DIY Wedding Ceremony Programs

Create your own wedding ceremony programs using cardstock and ribbon! A beautiful craft that adds a touch of handmade to the special day.

Hello Crafty Friends! I am back today with another wedding-themed craft, this time I’m sharing a tutorial for creating your own DIY wedding programs. This is a simple DIY project and the perfect time to recruit your bridesmaids for a night of program making – add some music and cocktails and I’m sure they’d be willing. Once you get an assembly line going, the project goes quickly! 

I made these programs for our wedding using ivory and periwinkle cardstock. The ivory was a perfect background for our ceremony details and the periwinkle cardstock matched our wedding colors. You can make a similar program choosing any color combination you’d like. The binding on the left side of the program is easy to make and adds a sweet touch with the ribbon bow. 

I designed our programs in Microsoft Word using the script font Cookie for the names and the font Didot for the rest of the program. The illustration of a bride and groom on the front of the program actually came from postage stamps I ordered for our Save the Dates from Zazzle. I liked the stamps so much, I scanned one and added the image to our programs. You can use any image you’d like on your program including a picture of the wedding couple.

How to Make Your Own Wedding Ceremony Program

Supplies Needed:

• White or cream paper for printing the program – I used 8.5″ x 11″ 32lb Premium Weight Business Paper in Ivory
• 8.5″ x 11″ Colored card stock – choose paper that does not crack when folded. Choose a weight between 65-110lbs. 
• 3/8″ Ribbon – I used Satin-edged organza ribbon in ivory
• Hole punch or adjustable three-hole punch
• Pencil
• Ruler
• Paper trimmer

How to Assemble the Wedding Programs

Step One: Print your program.

My program ended up being 6 pages, 3 pages front and back since our ceremony included a full mass. Your program may be shorter or longer depending on the type of ceremony you’re having. Our program included a cover, the order of the ceremony, a page that listed the wedding party, and a page that listed those who had special roles in the ceremony like readers or singers.

I formatted my program so it would be 8.5″ tall by 8″ wide.  I printed the pages on 8.5″x11″ ivory paper and then trimmed them down with my paper trimmer.

If you intend to recruit help for assembling the programs, I’d recommend getting the printing done in advance. This is the most important part, and formatting and printing can take time. Plus, you’ll want to check over the program and proofread it prior to printing it without being distracted. 

Step Two:  Prepare the card stock. 

Before choosing the colored paper you will use, test it out by folding it. Some paper will crack along the fold line, especially if the paper is very thick. We found a beautiful periwinkle card stock, sold in bulk, that did not crack when folded. I don’t remember the exact weight, but I believe it was between around 65lbs. The periwinkle matched our bridesmaid dresses! 

Below you can see the programs next to a bow from the bridesmaid dresses that I removed from each dress. 

Mark the paper along one of the 11″ sides at 1.5″, 2.25″ and 3″ from one end.

Cut the paper at the 1.5″ marking.

Next, score the paper at the second two marks. When you line this up in your scoring board you’ll be scoring at 3/4″ and 1.5″. 

Fold the program along the two score lines.

Step Three: Assemble and bind the program.

Insert the program pages under the folded edge of your colored card stock. Punch two holes through all of the layers – each hole should be 2″ from the top and bottom. I used a single hole punch, but you could also use an adjustable three ring hole punch.

Use ribbon to hold the binding together. I used a piece of ribbon about 18″-20″ long which was enough for me to make a pretty bow. Before cutting all of your ribbon, I would do a few tests to figure out what ribbon length works best for you. Then you can cut a whole bunch at once so assembly goes quicker!

Make sure the ribbon is lays nicely on the back of the program!

The programs are finished! I think the colored paper and ribbon make these programs extra special and a nice memento for those guests who like to save them.

I hope you enjoyed this wedding-themed craft! You can view more wedding craft tutorials for fun ideas for weddings, wedding showers and bachelorette parties.

Wedding-Themed Crafts

• Wedding Shower Recipe Book
• Wedding Card Keepsake Book
• Paper Purse Treat Box
• Embroidered Ring Wedding Card
• Wedding Dress Paper Banner
• Embroidered Wedding Dress Card
• Heart Window Treat Boxes