Wedding programs were sort of an afterthought for me. I don’t really think they are necessary anymore as most people have wedding websites and other methods of communication – chalkboards, signs, etc. However, it was one more little crafty touch I wanted to add.

I found some great wedding program inspiration on the Wedding Party App blog. I really like the fortune teller ones, but they were slightly more work than I had time for.

I settled on a fan because of:

• The relative simplicity to design and make.
• The fact that my wedding was outside in Phoenix.

Before I get into any details, here is my BIGGEST piece of advice if you decide to make/provide programs:

Make sure your guests actually see/take them! Put them on the chairs, have them handed out, or put them very close to the ceremony location.

You don’t want to spend all of this time on programs if nobody sees them or knows to take them. Sadly, I know this from firsthand experience. We put ours in a cute basket that was just a little too far away from the ceremony. The basket went nearly untouched. Learn from my mistake!

How To:

Now that that is out of the way, here is my list of materials:

• Brown card stock – 8.5 x 11″
• Wooden program fan handles – Purchased from Amazon: 100 Wavy Fan Handles
• Scotch Scrapbooker’s Glue

I designed these in Adobe InDesign by basically splitting a landscape oriented page into two columns. When printed, I just folded the paper in half and sandwiched the wooden handle in the middle.

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UPDATE: You can now purchase a customizable template for these wedding program fans at my Etsy Store.

Note: Some design elements and fonts are modified.

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Program Front Panel

The front of the program fan has our names in the same calligraphy (Thank you Angelique Ink!) as our wedding invitations. It also has a simple order of events.

The back of the program is my favorite though.

 

Since Chris and I had friends and some family coming that did not know each other, we added some detail on the wedding party and our officiant, who is a close friend.

We also came up with some fun and interesting facts about our relationship – these included:

• Chris and Jess have been together for 2,733 days
• Chris loves the Red Sox. Jess loves the Yankees.
• Jess chose the second wedding dress she tried on.
• Chris said “I love you” first, but he was tricked into it
• Jess is older than Chris by one year and 26 days
• Chris took Jess to see Michael Buble the night he proposed

Last but not least, I included some instructions for our guests to download the Instax Share app and be sure to take a photo of themselves on their smart phone for the photo guest book (that post is coming soon).