69% of the printed wedding programs I looked at contained mistakes.
Some wedding programs are very fancy. Others are whipped up on a home computer and then photocopied.
Done well, either approach can work for a couple. But in either case, a program with glaring mistakes or done carelessly will make a negative impression on your guests. A fancy program with glaring mistakes will be more shocking.
Why worry about it?
Your wedding program is one of your first chances to make an impression on your guests as they arrive and are seated for the ceremony.
It’s also a keepsake. You don’t want a glaring mistake to jump out each time you or your guests look at the program in the future.
The program can serve as a remembrance of the music you used long after you’ve tossed or misplaced your planning notes. Wrong music information can make it difficult to be exactly sure what was played.
I think you’d rather not be part of the above statistic. Make sure your printed wedding program is accurate and error-free!
If you’re wondering whether you should even list music in your wedding program, check out this article: Should You List Ceremony Music in Your Wedding Program?
Tips
Here are a few tips to help make sure your program’s music information is accurate:
- Give a draft of your program to your musician(s) in advance and ask them for feedback. Be sure to give them time to respond—don’t ask them the day before you need to have it printed! Knowing how to list music in a wedding program isn’t something that comes naturally to most people. So why not ask someone more knowledgeable to help you?
- Also ask your family & friends to review the program. Again, give them time to respond.
- Don’t wait until the last minute to start thinking about the wedding program. If you do, you’ll be rushed and mistakes will happen.
If you want more, the subject is covered in greater detail in Wedding Music Unveiled’s Guide to Selecting Memorable Church Wedding Music. Check it out!
Oops: What to watch out for
I grabbed a few of the wedding programs I’ve collected and looked through them. Out of 26 programs, here’s what I found:
- Only 8 had no music-related mistakes
- 5 had typos in the name of the music or composer, or musician name
- 3 had the title of a piece noticeably wrong
- 19 programs left out a composer’s name
- 10 listed only some of the music performed
- 9 programs listed the composer for some pieces but the performing musician for others
What you should do now
Jot yourself a reminder to follow these tips and watch out for these common mistakes when it’s time to work on your program.
Do you have other tips for making sure you can be proud of your wedding program? Help out fellow readers and leave a comment. Your comments are always welcome and appreciated!
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I would “second” the recommendation to let your musician proofread the program. This past weekend I played for a wedding and the program said the recessional was composed by “Paul Manx”. Hmm . . ? I don’t know any pieces by a Manx, but I know plenty by Manz!
@Chris H.: Nice. Or how about the Toccata from Windor’s Symphony #5? I wonder if that’s as good as the Toccata by Widor?
I also wonder if anyone’s program has ever shown Pachelbel’s Cannon in D?
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