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Grabbing a professional wedding program template is the first step toward creating ceremony stationery that you’ll treasure as a keepsake for years to come. But how can you make that preset design come to life? Use these tips to infuse your program with personal touches that ensure your big day is about you, your sweetheart, and all the things that make your love extra special.
1. Put some thought into your program photo
Some wedding program designs include a space for a photo of your choice, and which photo you choose to use has the potential to say a lot about you and your sweetheart. Formal photos are certainly appropriate, but something more casual could feel much more personal. Consider candid shots from vacation or the holidays. If you were high school sweethearts, it could be fun to go with a throwback photo of you two at prom. Or shake things up with a professional caricature of you two — it’s outside the box and might suit your quirky personalities to a T.
2. Lead off with a creative introduction
Most programs have a spot to introduce the happy couple. Minimalist versions will simply say something like, “Celebrating Marika and Mitchell.” There’s nothing wrong with minimalism, but this is also the perfect spot to add in some romance or even humor. “Join Us as Marika and Mitchell Finally Get Hitched” or “Marika and Mitchell: Our love is long, loud, and full of laughter” make the introduction about the couple at hand. You could even slip in your nicknames — congratulations, “Marika “Sweet Cheeks” Smith and Mitchell “Bunnykins” Kowalski.”
Another option is to leave the primary intro as just your names and then start the body of the program with the story or your "meet-cute" — an entertainment term used to describe the moment in a TV show or movie when two soul mates meet for the first time. The circumstances are usually on the quirky side, like one person tripping over the other’s dog leash and ending up in his or her lap. While some of your guests might know how you met, others have yet to hear your origin story. Even a few descriptive sentences included in your wedding program can offer friends and family a glimpse into how you two fell in love.
3. Share a prayer or quote
If you want to start your program off in a unique way but don’t necessarily want a creative introduction, think about sharing a favorite prayer or wedding quote. This could be something sentimental that reminds you of your relationship, something inspirational that honors your religious beliefs, or something silly. The idea is to inject a small dose of personality that helps set up the rest of the ceremony.
Prayers are deeply personal, but here are a few quotes that might be a bit more universal:
- “Love is sharing your popcorn.” – Charles Schultz
- “You know you’re finally in love when you can’t fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.” – Dr. Seuss
- “Love is friendship that has caught fire.” – Ann Landers
- “There is only one happiness in this life, to love and be loved.” – George Sand
- “I swear I couldn’t love you more than I do right now, and yet I know I will tomorrow.” – Leo Christopher
- “I love her, and that’s the beginning and end of everything.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald
Also look to your favorite movies and songs. It’s amazing where you can find quotes that will resonate not only with you but your guests, too.
4. Explain some of your ceremony choices
Every wedding ceremony is a bit different, but there are some elements that pop up pretty often:
- Processional
- Welcome message or sermon/homily
- Readings and/or formal blessing
- Personal rituals or ceremonial traditions
- Declaration of intent
- Exchange of vows and rings
- Pronouncement
While some of your choices will be inspired by tradition, others will be very personal. You can use your program to explain why you walked down the aisle to a Christina Perri song or why your BFF from college chose to do a reading from Pablo Neruda. It’s nice to clue in guests so they have a deep understanding of why these songs, quotes, hymns, or passing of the rope means so much to you.
5. Include some thank yous
Take a moment — or a paragraph, as the case may be — to thank your parents or other VIPs for all they’ve done for you. Maybe you want to say thank you to Mom and Dad for showing you what love is really like. Or you can give a shout out to your sister for working so hard to plan your wedding and make your dreams come true. These thank yous are important, but they should generally be put at the end of the program or on the back page. It’s wonderful to show your appreciation, but you and your love should still be the main focus.
6. Pepper the program with fun facts
Everyone loves a little trivia. Use the extra real estate on a multipage or half-fold wedding program to disclose silly or interesting details about you and your soon-to-be spouse. You can even work in your friends and family.
- “Devon’s family has been coming to this church for three generations.”
- “Astrid has promised Beau that he can dance to Jay-Z at least once during the reception.”
- “Tony’s mom is the undisputed Lasagna Queen of Long Island.”
Another option is to include facts about love or weddings in general:
- “Most people decide whether they like someone in just four minutes.”
- “Wedding rings are worn on the fourth finger of the left hand because Greeks believed a ‘vein of love’ ran from that finger straight to the heart.”
- “Egyptian women sometimes pinch the bride on her wedding day to give her good luck. (Please don’t pinch Jenn).”
Not only are these fun facts entertaining, but the ones also that reference your family’s inside jokes or serve as a subtle compliment to your future in-laws will make your ceremony that much more memorable.
7. Honor loved ones who can’t be there
It can be enormously difficult to balance the joy you feel on your wedding day with the sorrow that comes with missing a loved one who has passed. Rather than trying to ignore that pain, consider acknowledging them with a short memorial. This can be text only or — in the case of a very important person like a deceased parent — you can include a photo as well.
There are many ways to phrase your remembrance, including:
- Gone but never forgotten.
- In loving memory of [name].
- Here in spirit, missed dearly, beloved always.
- An angel watches over us today.
- Please take a moment to remember our loved ones who are unable to be here with us today.
- Though today is a celebration, our thoughts are also with our loved ones who have passed. Their memory graces our hearts today, tomorrow, and every day of our union.
If you choose to leave an empty chair for a loved one or perform some other symbolic gesture, you can explain that in your program as well.
Need more help customizing your wedding stationery? Check out our guide to wedding invitation wording to see which details you should include and how you can tweak your favorite design to suit your personality.