Paper 101 - Menus and Programs

PROGRAMS

The hardest part about designing your program is deciding which information to include. The program on the left, printed on Antique Gold Stardream cardstock, includes a full schedule of the wedding including the names of family and bridal party members, music selections, and readings. The program on the right, printed on Starch White Speckletone cardstock, goes a more simple route and just gives a rough outline of the schedule of events. 

At a minimum, your program should include:

• Names of individuals getting married
• Date of wedding
• An outline of the schedule for the ceremony
• The names of the ceremony participants

Ultimately, it comes down to personal choice and the tone of your event. A more formal wedding should have a more formal paper suite. 

The 8.5" x 11" templates below (in .png format) can be used in any design software and will help you align your text to get a more professional look. To download the template, simply click on the template image you want below and then right-click to save it to your desktop.

Using half of an 8.5" x 11" paper makes a perfect program that is easy to design and print. The Program Templates work just like our other templates, but only have to be cut once, right down the center. This makes cutting a breeze! 

When printing your finished pieces, make sure your printer is set to "borderless" or that the scale is set to 100% to ensure they print the correct size. 

To use the Program Templates, create a new portrait or landscape 8.5" x 11" document in your design software, depending on the template you're using, add the template PNG and resize it to fill the whole canvas, then add your text in the appropriate areas. Once you are done adding your text, you will delete the template before you print. After you've printed, simply cut the sheet of paper in half, and you will have two perfect programs!

Multiple test prints on plain paper to get the alignment right may be required. Remember that trial and error is a natural and necessary part of DIYing and try to be patient. :-) Sometimes you will have to adjust spacing and print test multiple times. As always, remember to run a print test on your chosen final paper before setting to print a large volume. 

 

MENUS

Printed menus for your event can be a wide variety of sizes and shapes, but for the beginner, we recommend using our Menu Template to print 3 on a page. 

 

The 11" x 8.5" template above (in .png format) can be used in any design software and will help you align your text to get a more professional look. To download the template, simply click on the template and then right-click to save it to your desktop. 

To use the Menu Template, create a new 8.5" x 11" document (landscape orientation) in your design software, add the template PNG and resize it to fill the whole canvas, then add your text in the first column. Once you are satisfied with the menu in the first column, copy and paste it into the other three columns. Before printing, delete the .png template. 

When printing your finished pieces, make sure your printer is set to "borderless" or that the scale is set to 100% to ensure they print the correct size. 

 

Multiple test prints on plain paper to get the alignment right may be required. Remember that trial and error is a natural and necessary part of DIYing and try to be patient. :-) Sometimes you will have to adjust spacing and print test multiple times. As always, remember to run a print test on your chosen final paper before setting to print a large volume. 

When printing your finished pieces, make sure your printer is set to "borderless" or that the scale is set to 100% to ensure they print the correct size. 

To cut your menus down, you will first cut half an inch off the right side of the sheet. Then cut the remaining sheet into three 3.5 inch sections. Easy, right?

When you are finished, you will have a beautiful menu like the ones below. 

To learn how to add watercolor or other textures to the text on your printed goods, check out this blog with instructions.

Find our Wedding Checklist for a complete guide to wedding paper items. For even more wedding inspiration, check out our Wedding Blogs and Wedding Inspiration Gallery