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Figuring out how to write a wedding program is not difficult. Instead, it is something you can do with relative ease once your wedding ceremony details are established. Reviewing what is needed to write the program is important, however, to make sure you do not leave anything or anyone out of the program.

Why Write a Wedding Program

A wedding ceremony program is something your guests receive upon arrival at the ceremony site. Usually, the ushers hand the programs to people as they seat them, or if there are no users, programs may be available at the entrance or placed on each seat. A basic program will include the order of ceremony and list of participants. Couples often choose to include other information, such as song lyrics, thank you to parents, guests, and attendants, and directions to the reception.

Learn How to Write a Wedding Program

Although learning how to write a wedding program may not be on your radar with all of the other wedding-related activities in the upcoming months, you should keep in mind. Research what goes into the program before you actually need to write it to make the process simple and smooth.

When to Write the Program

The program cannot be written until all of the ceremony details are confirmed. This includes the readings, songs, and rituals. Typically, couples write the program approximately one month from the ceremony date. Couples who are ordering programs and not writing their own using blank wedding programs may need to order them two to three months out, depending on how long the printer estimates they will take.

What to Include in the Program

The wedding program includes:

• Wedding date, time, location, and officiate
• Order of service for the wedding ceremony (including songs, readings, rituals)
• Thank you to those who helped or participated

Additional information, such as a short paragraph on any memorial rituals or information about the bride’s “something borrowed, something blue” may also be included in the program. Song lyrics or complicated driving directions from the church to the reception site are often included as an insert or on the back of the program.

Who to Include in the Program

In addition to the basic order of service, most couples include a list of people closest to them in the program. This includes not only the bridal party attendants, but:

• Parents
• Grandparents
• People involved in the planning process
• Instrumentals
• Soloist

After each person’s name, the bride and groom usually list the relationship of the person to the couple. For example, they will use the phrase “friend of the bride” or “cousin of the groom” so others know a little more about the wedding party.

Set Up a Wedding Program

Companies that print wedding programs often have wedding program templates, so all the bride and groom need to do is fill in the blanks with their personal information. Many couples are now choosing to make their own, using blank wedding programs and printing the information using their home computer and printer.

Once you write a wedding program, you need to set up your word processing program to create the program. Follow these steps to make a program using a folded 8.5×11 program paper on your computer:

1. Set the paper size in the page setup area of the printing options.
2. Change the page orientation so that it is “landscape” or “horizontal.”
3. Make the program into two columns. This is an easy way to split the paper down the middle, so you can write on both sides of the program.
4. Decide how you want to set up the program wording. Some couples choose to center everything, using bolding and italics. Other couples set up tabs so information is on the same line.
5. Pick a wedding font to use in your program and type your written information
6. Print out a test sheet to check on margins, spacing, legibility and for spelling mistakes.
7. Check that you have new printer ink cartridges available and print your programs.

Couples who choose to use unusual programs sizes, like a slim wedding program, will need to adjust their pages and printers accordingly.