Here are some ways to dress up your programs in order to make them as fun and fabulous as they are functional! All photos are from The Knot.

Multi-Functional

A multi-functional fan kept guests cool and included ceremony information along with a photo of everyone in the wedding party. The “programs” (left) included a simple printout folded over a Popsicle stick—an easy DIY project. The five-leaf program on the right, decorated with bright yellow lily burst also doubled as a fan for the warm summer day.

Groovy Graphics

The bride and groom made their programs themselves. They printed their large oak tree design (left) on pearlescent paper and tied the programs with Hanna Silk hand-dyed ribbons. The programs on the right, bearing the peacock motif, were especially important because they explained the significance of the Hindu ceremony.

Creative Genres

On the left, postcard-sized ceremony programs detailing the wedding party and ceremony information mimicked the Wild-West style of the custom-designed invitations. Comic book lovers designed a custom-made program with a cover featuring cartoon images of themselves, on right.

Embellishments

The bride made the programs on the left herself using heavy bronze and cream card stock. She added eucalyptus leaves and a brown silk ribbon to incorporate the wedding colors. On the right, the program features a glued-on starfish for a waterfront wedding.

Roll it up

On the right, a scroll program features the events of the day, the delicious menu, and a Rumi poem.  The programs on the left were rolled around twigs and tied with brown velvet and satin ribbon.

Ribbons and Bows

The beautiful programs on the left picked up the black-and-white pattern of the wedding invitations, made eye-catching with crimson and gold ribbons. The chocolate-brown programs on the right are tied with gorgeous yellow-and-white gingham ribbon.

Added Features

One inventive couple included a crossword puzzle in their program, with questions about the couple. (“We said that the puzzle was meant for early-comers and shouldn’t be done during the ceremony!”) Be creative and think of ways to make your program a personalized, fun, and interactive part of your wedding.

What to include in the Program

Basic Info: Names, wedding date, location, and time.

Order of events: What will happen during the ceremony, including processional music, greeting, readings, prayers, exchange of vows, ring ceremony, unity candle ceremony, etc.

Members of the bridal party: Officiant, parents and grandparents of the bride and groom, maid of honor, best man, bridesmaids, groomsmen, readers, and anyone else you’d like your guests to be acquainted with.

Other things you may wish to include in your wedding program (from About.com)

• An explanation of traditions or customs used in your ceremony
• A request for audience participation in certain parts of the ceremony (e.g. affirmation of the marriage, communion, singing, offering of the peace, standing or kneeling)
• Thank yous
• Memorials (for example: The memorial candle is lit in honor of the bride’s mother, Shirley Fielding.) More advice on honoring a deceased parent or relative
• A short sentence about each of your bridesmaids and groomsmen, describing why they are important to you.
• An explanation of the significance of the location, theme, first dance song, etc.
• Quotes or poems about love or marriage
• Directions to the reception

For more Wedding Program inspiration, visit The Knot to view hundreds of real wedding programs!

1. Inappropriate wedding music choices. Wedaholic remembers cringing as a band played Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On.” A lovely song but, after all, this Oscar-winning Titanic theme tune is about a couple separated by death. I recall sitting next to the Rabbi’s decorous wife when the band broke out with “It’s getting hot it here, so take off all your clothes…”

2. Long-winded wedding speeches: You just can’t hold any one’s attention for more than five minutes. Don’t make the guests suffer any longer, no matter how wise or witty your speech may be. The shorter, the better!

3. Sand Ceremony: In this superfluous wedding custom, the bride and groom each have a container of sand that they pour into an empty vase.  It’s an alternative to the candle-lighting ceremony, both of which are meant to symbolize unity. As if the guests have forgotten what exactly marriage is all about anyway.

4. The chicken dance: “I hate that dorky Chicken Dance. It’s not a nice thing to put your guests through. I have never heard someone say that they … missed doing the Chicken Dance; but I have heard people speak with dread about the impending possibility of being subjected to this ‘tradition’…” (Laura, theKnot) The same goes for other such “interactive songs” like the Macarena and the Electric Slide. If you must include them, save them for after Grandma and Grandpa go home.

5. Receiving line: The line generally consists of every member of the wedding party (bride, groom, parents, grandparents, bridesmaids), and each guest is required to greet and congratulate each and every one of them. AskMen notes, “It goes without saying that this is an incredible waste of time for everyone involved; an informal approach and the directions to the bar would certainly suffice.”

6. Rumbling tummies: Large time gaps in between the ceremony and the food are bound to make your guests grumpy.  Always provide drinks, snacks and even consider entertainment, if there is going to be a long wait before the meal commences. Alternately, transportation should be provided by the bride and groom if the venues for the ceremony and reception are located far apart.

7. Baby ring bearers and flower girls: How many weddings have been held up by small children kicking and screaming and having to be whisked off out of hearing range?  We love ‘em, but kids are unpredictable, and even the most attention-loving child is apt to come down with performance anxiety. My own flower girl had to be carried down the isle by her daddy, who was gracious enough to strew the rose petals as well.

8. Throwing stuff: Rice and confetti are two of the most popular materials that are flung around with reckless abandon at weddings,” AskMen observes.  “Is this really a good idea? Do the newlyweds really need to be pelted with food and covered with silly string for the rest of the evening?”

9. More throwing- Garter and bouquet toss: What could possibly be more humiliating than being forced out to the center of a parquet dance floor and being expected to demonstrate your desperation by diving for flying flowers?” queries MentalFloss. “How about grasping in the air for a lacy piece of undergarment that until moments ago resided uncomfortably close to the crotch of your buddy’s wife?” These traditions are seriously out-dated (read about their shocking origin here!) and don’t add much to the celebration.

10. Cake smashing: I don’t think anyone really enjoys this gaffe.  Perhaps it was funny the first time a bride and groom smeared each other in icing, but as a “tradition” it leaves guests feeling uncomfortable. ”The whole cake-smashing-in-the-face event makes me wonder if the couple is just getting out their aggressions from all those pre-wedding quarrels.” (David, theKnot) And most newlyweds would rather keep their faces clean anyway.

Chicken dance photo compliments of Truly Wedding Blog.