Every question about wedding orders of service, answered in plain English.
Print one per guest, not per couple — everyone wants their own copy as a keepsake. Add 10–15% extra for late RSVPs, unexpected plus-ones, children who want their own, and any that get damaged.
For a 100-person wedding, order 110–115. For 150 guests, order around 170.
The most common size in the UK is A5 (148mm × 210mm) — a folded A4 sheet. This gives you a 4-page booklet: cover, two inside pages, and a back cover. It's easy to hold, fits in a handbag, and prints on any home printer.
For longer ceremonies (full church services with multiple hymns), an 8-page A5 booklet — two A4 sheets — is standard.
Yes — and many couples prefer to. You'll get the best results with:
Alternatively, most high-street print shops (Ryman, Staples, local printers) will print and fold for around 30–50p per copy.
Costs vary significantly:
For 120 guests, a template + home printing typically costs £20–40 all in.
Design and finalise the content at least 4–6 weeks before the wedding. This gives time for:
Don't leave it until the week before — there are always last-minute changes to the ceremony that need to be incorporated.
Typically the ushers, as guests arrive and are shown to their seats. Make sure your ushers know where they're kept and how many there are. It's worth leaving a small stack at the entrance for late arrivals.
Yes — for any hymn or song you want guests to sing along to, include all the verses you're using. Even familiar hymns benefit from having the words printed — not everyone knows all the verses of "Jerusalem" or "Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer."
For purely instrumental pieces or songs performed by a soloist, you don't need the words — just list the title and (optionally) the composer.
For personal use at a wedding ceremony, printing a small quantity of hymns and Bible readings is generally considered fair use in the UK and does not require a licence. If your venue or church has a CCLI licence, this covers hymn reproduction.
For modern copyrighted songs (not traditional hymns), technically permission is required — but in practice, a small personal-use print run for a private ceremony is not typically enforced.
The order of service is primarily for the ceremony itself. Reception details (venue, time, directions) are better placed on your invitations or wedding website. You can include a brief note on the back page — "Reception to follow at Thornton Manor, 4:00pm" — but keep it concise.
No — a ceremony programme is used at all types of weddings: civil ceremonies, humanist celebrations, outdoor weddings, and more. The name varies (order of service, ceremony programme, order of ceremony) but the purpose is the same: guiding guests through the event and giving them a keepsake.
For non-religious ceremonies, simply omit hymns and prayers and structure it around your readings, vows, music, and any rituals you've chosen.