It’s a great gesture to provide your guests with knowledge about your ceremony. After all, Aunt Martha might know how you met, but she might not know who all those bridesmaids are. And your work friends might know the bridal party, but maybe they aren’t too familiar with the religious traditions you’re implementing into your ceremony. A unique ceremony program is the perfect place to let guests know just what’s happening, who’s walking down the aisle, and even tell everyone just how much it means for you to have them there.
Katie Fisher, CEO & Creative Director of Katie Fischer Design explains that programs are typically getting shorter in length when it comes to wording. “Typically it includes the wedding party and general procession of events. They may include a reading or song lyrics or an ‘In Memory Of’ section. They often include a nice note from the couple thanking their family and friends for being there.”
And while about a third of her clients do a single double-sided card, or opt not to have one at all, the majority “like a more substantial booklet style (one sheet folded in half or many pages) with a nicely designed cover and some sort of ribbon or tie as an accent. They like having a cover and the ability to open the booklet-style program,” she says. “Clients have been loving the organic hand-dyed and hand-frayed silk ribbon for a more romantic look.”
A Milestone Paper Co.’s Sarah Glad tells us that while most couples opt for simple programs, she also has customers that use the program to infuse their personalities, interests, and cultures. The program is a great place to highlight and possibly combine different cultures, and to explain to guests the different aspects that might be infused into the ceremony.
The folks at Ginger P. Designs feel couples take more chances with their programs than with their invitations. “Programs are starting to become even more unique and personalized for each couple. We think this is because wedding invitations are still following the formal and traditional approach. By the time they are ready to dive into designing programs, they are ready to ‘bend the rules’ a bit and get even more creative and custom. This style of program is the perfect way to keep guests entertained in those moments before the ceremony begins.”
Ginger P. Designs
One program they designed that mixed tradition with a touch of playfulness was for Carina and Dan (above). “Their Miami wedding featured pretty palm tree leaves and gold foil accents. The bride wanted her stationery to be elegant with a touch of whimsy which we were able to incorporate with the playful script font paired with the serif blocky letters.”
Adrienne Kierans, Owner and Designer at Ipanema Press, also notes that ceremony programs can act like “a snapshot of the day [by including] every detail from who was in the wedding party to what songs were playing” and the program has the unique opportunity that no other paper element does, “It’s the first time a married 3-letter monogram can be used in the design. We have been designing these in more petite sizes lately so guests are more inclined to keep them. We make them small enough to fit inside a man’s jacket pocket or a woman’s clutch.”
A unique ceremony program is one of many ways to infuse your personality into your wedding, some examples being by using the artwork from your wedding stationery or having a custom illustration of your ceremony locale on the program. Really, anything goes, as Fischer described a truly unique option she recently created for a client, “a program designed with imagery from the mother of the bride’s vintage tarot card set and bound with a black leather cord.”
