Programs are a nice way to give guests a head’s up of the day’s schedule, thank the people involved in the wedding, and share a special message with loved ones. No need for this paper detail to break the bank though-  see these tips for getting those perfectly functional yet adorable programs on any budget.

1.       Go with the basics. If you are having your wedding at a church, many places of worship will give you the option of having your wedding programs printed in the same way as a church bulletin for a very minimal free or even free! These programs will be pretty straightforward, but you can’t beat the price!

2.       Or go with a basic DIY version. If you don’t have the church printing option, or want your program to match your personal wedding style a little more, opt for a simple do it yourself program. Choose either a basic half-page DIY invitation kit from a craft store (use those coupons!) or pick out a pretty printable cardstock on sale from on office supply store and cut it in half. Only print the essentials, so that it will fit on a 5.5” x 8.5” page (you can go front and back if needed).  To make it even easier on you, go with the pretty cardstock option, set up your document to print two per page, and then have them printed and cut at Office Depot or Staples. Both have very reasonable rates for black and white printing, and will charge a small flat fee for cutting, and this will end up saving you so much time from running each page through your printer! The end result will be lovely, simple programs that feel wedding-y but will cost very little to produce.

3.       Make them personal with wedding labels! Did you invest in those oh-so-adorable wedding labels with your names/initial/date/wedding motif? Fabulous, because this is another perfect opportunity to use them to transform a simple program into another stylish element of your perfectly coordinated day. Use them at the top of a program on a plain piece of cardstock or on the cover of your program booklet. Beautiful, cheap and easy.

4.       Be a DIY pro and try something more complicated. One of our favorites—the do it yourself program booklet with plain white printed pages inside describing the ceremony, the day’s schedule, and your special messages to family and friends, folded in half and covered with cardstock in your wedding colors (this is the perfect place to stick that wedding label!). Using staples to bind them is easiest. These are so beautiful and elegant! For this type of program or any other where you need basic copying or printing done, check out the rates for local print shops and chain printing shops like Office Depot and Staples. You can usually find a very affordable basic copying rate, and this will save you the time and energy of printing and collating, not to mention the costs of any mistakes you make. Well worth it, in our opinion!

5.       Use an invitation company. Many online invitation companies offer programs (even coordinating options with your invitations!) or you can check out the options at companies like Vistaprint. Definitely do your research, though- some of the stores have programs priced similar to invitations, which can get rather pricey. And don’t forget those coupon codes or free shipping promos—they make a huge difference!

6.       Try something different. Like the program-fans that are popular for outdoor weddings. Supercute! If you do want to go with a more unique program design, make sure to price out your materials using the tips mentioned here. And check out the wedding aisle at your local craft store—we are constantly amazed at the amount of new fabulous diy projects that show up on the shelves. And since each major craft store chain typically offers weekly coupons, you can get your supplies for cheap. A.C. Moore, for example, has kits for program fans—so fabulous!