Writing your weddings order of service – finally!

After what has felt like a million years, weddings are now able to go ahead with full capacity! Whether you have had yours on hold, postponed or booked for an approaching day all along, the time is nigh to gather the information to produce your stunningly bespoke wedding prints.

As weddings aren’t something we attend daily, it’s hardly surprising that the factors of these wedding prints remain unknown! Luckily, we are experts at wedding prints and can help you today in writing and designing your order of service, no matter your type of wedding ceremony.

What is an order of service?

To put it simply, a wedding’s order of service is quite literally what it says on the tin! It’s a small booklet handed to attendees of your ceremony, guiding them through the service, in order! As well as that, they also commonly become a lovely keepsake of the day.

What should be included in an order of service?

This depends entirely on the type of service you are looking to have. It is your choice as to whether you have a religious ceremony or a civil ceremony. Whilst religious ceremonies take place in the presence of a priest or minister that represents the presence of God, civil ceremonies are officiated by civil registrars. Traditionally, both types of ceremonies will take a different approach, and so the order of service checklist will vary.

It is important to remember that the information you wish to display in your order of service is optional and tailorable to your specific ceremony, but may include some of the following.

Religious ceremony checklist:

The front page. This is where you would display the names of the couple with their to-be married name, the location and time of the ceremony and possibly a photograph.

The procession. This signifies the start of the wedding ceremony and is where you would list the entrance order of the bridal party and bride herself, along with the song choice.

Words of welcome. The priest or minister will allow everyone to take a seat once everyone is in place and will share a few words of welcome and thanks to all for attending.

Readings. In religious wedding ceremonies, readings can be obligatory. The name of the text, and possibly even the text of the reading, can be displayed for guests to reference.

Legal declarations. This is where the priest or minister will ask the couple to legally declare that they are lawfully free to marry.

The exchange of the vows. This is where the couple to be wed will share their vows, in line with their priest of minister, and exchange the rings.

Proclamation. In a short sentence, the officiant will declare the pair as a married couple. Although short, this section is often displayed in the order of service to signify the marriage becoming official.

A blessing. This is where the officiant will ask the guests to join them in sharing a blessing or prayer for the couple. If there are words to be followed from a chosen prayer, you may wish to display these here.

The signing of the register. This is where two chosen witnesses will accompany the happy couple in signing the wedding register, officiating their marriage.

The recessional. This marks the end of the ceremony. You may wish you display the music choice here. The coupe will first exit the venue, followed by the bridal party and guests.

Civil ceremony checklist:

The front page. Similarly to above, the front page is your space to list key details, such as the names of the happy couple, the time and location of the ceremony and possibly a photograph. This detail makes the booklet a sweet keepsake for the future.

The procession. Signifying the start of the ceremony, this is where you may wish to write a list, in order, of those who will walk down the aisle, or simply just the music that the bride enters to.

Significant readings. Whilst civil ceremonies aren’t required to have a reading, it may be that the couple share a love for a particular poem or passage from a book. If so, you may wish to include the name, author and words within the booklet, allowing your guests to follow along.

The exchange of the vows. Vows in civil wedding ceremonies aren’t always required, but many couples like to write their own anyway, so it may be nice to display this part of the service if so as it is often the part that guests enjoy most! Rings can then be exchanged.

The signing of the register. Two witnesses will be chosen to accompany the couple in signing the resister. You may wish to display their names and relation to the newlyweds. 

Exiting music. The music chosen to accompany the wedding party and guests out of the venue can be displayed.

Thank yous. It can be a nice finishing touch to share the names of those which have helped make our wedding day possible or played a special role in the ceremony, such as family and loved ones, in a short list at the end of the order of service.

How to design an order of service

Order of services follow no strict rulebook. You really can afford to be as creative as you wish. Besides, its your day, your rules, right? Inject factors of your colour scheme, mirror the fonts used for your invites or display fun illustrations of the happy couple to kickstart the fun of the day. It really is your choice!

Here at Printingprogress, we are experts in all things wedding print! From invitations and seating plans to menus and orders of services, we can create a whole host of beautifully bespoke, intertwined wedding prints to compliment your day and be held onto as a beautiful keepsakes. To find out more about our specialist design knowledge and abilities, get in touch by calling 020 8290 1010 or emailing info@printingprogress.co.uk today… and congratulations!