Outside The Box Wedding Programs

Because Wiregrass Weddings customizes wedding programs to your specifications, your programs can be as unique as you are. Here are some ideas that are "outside the box".

* Plan two wedding programs - one for the adults and one for children. For the children's program include a bride and groom coloring sheet, word find or dot to dot. Provide crayons tied with coordinating ribbon.

* Some brides have shared how they are honoring the old good luck adage "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue".

* If you are having your ceremony in an historical or architecturally significant sight add a guide of the space to your program.

* Some programs include stories or interesting facts of how the couple meet and even got engaged. For example one bride was the third generation to marry on the same month and day. We loved this unique fact and are so glad she included it in her wedding program.

*  Tell about any family heirlooms that are being used in the service -- a veil, a brooch, a family Bible, the kneeling bench, etc...

*  One of our couple's had a sand ceremony, which is common now instead of a unity candle.  What made their sand ceremony unique was that they blended sand from her home state's beaches with sand from his home state's beaches.

*  Include weird facts about your wedding party.  We've had one that said "Megan Stewart, my friend in chihuahuas" -- whatever that means???  I didn't get it, but I bet it was funny to them.  Another one we have done had funny quotes from each attendant.  Groomsman Will Stevens says "I wonder if Erin will still let me come over to play xBox with Rick after this ceremony is over?"

The point is, programs can be used to inform, entertain and communicate with your guest.  So go ahead, and think "outside the box"!

Wedding Programs for the Reception?

OK, so here is the couple's situation...they are having a private ceremony with their immediate family only, and want to have wedding programs for their guests at the reception, not the wedding.  How would you word this, what would you include?  

Here's what I think...  Make sure to include the names of the bride and groom and the date -- I look at wedding programs as you would a historical document.  Your children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren may stumble across a copy of it when they are filling out the family genealogy information and they need to know your anniversary date!  You wouldn't need to include the order of your ceremony, but instead you could list the events of the reception.  Probably something along these lines:

*  Cocktail Hour (some people have this -- some don't!)

*  Introduction of the Family (bride's parents then the groom's parents)

*  Introduction of the Wedding Party (I would suggest including their names and possibly a brief description of their relationship to you, or even a sentence or two about each of them, make sure to include the flower girl and ring bearer)

*  Presentation of the Couple

*  First Dance

*  Blessing

*  Food Service

*  Toast by the Best Man (and possibly others...)

*  Mother and Son Dance

*  Father and Daughter Dance

*  Garter and Bouquet Toss

*  Cake Cutting

*  Exit

It would also be appropriate to include a special thanks to your family and guests as well as your new "at home" address.  A poem or verse would be a nice touch as well.

Pocket Wedding Invitations

These precious pocket wedding invitations took up the better part of our day today!  The dark brown part is a pocket-fold that folds up to fit in an A7 size outer envelope.  Single envelopes are used with pocket invitations, rather than the traditional double envelope because the pocket serves as the inner (and to keep down the weight for the postage).  There are so many parts to this invitation ensemble that it makes it an incredibly time-consuming project.  Four of us worked on these ALL DAY today.  We had to print everything and prepare the guest list from the customer.  Then, die cut the invitations, response cards and tabs.  The pockets already come cut and assembled from our supplier, but we did have to cut down the tan backer sheets.  Next was a LOT of gluing -- the backer sheets to the pocket, the invitations to the backer sheets, the tags to each other, then to the flap....  After the invitations were done, we addressed the envelopes for our customer, complete with their guest's mailing address on them.  They turned out so nice - can't wait for her to pick them up so we can see her reaction!

I wrote about poems and quotes a few weeks ago, but I could not let this one slip by without mentioning it. We suggest wedding programs for many reasons. For instance, they unite the congregation with the ceremony, and serve as a great keepsake later on. Wedding programs acknowledge members of the bridal party who guests may not know, and they give structure to the ceremony. But my very favorite thing about wedding programs is that they set the tone for the occasion, and this verse is the perfect example. Why am I here? Love. Yesterday, today, and forever.

Poems and verses are included in the cost of the wedding program. You may follow our suggestions, or submit your own.

Incorporating Images in your Wedding Programs

Pictures or images help create a wedding program unique to your ceremony. Just like cover designs or dividers, you may submit a photograph or other image to use in your wedding program for no additional charge. Many times couples include pictures of themselves, but incorporating an image can serve other purposes as well. For instance, we provided wedding programs for a ceremony in which both the bride and groom's fathers were deceased. So, the couple decided to include pictures of them with their dads on one page of the program.

In the wedding program pictured here, the couple wanted to highlight the ceremony location which was The Citadel, a historic military institution in South Carolina. They sent us this image, and we sent them these beautiful wedding programs!

The wedding program shown is a "Kate" layout with black satin ribbon.

Wedding Program favorites

I LOVE these wedding programs! This is my favorite cover design on my favorite layout, and combined with such classic colors and fonts the result is stunning.

The wedding program shown is a "Christina" layout on white linen cardstock with cover design #919 and scarlet satin ribbon.

Color your ceremony

Wedding programs are a great way to further incorporate your colors into the wedding ceremony. Can't decide which ribbon color to choose? Follow this bride's lead and choose both. All of our wedding programs allow multiple font colors at no additional cost. This wedding program implements both ribbon colors as well by alternating milk chocolate and scarlet satin.

The wedding program shown is a Jackie wedding program on natural linen cardstock with scarlet satin ribbon and milk chocolate satin ribbon.

Would you get married for a monogram?

I have two cousins who were given no middle name. When they were born, circa 1959, these beautiful baby girls were handed to their smiling parents awaiting the few words which would become their constant companion throughout the rest of their lives. “Well, she’ll marry of course,” I can hear the conversation going. “Why give her a name she’ll only drop?” The idea seems outrageously old-fashioned to me. As foreign a concept as it may seem, however, once I heard this story I immediately called to mind three women in their early twenties whose parents had also made the decision to only bestow two names upon their daughters for the very same reason: why does she need this name if she’ll have her husband’s?

My cousin was very bothered by her lack of a middle initial as a child. Every embroidered jumpsuit or overnight bag served as reminder of what she didn’t have: a husband? No, a monogram. Now, this cousin of mine has been happily married for over twenty years and is the mother of one of my very best friends. I am not, necessarily, questioning her motives. I merely ask the question would you get married for a monogram?

I recently had embroidered two white linen pillowcases that had been my grandmother’s. My mother handed them to me and said, “Here, for your hope chest.” Speaking of a relatively foreign concept, a hope chest was a collection of household items, usually linens, a young woman accrued through her young years as a sort of “start-up package” for her future home. Since this chest was begun well before a husband was known, the pillow cases and bed sheets and such donned her maiden monogram. And, in homage to mothers past, so do mine. That is only possible of course because I have a third name. So, if I didn’t, would I marry to get one? Would you?

Monograms offer a beautiful option for your wedding program cover design and come for no additional cost. Though they provided inspiration for this blog entry, they do not actually require three names. Stay tuned for next Tuesday’s entry where I discuss those of us who do not intend on changing our names or simply seek a less formal wedding program look.