Homemade wedding programs

The average American wedding costs around twenty thousand dollars- but how many of those brides do you think started out to spend that much? Whether they’re paying for their own wedding or their parents are footing the bill, many American brides would like to reduce their wedding expenses, but get caught up in the excitement of trying to make everything perfect. Luckily, there are some ways to save money without sacrificing part of your dream. One great idea is to make your own wedding programs.

You might shy away from printing your own invitations because you want the raised ink feeling you get with a commercial printer, but with programs you don’t need to worry about that. All you need to make your own programs is the paper, a decent quality laser or inkjet printer, and a word processor. If you have a desktop publishing program like Microsoft Publisher, your task will be a little easier, but you can do the job just as well with a plain word processor like Microsoft Word.

You’ll want to start by selecting the paper, bearing in mind what color ink you’d like to use. Even if you have a color printer, a simple black, or maybe a nice dark blue, will be easiest for your guests to read and is always classy, but there’s nothing to stop you from using a fun ink color if you like. Any office supply superstore will have a large selection of specialty papers, and a smaller selection can be found at some general merchandise discount superstores. Good, classic options include cream or white linen paper, silver parchment paper, or just a nice, thick colored paper. You should plan on using one sheet of paper for each program.

Now it’s time to design the program. Before you get started, look through any programs you can get your hands on- samples from your wedding planner, souvenirs that you’ve kept from the weddings of friends and relatives- to get ideas. When you’re ready to begin, open a new document and turn the paper to landscape mode. If you’re using a word processor, create two columns. On the first page, the left-hand column will be the back of the program and the right-hand column will be the front of the program. Insert a column break to move from the first column to the second column. You will need a separate page or document for the inside of the programs; this page should also be set up in two columns, but for the inside the left side will stay the left side.

The front of your program will use similar wording to your invitations. You will probably want your names to appear at the top, with the wording “The Wedding of Jane Elizabeth Doe and John Joseph Smith.” Lower on the page, put the date, time, and location of the wedding just as it appears on your invitations. Most word processors come with a wide selection of fonts to choose from; a nice script will be a good choice. You can either leave a blank space between these, or insert a wedding-themed clip art. Your word processor may have come with clip art, but it can also be downloaded free from any number of websites, including Microsoft’s. If you will be printing the programs in black and white, a simple line drawing will look best; if you’re printing in color, you can choose anything that fits your vision.

The inside of the program typically lists the order of the ceremony on the left and the attendants on the right. Arrange information within the left half of the page in two columns, with the name of the event, such as the seating of the mothers or a reading, on the left and the name of the person performing it on the right. Good information to list includes hymns, other musical selections, and any audience responses that will be part of the ceremony.

On the right hand side of the page, list the people involved in your wedding, with the roles listed on the left and the full names, including title, on the right. One idea for how to do this is to label the page “The Wedding Party.” Below this heading list your officiant, your parents, and, if you wish, your grandparents. If your parents are divorced, list them as “Parents of the Bride” (or the groom) but put their names on separate lines; if you have stepparents, you may include their names as well. Below these names, create a new heading, “The Attendants.” Credit everyone with the roles you have given them; if you like, you can put their relationships to you and your fiancé (“Friend of the Bride,” “Sister of the Groom,” etc.) below their names, perhaps in italics. Toward the bottom, you can also credit the friends or relatives who assisted by handing out programs and minding the guest book. The people who participated in the ceremony through readings or music will already have been listed on the previous page, so there’s no need to repeat their names. If you’d like to remember on your program a loved one who has passed away, the bottom of this page can be a good place to do so.

On the back page of your program (remember, this is actually the left-hand column of the first page) you may wish to give your guests directions to the reception site, along with its address and telephone number. If you will not be sending “at home” cards (another good way to save money without sacrificing anything on the big day) the back page is also a good place to let your guests know your new address.

You can use an alternative arrangement if your ceremony program runs past one program page onto the next page. Instead of using that page for the wedding party, use the rest of it for directions to the reception, and reserve the back of the program for the wedding party. The tricky part, printing the programs, is your last task. You will need to feed each sheet of paper through the printer twice- and make sure it prints properly on both sides. Every printer works differently, but if you practice with plain paper you’ll figure it out in no time.