What do you put on a Wedding Order of Service?

Words by Utterly Printable

The wedding ceremony is the most important part of the whole day. It’s the part you’ve been waiting for since you said yes to the proposal and it’s the part where you get to say ‘I do’ in front of all your loved ones. It’s also the part where no one has yet had a drink, which means your guests will likely notice all of the sweet details you’ve put so much heart into.

Traditional wedding order of service booklet

A beautiful wedding order of service will almost certainly be read by your guests as they await the arrival of the couple, and many will appreciate the details it provides about the ceremony and day. They are also wonderful keep sakes for both you and your guests to hold onto and can be designed to match your other wedding stationery creating a truly cohesive look throughout the day. To get you started with your own program, we have created a handy guide to how to design a wedding order of service online. Here we go!

Why do you need a wedding order of service?

The main purpose of a wedding order of service is to make sure your guests are informed of what is going to happen during your ceremony. They can be used for both religious and civil ceremonies and it can also be a lovely opportunity to share with your guests the members of the bridal and groom parties as well as thanking those guests who have played a special role (like your Auntie Debbie for doing the flowers). It can also be a good idea to include the lyrics to the songs you will be singing to make sure that everyone can join in and some couples also like to include a sweet story of their journey together to this point. Ultimately, as long as there is a timeline of the ceremony then the rest of the details are entirely up to you to decide upon and it can be a wonderful way to tie your theme for the rest of the wedding day into the ceremony.

The order of service is traditionally handed out by your ushers to your guests as they enter your ceremony venue, however it is entirely up to you how to structure this part of your day, they can just as easily be left on seats or at a table near the entrance for guests to collect themselves.

A traditional religious wedding order of service template:

Classic wedding order of service with multiple pages

Front page:

Welcome to the wedding of…. (bride and groom’s names)
Date and time
Name of ceremony venue
Service conducted by…. (optional addition)

Inside:

Entrance music for bride.
The welcome.
Hymn/song (words)
The preface.
The declaration.
Reading(s)
Text name and author
Read by …
The address.
The marriage.
The dismissal and final blessing.
Signing of the register
Exit music for bride and groom

A civil ceremony wedding order of service template:

Front page

Welcome to the wedding of ……. (bride and groom’s names)
Date and time
Name of ceremony venue
Ceremony officiated by….

Inside

Entrance of the bride
Welcome and introductions
The couples story
Reading(s)
Text name and author
Read by …
The marriage ceremony
Exchange of rings
Signing of the register
Closing and departure
Exit of the bridal couple

Wedding invitation with couple photo

You might notice that a lot of our wedding order of service designs match with our collection of personalised wedding invitations. Perfect for those of you trying to keep a constant aesthetic running through your big day!