You've rehearsed, you're in costume, you know your lines by heart. You even have a touch of stage fright. Your wedding ceremony may be the most intensely emotional, honest event of your life -- but it is also likely to be the most theatrical. And, as at any great performance, the members of the audience will appreciate having a program to follow.

A wedding program is never considered a necessity -- which is what makes it so nice. It is a winsome little extra that shows you've tended to all the details. And because it is not required, it is not subject to strict rules of etiquette, which makes creating a program an easygoing, creative endeavor. But the program is no mere vanity: It serves the rather noble purpose of guiding your guests through the ceremony you've planned so carefully, and it provides you with a way to communicate with everyone who has come to share your day.

Take One
As guests arrive, they will pick up one of these programs offering clues to the mood of the event. The use of first names and an abbreviated date herald a wedding that's not too formal.