How to Write a Catholic Wedding Program (With Template)

Published October 11, 2022

For Catholics, a wedding is a sacred sacrament. It unites a man and a woman in the bonds of matrimony before God and the people. In most Catholic cultures around the world, it’s also a community affair. Their family, friends, and colleagues join the couple to celebrate this joyous day.

Because weddings usually draw large crowds, they can be difficult to manage. This is where wedding programs enter the picture. It informs the guests of the things they need to know about the ceremony. With this, they know what to expect and can thus act appropriately.

If you’re preparing for your wedding, here’s a quick guide on how to write a Catholic wedding program.

Before Writing a Wedding Program

There is no standard Catholic wedding program. But that doesn’t mean you can include whatever you want. The main objective of a wedding program is to brief the attendees about the flow of the ceremony. But it’s more than just that.

Your wedding program must also encourage the guests to participate. So instead of just providing a description for the ceremony, think of it as a script for your guests. Write it with the goal of helping them fulfill their roles in the celebration. You can put as much or as little detail as you want depending on how many pages you intend the program to be.

Even though the Catholic Church doesn’t provide a standard template for a wedding program, they do have an order for the liturgy. That’s non-negotiable and usually the hardest part to navigate for your guests.

The wedding liturgy is steeped in tradition. Thus, there’s a lot of kneeling, bowing, and other gestures expected of the attendees.  Make sure that your wedding ceremony program will help them do this right. Otherwise, they’ll just grow bored or restless during the ceremony. And that’s the last thing you’d want to happen.

What to Include in a Catholic Wedding Program

In a wedding program, there are things you can’t do without. Here are some basic elements that have to be included in the program:

1. Name of the Couple

Needless to say, this should go on the cover of your program. The wordings usually vary. Some of the most common ones are:

• A Celebration of Marriage

( Bride’s name)

and

( Groom’s name)

• The Wedding of

( Bride’s name)

and

( Groom’s name)

• The Wedding Liturgy Uniting

( Bride’s name)

and

( Groom’s name)

• Celebrating the Nuptial of

( Bride’s name)

and

( Groom’s name)

2. Date and Place of the Wedding

This should go on the cover page too. It’s usually placed right after the names of the couple.

3. Celebrant

Some people put this on the cover while others put it on the back. It’s really up to you.

4. Entourage

This includes the name of the bride and groom’s parents, principal sponsors, bridesmaids, groomsmen, maid of honor, best man, and ushers and usherettes. Some prefer to put this on the first page of the program while others print it on the invitation itself.

5. Wedding Rites

Catholic weddings can be celebrated with or without a mass. The latter usually takes longer as it involves communion rites and the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

Now, this is the part where most guests usually have a hard time. As mentioned, the wedding liturgy follows an exact order but not a lot of people have memorized it. So your guests will most definitely rely on your program. The sequence also varies depending on whether you’re celebrating the wedding within a mass or without it.

If you’re celebrating a wedding within a mass, the liturgy goes like this:

1. Introductory Rites

(guests will stand all throughout this part of the liturgy)

• Entrance Rite
• Greeting
• Gloria
• Opening Prayer

2. Liturgy of the Word

• First Reading (sit)
• Responsorial Psalm (sit)
• Second Reading (sit)
• Gospel Acclamation (stand)
• Gospel (sit)
• Homily (sit)

3. The Celebration of Matrimony

(guests will stand all throughout this part of the liturgy)

• Address and Statement of Intentions
• Exchange of Consent
• Blessing and Giving of Rings
• Profession of Faith
• The Universal Prayer

4. Liturgy of the Eucharist

• Preparation and Presentation of the Gifts (sit)
• Eucharistic Prayer (sit)
• Sanctus (sit)
• Memorial Acclamation (kneel)
• Great Amen (stand)

5. Communion Rite

• The Lord’s Prayer (stand)
• Nuptial Blessing (stand)
• Sign of Peace (stand)
• Lamb of God (stand)
• Communion (non-Catholics can sit this one out)

6. Concluding Rites

(guests will stand all throughout this part of the liturgy)

• Blessing
• Dismissal
• Recessional

In some places, the couple may also be required to go to confession before the wedding mass can start. But some churches allow the couple to do their penance a day or days before the wedding ceremony. While others may only recommend the sacrament of absolution but not necessarily require it.

For weddings that are celebrated without a mass, the same steps apply except for the Liturgy of the Eucharist and the Communion. After the Celebration of Matrimony, the ceremony will proceed with the reciting of The Lord’s Prayer followed by the Nuptial Blessing. It will then be capped off with the concluding rites.

6. Music

Not all of your guests have memorized all the lyrics to the songs used in the wedding. Giving them a guide will encourage them to sing along to the songs. You can print the lyrics or if you’re conserving paper, just the title.

7. Responses

Printing the responsorial psalm and other responses will help your guests know what to say and when to say it.

8. Readings

Most wedding programs include the bible verses and the reader.

9. Prayers

Again, you can’t expect all of your guests to know all the words to every single prayer. So printing them out will help them recite the prayer with the others.