Consider having your vows calligraphed or printed in on envelopes and stashing ceremony programs inside. Hang the envelopes by their flaps from satin ribbons that you knot around ceremony chairs or loop over the ends of pews. Tuck a single vivid carnation into each shimmering bow adorning aisle seats for a look that's pure poetry.

Set the tone right from the start by greeting guests at the ceremony with aqua and red programs suspended from every seat. Loose pages rest inside the pocket of an oversize blue tag; its damask-style pattern is added with a rubber stamp.

Programs from an Oregon wedding are festooned with cedar twigs and bound by brown taffeta ribbon.

To make these programs (one letter-size sheet yields two programs), arrange your text horizontally on the page in landscape mode over four columns. Cut the sheet in half, wrap a 10-by-7/8-inch band around the center, and tape in back. Bend the ends of each program toward the center and tuck them under the band, making sure they overlap slightly.

To beat the Virginia heat, the couple had the program information printed on fans.

A lot can be held together with two ribbons tied into bows. This program's cover is adorned by a single calligraphed initial. The ribbons, threaded through punched holes and tied at the corners, hold the booklet closed and give it a pretty, finished look.

Get a custom stamp made for the cover of your program and stamp it on paper (in this case we used wooden sheets).

Wide moire taffeta ribbon becomes a beautiful jacket for a wedding program. A narrow brown ribbon tied in a simple bow holds the finished booklet closed.

Satoko and Alex gave each guest a bag. Inside each bag was a program and recipe book featuring, among others, the caterer's recipes.

For a couple who travels, a booklet resembling a bundle of luggage tags is an inspired choice. The card-stock pages are tied together with sturdy string, and a floral-print cover gives the package a charming yet casual look.

Whimsical graphics from this couple's New York City wedding invitation followed through to their wedding program.

You have the option of printing these motifs in three different shades: orange, aqua, or gray. If you want to add more visual punch, we suggest you experiment with the paper color. We chose paper in a range of soft, complementary hues like peach, coral, and pale sage for a palette that's at once soothing and arresting.

For a cool-weather wedding, why not give programs their own woolly wraps? Felt pouches bring a cozy touch and bursts of fall color to the ceremony and make pretty mementos for guests.

Branch out beyond typical wedding programs by adding a touch of Druid fun and whimsy to them. "What Tree Did You Fall From?," a Celtic version of astrology, is the perfect distraction for those awaiting the Wedding March.

Guests prone to waterworks at weddings could use one of these: a ceremony program that doubles as a tissue cache. 

This wedding program, designed by the groom's sister and her husband (and illustrated by their son), was tied to a paper fan on each guest's chair.

These programs feel like personal letters to your guests. For each, cut a strip of card stock, trim the corners of one end into a point, and fold ends inward to overlap. Stitch computer printed pages on a sewing machine, and seal with a sticker; we used a tree image that we printed on sticker paper.

Stationery doesn't have to be expensive to impress. Personalize programs by using a custom embosser to stamp your program cover.

This couple made their programs using custom monogrammed stamps and a butterfly stamp. Each one was an original work of art with the butterfly stamp placed in different areas on the cover.

When the guests arrived for this ceremony, they found programs with their names inscribed in opaque white ink, or gouache, which shows up beautifully on the colored paper.

Mini-programs (the old typewriter's imprint was scanned and reproduced) tuck easily into a purse or pocket as a souvenir.

With warm and fuzzy yarn accents, a plain program can becomes wedding worthy.

This slim program is easy to make if you start by purchasing a booklet that is preassembled but not bound (ours is made of a vellum cover over green paper, with white pages inside). Print your text on the pages, then secure the book, as well as a card printed with the names of the bride and groom, using a sewing machine's zigzag stitch.

This simple program features letterpress text on textured paper. Have 8 1/2-by-11-inch sheets of paper professionally printed in three horizontal columns (or print text yourself using a computer); fold each sheet into thirds, creasing first with a bone folder for the cleanest lines. Then slip on a band of paper with names and wedding dates, secured with double-sided tape in the back.

For this pocket-size program, six pages of text are printed on a single strip of paper, which is then folded in an accordion fashion. The cover, of floral card stock, is glued to the front and back pages so that the program reads like a book instead of unfolding.