Updated on: Feb 17, 2024
Wedding programs are a ceremony necessity. They inform your guests about the ceremony progression and can also be used to share special details about the bride and groom-to-be. Here at Easy Event Planning, we strive to help you create your dream wedding. Whether you hire a professional or want to showcase your artistic side and make them yourself, we've gathered up some of the top creative wedding program tips and ideas to help you get started.
Things to Think About Beforehand
Before making your wedding ceremony programs, there are a few things you want to know and have before you get started.
1. Template
There are numerous wedding program template ideas you need to think about before getting started. Do you want to have a simple sheet of cardstock, a trifold program, or do you want to be really unique and make them into fans or flags? Having fun styles, shapes, and colors can really turn it into a creative wedding program.
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2. Colors
After you set on a good template design, think about the colors you want to incorporate into your program. You'll want to match them with the overall wedding ceremony aesthetics.
3. Information
Most importantly, you need to gather all of the information you want and need to include it beforehand. Some pieces of information to think about are your wedding party's names, fun facts, the names of the couple getting married, ceremony progression, and an address or directions to the location where the reception will take place.
Creative Wedding Program Template Ideas
4. Floral Program
Decorate your cardstock in watercolor illustrations of your favorite flowers. You can even choose the flowers of you and your finance's birth month. It is an elegant and timeless design for wedding ceremony programs that is known to be a crowd favorite! Being able to choose the color and type of flowers allows this design to make a creative wedding program.
5. Floral Program 2.0
Rather than just decorate your ceremony programs in floral designs, consider using programs that have a pouch of seeds attached to them. That way, your guest can remember your big day as they watch their seeds grow into flowers! Your creative wedding program will then double as a wedding favor!
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6. Nautical
If you're having a coastal wedding, accent your wedding ceremony program with preppy white and navy blue details. Feature an elegant icon of a lighthouse or anchor. You can also include elements such as a rope to really tie the program together.
7. Booklet
If you don't think you can fit all of the information into one piece of cardstock, consider creating mini-books to hand out to your guests. They can include the itinerary, wedding party, photos, and fun facts about the bride and groom. Don't forget to include a page at the end thanking your guests for coming!
8. Victorian Style Program
A Victorian-style design will create an eye-catching and elegant wedding program. Use white cardstock and outline them in an intricate, blue Victorian design.
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9. Infographic Program
Infographic wedding programs provide your guests with all the information they need in a visually appealing way. Rather than list out the itinerary, have a wedding aisle illustration running down the page, with icons and times alongside it to show what is happening and when. Another idea is instead of just listing out your wedding party, consider including mini illustrations of each person besides their name to create a cute and thoughtful program that will help guests remember everyone better.
10. Boxed Water Programs
If you are holding your wedding ceremony outdoors in the spring or summer, your wedding ceremony programs can double as a hydrating beverage. Print out the program information onto a boxed bottle, and voila! And who says drinking only happens during the reception? Swap out water with an ice-cold beer or fun boxed cocktails. The possibilities are endless!
11. Confetti-Stuffed Programs
Confetti-stuffed programs are a fun and celebratory program idea. Fill them up with confetti that matches your wedding theme colors. Your guests can throw them in the air once the ceremony is complete.
12. Spring Themed Programs
If you're planning a spring wedding in an outdoor location, incorporating pastel watercolors and thick brushstrokes across the page will create the perfect program to match your big day.
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13. Colorable Program
If you're expecting a lot of young kids at your wedding, create colorable wedding programs. You can include black and white illustrations of the newlyweds, flower bouquets, and more. Attach a pack of crayons to the card to keep kids entertained and quiet while they sit through our ceremony.
DIY Creative Wedding Program Templates
14. Heart Fan Programs
Fan programs in the shape of a heart make for the perfect, heartfelt creative wedding program. They are also super easy to make!
Materials:
- 8.5" x 11" red card stock paper (or the color(s) of your choice)
- Wooden fan handles
- Microsoft Word
- A printer
- Scissors
- Double-sided tape or hot glue
Instructions:
- In a Microsoft Word document, go to the "insert" tab at the top of the page. You then go to "Shapes" and select the heart-shaped icon. Adjust the dimensions to your liking and remove the color fill (do this by going to the shape format tab and selecting the icon that says "shape fill").
- Then, insert a text box inside the shape. Make sure to remove the "fill" option and the "outline" for the text box so that you only see the words inside of the heart.
- Insert the colored cardstock into the printer and begin printing the hearts out.
- Cut the hearts around the shape outline and hot glue or tape them to the wooden handle.
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15. Flag Programs
Flag programs are a fun and unique way to inform your guests about the ceremony. They also work great for a wedding on the beach or by a bed of water.
Materials:
- Sheets of freezer paper sized 8.5 x 11"
- Double-sided tape & fabric tape
- A good pair of scissors
- 100% cotton fabric (a lighter choice would be better so the words can stand out)
- Wooden dowels to attach the flag to
- A clothing iron
Instructions:
- Type up the program information in an 8.5 x 11" Microsoft Word document.
- Iron the cotton so that it is completely wrinkle-free. Set the freezer paper (wax side down) on top of the cotton fabric. Iron the paper, so it bonds to the cotton fabric, then allow it to cool.
- Trim the fabric so that it aligns with the freezer paper's edges. Then, fabric side up, place it in your printer's rear feed tray, and print.
- Once it is printed, you can peel off the freezer paper and use the double-sided tape to attach the dowel in the center of your flag. Press firmly to adhere.
- Stick the fabric tape along the three open sides of the flag and iron them shut.
16. Double-Sided Ceremony Programs
Suppose you want to include an itinerary as well as fun facts and memories about you and your fiance. In that case, a double-sided wedding ceremony program allows you to include all the information you want without making it look overcrowded. A double-sided program is also super easy to make! Play around with fonts, spacing, and icons in a Microsoft Word document to create the perfect, information-packed program!
17. Chalkboard Program
A giant chalkboard program pairs perfectly with a rustic wedding theme. With beautiful handwritten calligraphy, it will be an eye-catching display that can be set up at your ceremony site entrance. It is also a great option if you're planning to have a shorter ceremony.
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18. DIY Stamp Programs
If you want to get really crafty, create your own stamps to be used in your creative wedding program. You can create stamps that match the wedding theme, or you can use symbols that carry meaning for you and your fiance. Purchase a block printing kit that comes with all of the necessary tools for you to create the perfect stamps!
Wedding Program Ideas: Conclusion
Whether you decide to go with premade templates or DIY options, there are endless ways to tie your special day together with a creative wedding program. Many wedding guests love to keep wedding programs after the special day as a way to remember the day. With these cute, creative wedding program ideas, your guests will be sure to want to hold on to them forever. If you're thinking about planning an entire wedding, you may need tips on things like wedding vows, processional orders, songs, and desserts, which we also have. We hope we’ve helped you get on the right track and wish you the best on your big day!
Written by Wyeth Ward; Contributor: Jack Leduc