What goes in it, running orders you can copy for church and civil ceremonies, how many to print — and booklet printing from an actual book printer, so the thing your guests hold matches the day you’ve planned.
It’s the printed card or booklet guests pick up as they take their seats: who’s in the wedding party, what happens in what order, the words to anything they’ll sing or say together, and — usually on the back — what happens after the confetti. Strictly optional; genuinely useful. For a church wedding with hymns it’s close to essential (everyone needs the words); for a civil ceremony it’s a lovely-to-have that doubles as the day’s programme and ends up in keepsake boxes.
Civil ceremonies can’t include religious content — your registrar will confirm readings and music in advance, so get their sign-off before you print.
| Format | Best for |
|---|---|
| Folded card (4 pages) | Civil ceremonies and shorter services — cover, running order, the day’s timeline on the back. |
| 8-page booklet | Church weddings — full running order with hymns and readings printed out. |
| 12+ page booklet | Full nuptial services, bilingual ceremonies, or a programme-and-keepsake in one. |
A5 is the classic — it photographs well on place settings and fits clutch bags and jacket pockets. Square formats are a quietly distinctive alternative few printers offer. Whichever you choose, a proper card cover with quality inner pages is what separates “made” from “run off” — and as a book printer and bindery, making small, beautiful booklets is literally what we do all day.
Order once the ceremony details are confirmed with your officiant — usually two to three months out. Send us a print-ready PDF (home-made in Canva or Word is fine — export to PDF), or get in touch with your questions first. Every order gets a free file check and a proof to approve before printing, and we print from 10 copies, so you order for your guest list, not a printer’s minimum. One per guest for a church wedding; one per couple plus spares for civil ceremonies — and always a handful extra for the keepsake box and the photographer.
Thinking past the day itself? We also print wedding books — guest books for the table and thread-sewn keepsake editions of the day for family and guests.
The printed booklet or folded card handed to guests as they arrive at the ceremony. It lists who’s who in the wedding party, the order of the ceremony — music, readings, vows, hymns if you’re having them — and often ends with the plan for the rest of the day. It doubles as a keepsake of the ceremony itself.
You don’t need one for any ceremony — but civil ceremonies use them too, usually titled a “wedding programme” or simply “order of the day”. With no hymns to print, a single folded card covering the running order, readings and the day’s timeline is usually plenty.
The traditional rule is one per guest for a church wedding (everyone needs the hymn words) and one per couple or household plus spares for a civil ceremony. Add ten or so spares for keepsakes, the photographer’s flat-lay, and guests who tuck one away. We print from 10 copies, so order what you actually need.
Once the ceremony details are confirmed with whoever is conducting it — typically two to three months before the day. The running order, readings and music need sign-off from the officiant before printing, and you don’t want to be proofreading hymn verses the week of the wedding.
A5 is the classic — a folded card for civil ceremonies and shorter services, or a stapled booklet when you’re printing full hymns and readings. Square formats make a lovely, slightly different keepsake. We print A5, A4 and square, from a 4-page folded card to booklets of 8 pages and up.
Yes — export it as a PDF and send it over. Every order includes a free file check (size, margins, photo resolution, colour) and a proof to approve before printing, so a home-made design comes out looking professionally made.
Send your PDF for a free file check, or ask us anything first — printed in-house in Exeter, proofed before printing, from 10 copies.