The Green Kangaroo - Unique Wedding Invitations and Stationery

Among the wonderful things that come with the summer and fall season – sunshine, bbqs, and vacations – there comes the popularity of weddings at wineries. And I couldn’t be happier!

There is something very romantic about getting married at a winery – not to mention the wonderful abundance of wine that accompanies the event. I was fortunate enough to attend a good friend’s wedding last weekend at Castoro Cellers, a winery in Paso Robles, California and it was everything a wedding in wine country should be. Beautiful vineyard at sunset, delicious pairings with cheese-filled appetizers and a relaxed, rustic atmosphere.

Of course, in the midst of all the wine tasting, I was on the look out for the wedding stationery – programs, menus, place cards, etc. Her invitation was so beautiful (designed by a friend of ours Ilana Dashe who currently works privately on custom invitation designs) that I knew the rest of her paper would be equally spectacular. Her invitation and custom wine monogram was contemporary, yet still held vintage qualities that are perfect for vineyard weddings – such as a cork paper band with a richly-textured deep red pocket. Since they are a very fun and casual couple, they opted for some personality in their invitation by using a mad-libs style reply postcard – which they featured at the wedding as part of their guest book!

The couple also loves music, so it was no surprise that they gave away personalized CD’s as their wedding favors. Instead of using the typical plastic CD cases or printed paper CD jackets, they got creative and incorporated their favor with their program – one side held the CD and the other held their program booklet – complete with the vineyard motif and held together by the cork paper band.

They also carried their monogram and vineyard theme through to the placecards, which were held in wine corks and arranged on a wine barrel.

This wedding was a blast – and I now have a couple bottles of wine to remember it…

So, now that you’ve decided you definitely need wedding programs, here’s the skinny on two popular choices.

1. Booklet program

2. Flat double-sided program

Let’s break them down in a bit more detail . . .

Booklet programs are often put together using two holes and a ribbon knot or bow. They can come in various sizes, and we have three main ones – traditional, square and tea length.

traditional

square

tea length

On the cover of the booklet program, couples typically include their names and wedding date along with a graphic, monogram or short quote. The first inside page is normally a “title” page stating the couples full names, time and location of the ceremony. The inside spread of the program is the best place to list the ceremony details (in chronological order) such as the processional music, prayers, readings, exchange of vows, exchange of rings, and pronouncement of marriage. There is a large amount of variation in how specific a bride may be in listing the details – some have a basic outline and others include every single element (like not only the names of songs to be sung, but who wrote and composed them also). The next page is normally reserved for a listing of the bridal party (ie – Parents of Bride: Mr. and Mrs. William Smith, or Maid of Honor: Sarah Smith). The back page is often reserved a thank you note to guests, remembrances, or directions to the reception.

The flat double-sided program works in much the same way – the ceremony events are normally printed on the front side and the wedding party and any other information is typically printed on the back. If you are having a large wedding party or want to include a large amount of details, you may want to select a booklet program. The flat program can be dressed up by the use of graphics or a ribbon accent.

Tis the season . . . for wedding programs! Which normally translates to: “oh my gosh – my wedding is in three weeks and I’m in panic mode – can you please help me with my programs??” So, earlier this spring we decided to be proactive and remind all of our brides via email to make sure that they planned ahead. And now our summer brides are happily receiving their programs and have one less thing to fret over at the last minute! If you are trying to decide whether programs are for you or not, read on . . .

Though it isn’t written anywhere that wedding programs are a necessity at your ceremony, they are not something to be forgotten. Having a wedding program is important for a number of reasons:

1. You didn’t spend all that time working with a designer to create the perfect wedding logo for your wedding invitation, not to take advantage of seeing it carried onto your programs (and also the menus, place cards, table cards, “thank you notes”: . . . but I digress). I know you also have that monogram on the cake, the isle runner and dance floor, but your guests can’t take those guys home, so give them something to keep as a reminder of your big day!

2. Make your guests more comfortable by letting them know what’s happening during the ceremony. For instance, if you are having a Catholic mass and half of your congregation is Baptist, a program is a great way to help them understand what is happening, what is expected of them, and how long they may be in their seats.

3. You didn’t get here all by yourself! A program is a great way to thank your family and your guests for supporting you both on this special day and throughout your lives.

4. Who are all those people standing next to you? Most likely your guests will know some of your wedding party, but listing everyone in the program is a nice way to properly introduce them to everyone. It’s also a great idea to include a line or two about why each person is important to you and your fiancée.

5. Let your personality shine – love music or poetry? Include a meaningful lyric that will have your guests saying, “that’s so you”.

6. Point your guests in the right direction! If your reception is at a different location than your ceremony, the program is also a great place to include directions (just in case they forgot to pack the ones you so graciously included with your wedding invitations!).

7. Honor those who could only be there in spirit – your wedding program is a wonderful way to include those who could not make it regardless of the reason.

Just like your wedding invitation, your ceremony program should be a way to inform your guests about your event in a way that’s all you! See some new programs we just designed: