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I may not be the world's biggest wedding fan, but I am the world's biggest stationery fan. Or at least I feel like I must be pretty close to holding this title? Just ask the various sweet and tolerant friends, family members, and coworkers who often text me, "Wow, I got your letter!" which I know is kind code for "Wait, did you really just mail me a letter? Is it...1960?"
But hey, weddings are one of those areas of modern life in which antiquated traditions are shockingly alive and well. Sometimes this is not great (can't we just retire all bridal showers already?); sometimes, though, it means you get the rare opportunity to nerd out about fonts, inks, and paper thickness, just like the skilled letterpress printer / bookbinder you obviously would have been, had you only been born in 1830. (I was so close.) But nowadays, all this nerdery comes with the bonus of modern technology — in all its laser-printing, soy-ink, recycled-paper glory. It's really a wedding win-win.
Although the invites — with their usually excessive roster of inserts, RSVP cards, maps, and the like — pretty consistently steal the stationery spotlight, let's not forget the awkward little sister of the wedding paper-product family: the program. You know her. She shows up last-minute on the day of the wedding, she's overloaded with responsibilities ("you mean I have to be a program, a menu, and a fan?"), and she usually parties a little too hard and ends up crumpled on the edge of dance floor by the end of the night. Poor thing. And yet, she keeps the whole event running — and she's often the most unique, complex, and certainly the most under-appreciated member of the entire wedding stationery suite. (Not that there are really a lot of contenders, but you get it.)
So here's to you, Program. May we all aspire to keep your can-do spirit and bohemian flair alive. Ahead are 10 of the prettiest programs on Instagram that are sure to please paper lovers of every era — regardless of how you feel about weddings.
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