23 Unique Ceremony Program Ideas We Love

By Chloe Gorman
March 08, 2012
Brandon Kidd Photography

Get creative with these informative cards.

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Brandon Kidd Photography

Ceremony programs are an integral part of your service. After all, their job is to inform your attendees of the day's events, identify the members of your wedding party, and even provide an overview of certain traditional or religious elements that you decided to incorporate. Not only are these ceremony staples helpful, but they also serve as a great opportunity to personalize your big day.

That's why we love to see couples get creative with their programs. Whether it's adding a personal touch, like illustrated silhouettes of each bridesmaid, a hand-drawn illustration of the wedding venue, or an unexpected medium (like a book or calligraphed petal pouch!), there are so many ways to customize these elements for your specific ceremony. Take this large fan palm leaf, for example—it perfectly nodded to the couple's Hawaiian destination event. Gold calligraphy added an elegant contrast to the leaf's vibrant green hue.

When you create your own ceremony program, there's no wrong way to bring them to life. No matter the season or style, there is a unique option out there for any big day. If you're planning a vintage wedding, consider recreating one couple's calligraphed scrolls, complete with a wax seal. They can also be incredibly useful, especially during warmer months—keep your guests cool at your summer wedding with a program that doubles as a fan. Speaking of dual uses, it's always a great idea to choose a program that has a purpose beyond the service, like printed popcorn bags (perfect for snacking or for the exit toss!). You could also design something completely unexpected—something that doesn't look like a program at all. Ready to discover how you can personalize this important ceremony detail? Click through to see some of our favorite unique programs from real celebrations.

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Scrolls

Studio 1208

Is there anything more vintage-inspired than these scavenger hunt scrolls? Becca Joas calligraphed each program, which Elizabeth from GLASS Event Planning rolled into a scroll before adding a black wax seal.

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Palm Leaves

Amanda K Photography
36 Ways to Use Leaves Throughout Your Wedding

A palm leaf border gave a burst of color to these hanging programs by Tie That Binds.

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Watercolor

Abby Jiu Photography
43 Dreamy Watercolor-Inspired Wedding Ideas

Modern watercolor paintings created by the bride were used on the back of these otherwise traditional fan programs. A leafy ribbon held each element together.

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Handkerchiefs

Taylor Lord

Attendees dried their happy tears with these screen-printed handkerchiefs by Under Pressure that also featured the service's details.

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Large Fans

Lightbloom Photography
11 Wedding Program Fans to Keep Guests Cool

The groom designed these large rectangular fans, which doubled as programs and favors. The gifts helped their attendees keep cool in the summer heat.

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Popcorn

Jose Villa
Unexpected Wedding Food Ideas Your Guests Will Love

Not only did these bags full of Trader Joe's popcorn provide a quick pre-ceremony snack, but they also displayed the service's details.

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Paper Pyramids

Sarah Cramer Shields

These tiny graphic pyramids came complete with mini ceremony details, and were packed with petals for tossing.

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Flags

Chaz Cruz

Guests were gifted colorful flag programs by Bellz & Whistlez at this rainbow-inspired event.

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Petal Bags

Forged in the North
Creative Wedding Exit Toss Ideas

At this French destination wedding, attendees were given rose petal-filled pouches that included the names of the wedding party; they were encouraged to throw the petals as the couple walked back up the aisle.

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Newspaper Programs

Artsinfotos Photography

If you both enjoy the Sunday paper, make like this creative couple, who replaced a traditional ceremony program with a custom newspaper.

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Silhouettes

B. Schwartz Photography

On this personalized program, Aubrey Rasmussen—a graphic designer and friend of the bride—denoted the members of the wedding party with a small silhouette that "stood" over each person's name.

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Vintage Fans

Sawyer Baird
See more Beautiful Ways to Add a Pop of Green to Your Wedding here

We're loving the unique tile shape of these fan programs. The bride crafted each with pictures of different big-day elements.

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Map Fans

Josh Gruetzmacher

Holding your wedding at a large venue? Take notes from this couple, who included a map of their location, Cornerstone Gardens, on the back of their programs.

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Paper Planes

Lili Durkin Photographer

These paper plane programs might have brought guests back to their childhood, but their minimalist vibe proved that they were much more elevated than a schoolyard craft.

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Western Motifs

Birds of a Feather

The vibrant pattern on these programs, which were handmade by the bride, was incorporated into so many elements of this desert wedding, from the ceremony backdrop to the table runners.

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Maps

Swell Press
Adventurous Ways You Can Use Maps and Globes Throughout Your Wedding

As far as map-inspired stationery goes, this program by Swell Press Paper is one of the most detailed we've seen. It offered guests a look at the venue's surrounding forests and was secured with a mountain-embossed closure.

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Wedding Booklet

Jen Wojcik Photography

At his surprise wedding, the groom worked with Peanut Press Creative to create a booklet for his future wife. It outlined the event's guests, a design mood board, and venue information.

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Starry Fans

Peer Johnson
24 Celestial Wedding Ideas That'll Have You Starry-Eyed

These unique fans included an overview of the order of events and a precise view of the night sky on the evening of the wedding.

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Tri-Fold

Elizabeth Messina Photography

Aprile Elcich designed these tri-fold programs, which opened to up to reveal illustrations of each member of the wedding party.

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Field Guide

Briars Atlas

Guests received a "field guide" for this camping-themed event. The book also described different Jewish traditions that were incorporated into the wedding.

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Clipboard

Set Free Photography

DM Paper Designs used various fonts and text sizes to create these eye-catching cards. To guarantee they didn't fly away, Jet Set Wed secured each piece of paper to a tiny clipboard.

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Driftwood

Michelle Elyse Photography
Beautiful Ideas from Beach Weddings

For their beach wedding, these newlyweds gathered pieces of driftwood, which they painted with the names of their "best mates" as a nod to their nautical theme.

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By Chloe Gorman