Do-It-Yourself Wedding Program Paper

Create a program to allow guests to follow along with the wedding ceremony.

Budget-conscious and stylish brides and grooms might consider creating their own wedding programs to save money and to put their own personal stamp on their ceremony's look. By creating their own programs, couples can provide wedding guests with as much or as little personalized information as they desire, from the names of the wedding party involved to the name and perhaps lyrics to songs used in the ceremony. With a little bit of time and effort, a couple can create a lasting guide for one of their lives' most important moments.

Things You'll Need

• Card stock in wedding color
• Computer paper
• Computer
• Word processing or publishing software
• Printer
• Stapler
• Paper cutter (optional)

Instructions

1. 

   Use card stock, which is heavier than copy paper, for your program covers.

   Cut card stock to the desired dimension using a paper cutter, if necessary. Fold the card stock in half to create a front and back cover for you programs. Repeat this step until you have the correct amount of covers created. Simplify this step by using a standard 8-inch by 10-inch piece of card stock for your cover, eliminating the need to cut the card stock to size. If you desire a fancier cover, print a meaningful quote or a photograph of the bride and groom on one half of the card stock before cutting it and folding it to size.

2. Type the contents of the program using a word processing or publishing computer program. Keep in mind the dimensions of the finished program and whether you will be folding the interior pages of the program so that the words appear in the correct order. Many computer programs have templates to use to aid in formatting the text properly.

   Type the contents of the program according to the order of the ceremony. Be sure to include the date, the bride and groom's names, musical selections, readings and the names of participants.

3. Print out the correct number of interior program pages according to the amount of programs needed for the ceremony. Fold the interior pages of the wedding program in half. Insert the interior pages of the program in the correct order inside the program cover. Open the program to the middle page and center one staple at the top and one at the bottom of the page to adhere the interior pages to the cover.

Tips & Warnings

• Embellish the program cover by adhering decorative stickers or die-casts on the front.

• Proofread the program before printing.

• Personalize the programs by altering the contents to include explanations of customs or rituals performed, thank-yous to parents and attendants, memorial tributes to deceased loved ones, a map to the reception site, the bride and groom's new address, etc.

• Make extra programs to ensure everyone gets one who wants one.

• The bride and groom should remember to save a copy for themselves.

References

• The Knot; "DIY Wedding Programs ..."; January 2009
• Knot for Life; "Making a Wedding Program"; 2009
• Brilliant Wedding Pages; "Designing & Making ..."; March 2001

Resources

• The Knot