bride or groom. If guests were part of the wedding party, their roles were also acknowledged. This program served as and incredible tribute to their friends and family as well as a great way for the guests to get to know one another. It really made the guests feel that the weekend was for them as well as for the bride and groom.