A Church Program for Your Wedding – Tips on What to Include

If you're planning a church wedding, you've probably heard of a wedding guest book. But what is it? What do you write in a wedding guest book, and do you need to protect it with a colored plastic cover, just like we used to do with school notebooks? In this blog post, we'll answer all these questions.

What is a church bulletin?

The church program is a booklet for the wedding ceremony that gives your guests an overview of what will happen in the church and who will be participating. It also includes the lyrics to the songs that will be sung together and may contain practical information such as directions or details about parking at the wedding venue.

How is the church bulletin designed?

As with all aspects of stationery, the same applies to the church program: It should have a personal touch and reflect who you are and your wedding. That’s why it makes sense to leave the design to the graphic designer you’ve hired to create your save-the-date cards, invitations, place cards, and thank-you cards.

If you haven't found anyone yet to design your stationery, you're sure to find someone here: Stationery designers for your wedding.

What should be included in the church bulletin?

Most church bulletins follow a similar structure:

1. A Warm Welcome
   Start your church bulletin with a warm welcome. Briefly introduce yourselves and thank your guests for coming.
2. 
   Ceremony Program Describes what will happen during the ceremony. What songs will be played? Who will speak? What rituals will be performed?
3. The Participants
   Introduce the key people involved in the ceremony. Who are the witnesses? Who will carry the rings? Who is the priest or pastor? If you’ve hired musicians for your wedding ceremony, you can also briefly introduce them.
4. Lyrics for the Hymns
   If you’ll be singing songs together during your church wedding ceremony, you should also include the lyrics in the church songbook—especially if you’ve chosen “Hyper Hyper” by Scooter.
5. Practical Information
   If possible, include a floor plan of the church. This isn't just useful for guests who need to use the restroom, but also for parents who want to quickly step outside with a crying baby so as not to disrupt your ceremony.
6. A Thank-You Note
   Conclude the church program with a thank-you note to your guests. Thank them for coming and for their support during your planning.

The protective cover for the church booklet

Of course, you don’t have to—and shouldn’t—wrap all your church booklets in plastic. However, we would recommend that you keep at least one of them as a keepsake. But to ensure it lasts until you retire and beyond, it would be a good idea to protect the church booklet. A simple, repurposed plastic bag should be more than enough for the job.