There is one more part of How I Tied the Knot: The Ceremony that I still need to share with you, our programs!
A lot of time and thought was put into our programs. I wanted to give our guests something to read and enjoy both before and during the ceremony. And, naturally, they had to be beautiful.
Here are the quick & dirty details: April Foster obtained the purple cardstock that we creased in half to make the cover. She also formatted and printed the programs. {Thanks, April!} April created a 2 inch by 2 inch square logo that we affixed to the outside of the program. We incorporated our monogram on the logo square to say, "The Marriage Ceremony Uniting" Jessica & Chris. We also included the date and name of the church at the bottom of the logo. The ribbon was 1/2 inch ribbon bought from Michaels. It was weaved through two holes and bound our little program together.
Crafting the program for your wedding ceremony can be tedious, so here is a little glimpse of ours. Hopefully it will help you put together yours!
Page 1: About the Couple
Once upon a time, there lived a little girl named Jessica.
An only child, she was certainly the apple of her parents’ eyes.
She spent her summers at the lake and attended various summer camps.
In high school, she was quite the cross-country runner.
When it came time for her to spread her wings and fly,
she went to XX University in Indianapolis, Indiana.
It was there that she joined Delta Gamma
and gained the sisters she never had.
There once was a little boy named Chris, the youngest of four.
He soon found his dimple could get him out of any trouble he caused.
His childhood was spent playing sports and travelling with his family.
At XX High School he became a stand out golfer.
A short time later his golf skills took him to
the University of XX on a golf scholarship.
On a hot summer night on the ninth of September in 2005,
the boy and the girl both happened to attend the same
Rascal Flatts concert in Cincinnati, Ohio.
After the concert the girl and her friend
needed directions to the local bar.
They approached the boy and his friends,
Only to find out they just so happened to need a ride to that same bar.
They introduced themselves, and the boy flashed his dimple to the girl.
From that moment on, as fate would have it, they were inseparable
Halloween, 2005, was the day that they officially started dating,
even though they knew way before then that they were together.
On Halloween, 2007, the boy got down on one knee
and asked the girl, the apple of his eye, to marry him.
She said yes.
That concert is the reason that the boy and the girl
are standing before each other today,
just waiting to finally become husband and wife.
Today they will recite their vows.
Today is the first day of the rest of their lives together.
Page 2: The Ceremony {middle page: opposite page 3}
Prelude Instrumental
Seating of the mothers Jesu, joy of man’s desire: Bach
Processional Cannon in D: Pachelbel
Entrance of the Bride Trumpet voluntary: Purcell
Escorted by her uncle, Mr. Scott XX
Opening prayer
Old Testament reading Genesis 2: 18-24
Read by: Mr. Randy XX, Brother of the Groom
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 103:1-2, 8, 13, 17-18a
Response: The Lord is Kind and Merciful
Read by: Mrs. Tina XX, Sister of the Groom
New Testament Reading 1 Corinthians 12:31 – 13:8a
Read By: Mr. Mike XX, Brother of the Groom
Alleluia Verse Celtic Alleluia GC 258
Gospel Reading John 15: 9-12
Father Clifford Vogelsang
Homily Father Clifford Vogelsang
Exchanging of vows
Exchanging of Rings
Lighting of the unity candle How beautiful – T. Paris
Prayer of the Faithful
Response: Lord hear our prayer
Read by: Mrs. Jill XX, Aunt of the Bride
Pronouncement of Marriage
Final Blessing
Response: Amen
Recessional Praise Processional: M. Dickerson
Hornpipe: Handel
Dismissal Instrumental
Page 3: The Wedding Party {middle page: opposite page 2}
We listed out the names of the members of our bridal party {including parents, GM and BM, Flower Girls & Ushers, Officiant and Readers} and how we knew them {example: College Friend of the Groom}.
Page 4: Our Thanks
We took a page in the program to thank our bridal party, parents and guests for sharing our special day with us. This was also the section in the program where we chose to recognize and honor our family members that could not be physically present on our wedding day.
The Bride & Groom would like to thank:
Tommy XX
For standing beside us on the most important day of our lives,
It means so much to us to have you as the best man.
Debbie XX
Your friendship has meant more to us than you will ever know.
We couldn’t have asked for a better maid of honor.
Our Bridesmaids and Groomsmen
For all the memories you have shared with the two of us,
we couldn’t imagine this day without each of you.
Our Flower Girls and Ushers
As you know, you are the cutest flower girls and ushers
That A Bride & Groom could ever ask for. We love you.
Our Officiant, Readers, & Musician
For your participation in our beautiful ceremony, we thank you.
Our Friends and Family
Once in a while, right in the middle of an ordinary life,
love gives us a fairy tale…thank you for being a part of ours.
In Memory
To those who could not be present today,
but are certainly looking down on us.
Mr. Gary XX
Mr. & Mrs. Gustave XX and Mr. & Mrs. Robert XX
Mr. and Mrs. David XX and Mr. & Mrs. Fred XX
Their presence is felt in our hearts and is represented by the
three flames in the remembrance candle placed near the altar.
And last but not least,
Our Parents
Who loved us and raised us and who gave us all the support in the world.
We love you more than words can express.
I hope that this little glimpse of our program can be of help to those of you looking for a little guidance with your program!
Lesson Learned #28: Don't budget/plan to make one program per person. The men never take one and you'll be left with more extras than you know what to do with!
Lesson Learned #29: Kinkos can staple/hole punch/score/fold your programs for you all for just a couple dollars. Kinkos punched two holes in each of our 100 programs for $7. Best $7 I ever spent.
note: names and personal info have been removed/changed for privacy purposes.
option #2: the jacket pull. rawr.
option #5: the staircase
I know, I know....what a tough decision you have on your hands. Good luck with that. 
The picture below flew under the radar with me for a while. It's now one of my favorites. 
previously in the series "tying the knot": 
Wouldn't this be a lovely little way to spruce up your guest book table or head table!?
So many colors, so many textures and so much perfect-ness...it would be hard to pick a favorite out of their portraits.
This post would not have been possible if it weren't for the lovely feature on this wedding over at the blog of 
The feathers, the fishnet stockings and the glamour of it all make for one eye catching invitation, don't you think!? 
And then I saw her bracelet in the picture above. And I was even more in love. Check out how the bride and groom incorporated teal into their day:
I hope that you enjoyed this this green-ish {i tried!} post in honor of St. Patrick's Day!
Go ahead and add these shots to your photographer's "must take" list. 
And then came 
Don't you just love everything about these photos!? Start scouting out a yellow field for your engagement pictures today! 
