Basics of the Wedding Program                   
  • Programs are a way of  providing an order to the event and a keepsake for friends and family attending your service. 
  • They should be printed at the last minute so as to allow for any changes made or included in the text. A rough draft should be drawn up in the weeks prior to the wedding to allow for proofing.
  • The following  elements are usually included in the program:
    • Wedding Date
    • Order of Service
    • Music Performed
    • Thanks for Attendance
    • Names/Relationship of Bridal Party
    • Other Party Members (Guest book attendante, musicians, etc.)
    • Place of ceremony
    • If flash pictures are allowed
    • Special readings and readers
    • Introduction of families
    • Appropriate poem or quotation
    • Officiant's name
    • Wedding missal
    • Directions to the reception
    • Note to guests
How to Make Your Programs Unique
  • Rather than just listing the names of the attendants, include how you met them and their role in your relationship, or life in general 
  • Include what the bride's something borrowed, something blue, etc. are and what the meaning behind the objects 
  • Include a brief explanation of how the bride and groom met 
  • Include a brief explanation of the proposal 
  • Include the lyrics to the first dance song and explain why it is was chosen 
  • Include the text of readings or song lyrics 
  • If you have a theme to the wedding, include it in the program 
  • Include love quotes throughout the program 
  • Include a poem from the bride to the groom, or vice versa 
  • Include a special dedication to deceased family or friends 
  • The elements of your ceremony, from moment one to the recessiona
  • Any special thanks to one or more people who contributed time and effort
  • A list of songs or music being played
  • A special tribute to the people who introduced the bride and groom
  • A copy of the vowsthe bride and groom will be exchanging
  • The bride and groom's home address
  • An announcement of the bride’s name change, if applicable
  • You don't have to stick to the standard, traditional two-fold program. You can even make it a small booklet if you desire
  • Include a photo of the bride and groom, perhaps even on a vellum overlay                                                                                                                      
How to Make a Scroll Program                                                                                                      
If your program will consist of just the basics, a scroll might be the way to go, as it is only one page and a unique way of conveying the information usually found in a traditional program.
You will need:
  • Good quality paper in a light color. Ecru or Cream work best.
  • A Printer
  • A large bowl of water
  • Tea bags
  • Wooden round sticks
  • Glue
  • Ribbon
  1. First, decide on the wording of the program. A scroll can only be one page so you need to fit everything onto the single page. Open up a Word document and center the text. Start with the names, and add the wedding date. Next line should be the parents of the bride followed by the parents of the groom, followed by the bridal party, followed by anyone who played a part in the ceremony, such as readers, the officiant, etc.
  2. Print a sample copy of the program and make sure it looks like you want it to, and that the font isn't too small to read. Spellcheck and have someone proofread for you. Make a couple of copies to experiment with.
  3. The "aging" process: Fill a large bowl with water and add a couple of tea bags. Squeeze the bags to make the color turn. Either place the paper into the water or crumple it into a ball and place it in the bowl. The tea stains the paper, giving it an aged look, and crumpling it ino a ball will create more creases, which stain more darkly
  4. After taking the paper out of the water, take a wet tea bag and rub it into the paper, which leaves grains on the paper. Experiment with the other copies to see which look you like -i.e.leave the paper in longer, crumple the paper more, etc.
  5. Once the final design is decided, enter the sticks, which can be found at any craft or hardware supply store. The length depends on the width of the paper. Using regular glue, apply a line of glue to the top of the paper and center a stick across this. Wrap the top of the paper over, making sure the edges of the paper are even over the stick. Repeat this procedure on the bottom of the paper.
  6. Once the glue is dry, roll the bottom and top of the scroll until the meet in the middle.
  7. Tie with a ribbon or fastening of your choice.
  8. Place the scrolls in a basket to be handed out at the wedding.

How to Make a Program Paddle Fan
Since this was a bit more complicated than the scroll program, I amjust including the link to the how-to:
http://www.ultimatewedding.com/articles/get.php?action=getarticle&articleid=1039                                                                                              
Quotes for the Program                                                   
  • Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.
    -Emily Bronte 
  • Love is when you look into someone’s eyes and suddenly you go all the way inside their soul and you both know it.
    -Unknown 
  • Love is an act of endless forgiveness, a tender look which becomes a habit.
    -Peter Ustinov 
  • Without love in a dream, it will never come true.
    -Jerry Garcia 
  • Love is something that grows from friendship.
    -Unknown
  • You may hold my hand for awhile, but you hold my heart forever.
    -Nicole Louise Divino 
  • Love is when you cry, when you laugh, when you smile. Love is when you dream.
    -Anonymous 
  • The heart is the happiest when it beats for others.
    -God’s Little Instruction Book 
  • To love is nothing. To be loved is something. To love and be loved is everything.
    -Claire Dempsey 
  • Love is not a matter of counting the years, but making the years count.
    -Michelle St. Amand 
  • You may only be one person to the world but you may also be the world to one person.
    -Anonymous
  • Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.
    -Martin Luther King, Jr. 
  • There is no remedy for love but to love more.
    -William David Thoreau 
  • Love is composed of a single soul inhibiting two bodies.
    -Aristotle 
  • There may be many flowers in a man’s life, but there is only one rose.
    -Unknown 
  • The perfect marriage begins when each partner believes they got better than they deserve.
    -Unknown 
  • Where there is love there is life.
    -Mahatma Ghandi 
  • A life’s worth, in the end, isn’t measured in hours, or dollars. It’s measured by the amount of love exchanged along the way. -Douglas C. Means 
  • And remember, as it was written…to love another person is to see the face of God.
    -Les Miserables 
  • A loving heart is the truest wisdom.
    -Charles Dickens 
  • Now join your hands, and with your hands your hearts.
    -William Shakespeare 
  • The heart has its reasons which reason knows nothing of.
    -Blaise Pascal 
  • There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved.
    -George Sands                                                                                                                                  

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