How to Bind a Wedding Program

Create wedding programs.

A wedding program serves several important purposes: It provides wedding guests with an idea of how the ceremony will proceed, it lists the names of the wedding party members and members of the family, and it provides guests as well as wedding party members with a keepsake for remembering the wedding. As a result, the wedding program can be an important project in its own right, and binding the program will ensure that it holds up well over the long term. Fortunately, binding the program is largely a matter of choosing the type of binding you want.

Things You'll Need

• Hole punch
• Ribbon
• Plastic coil binding
• Binding machine

Instructions

For Binding with Ribbon

1. Line up each page of the program (if not already lined up in folding). Use the hole punch to create one hole in the corner or three holes along the edge of the program. An alternative is to create a single hole along the center-top of the program. This option works best for a purely decorative program, although it is not recommended for a program that has more than a couple of pages, because it will make the program difficult to read.

2. Tie a ribbon through each hole that you made with the hole punch. If you have more than one hole punch, use a long piece of ribbon, and wind it through each hole.

3. Secure the ribbon. Be sure to secure the ribbon at each hole by winding it around the hole and then moving down to the next one. At the bottom of the program, you can finish off the ribbon binding by knotting it.

For Binding with Plastic Coil

1. Order the plastic coil binding in the size that you need. Office supply stores provide a range of coil binding options in various colors and sizes. Be sure to measure the length of the program carefully, because this will determine how long each piece of coil should be.

2. Purchase or locate a binding machine. MyBinding.com offers a range of binding machines for purchase. Additionally, you should be able to use a binding machine at your local copy service center. Call in advance to see if the location has the machine and what the cost is for using it.

3. At the binding machine, place each coil binding piece with its spine down. Line up the program according to the directions on the machine. Be sure to place the program face down, with the front pages of the program the first to be bound. To complete the binding, either push the button to activate the machine or pull the lever. Follow all instructions particular to the machine that you are using, because each binding machine will be slightly different.

Tips & Warnings

• Using plastic coil binding is only recommended for programs that contain more than a couple of pages. Without enough pages, the binding will do little to hold the program together, and it will end up being more unwieldy than it is useful. Stick to ribbon binding.

References

• The Knot: Wedding Programs
• ABC Office: How to Wire Bind