It all started with these programs:
(source)
I loved the simplicity, the rounded corners and the sewn detail.
When I first got obsessed with programs, I wasn’t quite sure what the design was going to look like (because Mr. GP and I couldn’t agree on it 
). Once we got down to the wire of a few weeks before the wedding, we made up our minds quickly and set to work getting it done using elements from a bunch of our other wedding stuff.
For example: our cake had a ribbon around the base of each tier. Since I got 60 feet of that ribbon for $4 on eBay, and our baker only needed 20 feet, I had 40 feet left over… hmm… what to do with that? Use it on the programs!
I also decided I wanted to use the heart vector I’d bought from istockphoto (for the luminaries – more on those later) on the cover to keep things tied together, and we’d use the ribbon as a colorful backing for our names. So I got started cutting out 100 hearts. Fun times and sore fingers were ahead of me.
(104 hearts, freehand cut out)
BM D helped me by cutting 8.5×11 yellow cardstock sheets in half, then folding them to make 4.25 x 5.5 program covers, and rounded the corners. Allie supervised and did quality control.
(slave labor)
Then she came back the next weekend (did I mention I love BM D?) and helped me make even more progress! She cut ribbon just wide enough for the front of the program.
(Offray Island Blue grosgrain ribbon)
Once those were cut, we drew a line across the programs so we could keep the ribbon straight and at a consistent height, and then I used a spray adhesive to glue ’em on! I decided on spray adhesive because when I tried hot glue, I ended up with this:
(a bumpy mess)
(spraying the ribbons on newspaper outside, gluing to the programs. It was sunny and 90 degrees out, and I wore all black. Great idea.)
I repeated the spray adhesive set up with the hearts, spraying and adhering three at a time to all the beribboned programs, aligning them with the two dots I had measured and marked for top and bottom of the heart so they would all be centered. Then I printed and cut a bajillion (OK it was only 100) little cards with our name and wedding date on them and glued those on top of the blue ribbon with even more spray adhesive.
Next came the hard part – writing the program! Who knew I would stress over it so much?! I spent forever and a day Googling ceremony programs to see what other people put in them – how much detail is too much? Whose names get mentioned? What do I call all these sections of the ceremony? So here’s the Guinea Pig attempt at a ceremony program, which seemed to work just fine at informing people what was happening when 
(click to enlarge!)
The only mistake I know was made is that we (okay, I) completely forgot to find a way to put Mr. Guinea Pig’s sisters in the program. 
They escorted my mom down the aisle and I only realized they weren’t in there after I had already printed all the programs and we’d started putting them together. Mr. GP and I were both upset we hadn’t thought of it before, but unfortunately it was too late to remedy the issue so we carried on – his sisters know we love them! I printed the pages at home on nice printer paper when my helper team (aka my family) arrived the week before the wedding, then we cut them out and assembled the programs!
(Aunt M happily cutting out 100 program innards)
(Mom Guinea Pig folding the insides to fit into the yellow cover)
(Friend DB sewing it all together as a binding!)
I loved the way the stitching looked when you opened the program up to the center page (which of course was the page with all the names to blur… sigh):
(with a matching yellow thread, leftover from making the ties)
And lastly, a more clear shot of the finished program!
These weren’t exactly quick to make because there were so many separate elements that needed printing, cutting, and assembling, but I think they turned out pretty cute! The only problem I had with assembly was getting the name to stick to the ribbon. The white cardstock I printed on had a hard time catching hold on the grosgrain ribbon backing, so they tended to peel off. I attempted to solve this by stacking them under really heavy physics textbooks and cookbooks I had in the house, but I think if I’d had more time I would have found a better adhesive (rubber cement) than spray glue.
I definitely could not have done this without the help of my family (you’ll see that theme a lot in the upcoming last-minute project posts!) and I loved the way these turned out. Oh! And in terms of numbers: we had 134 guests attend the wedding, and we made 100 programs. At the end of the day we had about 10 programs left, so I’d say that was a pretty good number!
How much work did you put into your programs? Are you combining elements from other wedding projects to make something new?
This article was originally posted onWeddingbee.
