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Mrs. Spring -- I hate to say it (because I am excited to create our programs) but I doubt anyone will miss them.
Some reasons for programs include:
Order of Ceremony: But you are having a Catholic wedding, and would you say that 70% or more of your guests have been to a Catholic wedding? So they know the drill, or they can ask someone if they are terrible concerned about order of the ceremony.
Wedding Party Info/Introduction: But you aren't having one
Musician/Music Info: Not terribly important to you so it seems.
Reception Information/Direction: If you think people are fairly capable, which I'm sure they are, then you dont need this either.
So like I said, seems like it's skippable for you, especially if you aren't up for creating them!
Yeah, i think not having a program is fine! Honestly I haven't been to a wedding that even had one!
We didn't do programs and we have been to other weddings that didn't have programs. No one missed them! If the ceremony is going to be pretty straightforward, I wouldn't worry about it. Save some trees and divert your time to another wedding task instead.
I'm not doing them. During this whole planning process, I've thought about what people will remember and what people will forget. Our guests are not going to remember what our programs looked like. Judging from the way you haven't thought about them, they're obviously not on your "to do" list. Your day is getting close and it's really not that big of a deal.
We're doing them only b/c the service is Episcopalian (like FI) and I want my family to be comfortable with how the ceremony goes. OF course, I say that now....a lot could change in the next 6 months! If you don't have them, people probably won't miss them. As long as you think your guests would be comfortable at a Catholic ceremony, you will be fine!
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If you're having a fairly simple ceremony then I guess it isn't needed. I know I personally like a program to follow along with (especially if the ceremony is in a different church/religion than my own). :) However I'm sure your wedding would still be perfect without it and most people won't even notice.
We are also forgoing the program. Although, on a hot day, the program might come in handy as a fan. :)
They are definitely not mandatory and I doubt anyone will get upset if you don't have them...
However, I like programs because I want to where we are in the ceremony, the name of the person who's doing the reading, what the piece of music is and the composer, what the parents names and so on. I have a terrible memory for names and sometimes it's helpful to have a little refresher before you end up shaking someone's hand in the receiving line.
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I don't think programs are a necessity at all, but as a guest I've appreciated having one, even a super simple one, if only to know what to expect and who was involved in what.
not necessary, but nice to have.
how about going the simple route: type it out using a nice font and print on plain cardstock with your own printer / at Kinko's, then use a fancy looking corner punch to add some sass to them?
that's what i'm doing with my menus :P
Honestly, I have never been to a wedding with a program either, but then most weddings I've been to were Chinese weddings. :)
I, however, do plan to have one only because it's going to be a mix of American and Chinese so a lot of the events will be a little foreign to both sides of the family. And I will take it as an opportunity to explain certain traditions to both sides.
It sounds like in your case everyone should know what the deal is so doesn't seem to really be a need for one.
Not having one is fine! I originally didn't want to do one, but finally decided to so that I wouldn't have to do bridal party introductions at the reception (due to the layout of our space, introductions would be kind of awkward), but with a program at least people will know what their names are. It's been a huge hassle and it's still not done 3 weeks from the wedding. They are going to look cute (I stole an idea from Martha) but it really has not been worth it. I say skip it if you can!
You definitely don't need to go all Martha on these-- literally I just use them for the information.
You can get pretty affordable (but plain-looking) ones at Target. The directions in the box will explain how to use one of the templates in MS Word to fill in your information and *voila* hit print and you're done! Some bees have also posted templates, which you could use to get an idea of what information to include and in what order.
Another idea is to contact the ladies who do the bulletin at your church. They might be willing to set up a program for you (you'll probably have to pay for the printing) or give you a template to follow.
I'm not doing them. I honestly can't be bothered. I went to wedding a few weeks ago and they had them, but people left them on their chairs after the ceremony was over. That's fine, but our ceremony room will be immediately flipped into our reception room, so I don't want more things for the staff to have to clean up!
I have been to only one full blown Catholic wedding, and I was completely lost! I'm not Catholic. But, the program saved my day. I was able to read along and understand why the Priest was doing what he was doing (is he even called a Priest? Sorry) and why they were doing things like pinning her veil onto him and the thing with the coins, etc. Also there were disclaimers about taking Mass and who should (versus Lutheran churches where everyone can take Mass), etc. So if you are going to have some non-Catholic people, it may help them feel less confused and be able to follow your ceremony better without nudging the person next to them. I also enjoy seeing the dynamic of the wedding party. Whos' the best man, is he a sibling, etc etc.
You could go for really simple ones. Print the basic information on two sheets of 8.5"x11" paper (you get two programs per paper then), then have them sliced, tie a ribbon around or stick a brad in the top corner, and stick them in a basket. Or simply print on basic paper "explanations of the Catholic ceremony" or something like that to define what is going on
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Thanks for your input, ladies! I'm not too worried about people not being able to follow the ceremony, even though my family isn't Catholic. We're not having a full Mass (so no Eucharist) and no cultural additions (no coins, no unity candle, etc...). And our priest is super fast; he estimated that the ceremony would only be about 20-30 mintues (which is pretty quick for Catholics!). I asked my fiance if he wanted to do them, and he said no, too. And so many of you thought we didn't really need one... One more thing checked off our list!
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So I've had wedding programs on my list of things to do for at least two months. My wedding is almost a month away, and I still haven't really thought about the design or assembly. We don't have a wedding party and we probably won't even pick our ceremony music for at least a couple more weeks. We're having a Catholic wedding, but not a full mass, so everything should be pretty straightforward.
Is anyone NOT having a ceremony program? When you go to weddings, do care about the program? Do you just look at it for something to do before the ceremony actually begins? Or do you find it helpful/significant/important in some way? I'd rather concentrate on other things if no one even cares about this one little detail.
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