With an Alaskan wedding, it's often the simple accents and adornments which complement a bride's theme and make her day. How can you incorporate your theme into your one-page program, which is already filled with lots of details like the order of events, thank yous and invitation to the reception? The best way is to keep your layout clean and neat, in addition to adding special fonts, accent images, colors or flourishes. Many brides choose to make their own programs or to customize a template to match their event, which ensures everything will be:

• Eye-catching
• Informational
• Easy to read
• Theme-appropriate

Keep in mind that your program has the potential to be one of the keepsakes family members, friends and guests may keep to cherish. It pays to put in a bit of time, or to use a service which provides templates you can print yourself on nice card stock.

Depending upon your budget and desired look, you might also think of other ways to present your programs, such as tying a rolled single-page program with a complementary-colored ribbon from your local stationery shop or a site like RibbonJar.com. Vellum overlays or special embossing might add an extra touch of elegance. Some brides opt to work with their wedding invitation designers to coordinate their program designs into their stationery set.

Other common layouts include half-fold and tri-fold designs. Remember to consider options for front and back printing and landscape vs. horizontal arrangements, as well.

Alaska Theme Wedding Program Ideas

With everything from temperate rain forests to frozen glaciers, Alaska's natural landscape is the inspiration for many weddings, and it's easy to add the atmosphere of ocean or mountain with a simple stylized graphic or divider. Location-appropriate Alaskan wildlife like sea otters, orca whales, moose, grizzly or polar bears might be the image you're looking for. Local wildflowers like gentians, geraniums and lupines could all provide delicate accents, and of course the Alaskan evergreen (a symbol of love's eternal youth) can easily be incorporated into your program designs with pine needle overlays.

How Do I Format My Wedding Program?

To format your wedding program, first decide what information about your ceremony, reception, and wedding day you're going to include. A traditional program design will often contain information such as the following:

• Welcome, with names of bride and groom, followed by the date.
• Wedding attendants, such as best man, maid of honor, bridesmaids, ushers, ringbearers, flower girls, etc.
• Order of events, including seating of the mothers, processional, musical interludes, greeting, lighting of a unity candle, readings, exchange of vows, exchange of rings, etc.
• Special mentions and thank yous.
• Invitation to reception.

When composing the invitation to a far-away reception location, include a map and contact numbers. At the least, be sure to have the reception location's address on your program to ensure your guests will find their way from the ceremony to the party on your special day.