It’s a delicate task, but here are some tips from the Knot to help you get it done!

How Many?

You can choose as many–or as few– groomsmen as you like. The groomsmen often double as ushers and help by seating the guests. the groomsmen also escort the bridesmaids down the aisle, so you may want to keep the boy-girl ratio even. If you decide on having a few groomsmen but want to include more friends or relatives, you can include them as ushers and let them help seat your guests.

What About Her Brother? Or Your Sister?

Your bride may have her heart set on a brother or good friend as groomsman. As long as you get along with the guy, it’s the right thing to include him. The opposite is true too: If you’d like your sister to serve as bridesmaid, your bride will probably agree. There’s another option for the forward-thinking types: your sister can stand on your side, in an official groomsman role, and your fiancee’s brother can stand on her side with the bridesmaids!

Who’s the Best Man?

He should be someone close to your heart, obviously. But aside from that, there are other factors you may want to consider:

• Tasteful: Since he’ll make the first toast at the reception, you want someone who’s a good public speaker and can avoid making inappropriate remarks.
• Responsible: After all, he’s the one holding onto the ring until you slip it on your new wife’s finger! Plus, the more dependable he is, the more you can look to him to help you with wedding-related chores.
• Fun! It’s his job to organize the bachelor party, but just make sure his idea of fun is somewhat similar to your own!
• Calming: It would be ideal to have a comfortable presence beside you before, during, and after the ceremony. ]

Photo from Groomsmen.com

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!

The wording examples below are fairly standard depending on which category your wedding falls into. The examples below are given so you can get an idea of what it would most commonly look like. You can feel free to modify it wherever suitable.

Wedding Invitation Wording – Bride and Groom with Family Hosting:

Wedding Invitation Wording – Bride and Groom Hosting:

Wedding Invitation Wording – Both Sets of Parents Hosting:

Wedding Invitation Wording – Bride’s Parents Hosting:

Wedding Invitation Wording – Groom’s Family Hosting:

Wedding Invitation Wording – Children Hosting:

Wedding Invitation Wording – Deceased Parents of Bride-Relative Hosting:

Wedding Invitation Wording -Deceased Parent of Bride:

Wedding Invitation Wording – Deceased Parent of Groom:

Wedding Invitation Wording – Divorced Parents:

Wedding Invitation Wording -Divorced Parents – Remarried:

Divorced Parents (Parents of Bride and Groom Divorced not remarried)

Wedding Invitation Wording – Second Marriage:

Wedding Invitation Wording: Professional Titles

Most couples today include professional titles on all names, if applicable. Mr., Mrs. or Ms. should not be used with a title. Note that if you add a title to the bride’s name, you should include her last name also

For example:

Doctor: Dr. Julie Jacobs

Lawyer: Julie Jacobs, Esq.

Judge: The Honorable Julie Jacobs

Clergy: The Reverend Julie Jacobs (Christian); Father Charles Monroe (Catholic); Rabbi Julie Jacobs (Jewish)

Military: Captain (Commander or Major) Julie Jacobs or Charles Monroe

Related Articles:
Wedding Invitation Etiquette
DIY Wedding Invitations
Discount Wedding Invitations