Wedding Mass Program Template: Catholic Church Order

Catholic Wedding Mass Program Template Breakdown

So the first thing you gotta know about Catholic wedding mass programs is they’re WAY more structured than regular ceremony programs. Like, there’s an actual order you can’t mess with because the Church has specific liturgical requirements. I learned this the hard way back in spring 2023 when a bride handed me her “vision” for the program and had moved the Gospel reading to after Communion because she thought it “flowed better” and I had to break it to her that nope, that’s not gonna fly with Father Michael.

The Entrance and Introductory Rites

Your program starts with the entrance procession. This is where you list the processional music and explain who’s walking down the aisle and in what order. Typically it goes: priest and servers, groom with both parents (or just his mom, depends on the family), groomsmen with bridesmaids, flower girl and ring bearer, maid of honor, and finally the bride with her father or both parents or whoever’s walking her down.

After everyone’s at the altar, there’s the Sign of the Cross and the Greeting. The priest says “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” and everyone responds “Amen.” Then he greets the congregation with something like “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ…” and people respond “And with your spirit.” You should include these responses in your program because honestly half your guests won’t be Catholic and will be completely lost otherwise.

Then there’s the Penitential Act which is basically where everyone acknowledges they’re sinners. The most common version is the “I confess to almighty God” prayer. Print this one out in full because nobody remembers all the words.

The Gloria comes next if you’re having it – some couples skip this during Lent or Advent per Church rules. It starts with “Glory to God in the highest…” and it’s kinda long so I usually just put the first line and “(continues)” unless the couple really wants the whole thing printed.

The Opening Prayer

The priest says the Collect (opening prayer) and everyone responds “Amen.” Simple enough. You can just note “Opening Prayer” in the program.

Liturgy of the Word

This is where it gets real because there are readings and you need to list them properly. A full Catholic wedding mass has three readings plus a psalm.

First Reading

This comes from the Old Testament usually. Common ones are Genesis 1:26-28, 31a (about God creating man and woman) or Tobit 8:4b-8 (Tobias and Sarah’s prayer). In your program, you write the name of the reader, then the scripture reference, then maybe the first line like “A reading from the Book of Genesis.” Some couples print the entire reading which I think is overkill but whatever makes them happy I guess.

After the reading, the reader says “The word of the Lord” and everyone responds “Thanks be to God.” Include that response.

Responsorial Psalm

Usually sung or recited. Psalm 33, Psalm 34, Psalm 103, Psalm 128 are popular wedding choices. The cantor or psalmist sings a verse, then the congregation sings the response, back and forth. You should print out the response part in bold or something so guests know that’s their cue. Something really annoying is when couples pick a psalm but don’t actually tell me what the refrain is until like two weeks before the wedding and I’ve already sent the programs to print.

Second Reading

This is from the New Testament but NOT the Gospels. Popular choices are 1 Corinthians 13:4-13 (the love is patient, love is kind one – literally everyone picks this), Romans 12:1-2, 9-18, or Colossians 3:12-17. Same format as the first reading – list the reader’s name, the scripture reference, and the reading ends with “The word of the Lord” / “Thanks be to God.”

Gospel Acclamation

Everyone stands up for this. It’s usually “Alleluia, Alleluia” sung three times unless it’s Lent, then you can’t say Alleluia so they use a different acclamation. Just note “Gospel Acclamation” and the music selection.

Gospel Reading

Only the priest or deacon can read this. The popular ones are John 2:1-11 (wedding at Cana), John 15:9-12 (remain in my love), or Matthew 5:1-12 (the Beatitudes). The priest says “The Lord be with you” and people respond “And with your spirit.” Then he announces the Gospel and everyone responds “Glory to you, O Lord.” After the reading, he says “The Gospel of the Lord” and everyone says “Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.”

Print all these responses because I’m telling you, people forget.

Homily

The priest talks. You just write “Homily” in the program. Sometimes couples ask me if they can write what the priest is gonna say and I’m like… nah, that’s not how this works.

Celebration of Matrimony

Alright this is the actual wedding part within the mass.

Introduction and Questions Before Consent

The priest asks the couple three questions about whether they’re freely choosing this, whether they’ll honor each other, and whether they’ll accept children from God. They each answer “I do” or “I have.” You can list these questions in the program or just write “Questions Before Consent.”

The Consent (Exchange of Vows)

This is the vows part. There are different forms – sometimes the priest asks questions and the couple responds, sometimes the couple repeats after the priest, sometimes they recite from memory (rare). The traditional one goes “I, [name], take you, [name], to be my wife/husband. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life.”

Print the full text of whichever version they’re using so guests can follow along. After the vows, the priest says “You have declared your consent before the Church. May the Lord in his goodness strengthen your consent and fill you both with his blessings. What God has joined, men must not divide.” Everyone responds “Amen.”

Blessing and Exchange of Rings

The priest blesses the rings, then the couple exchanges them. The traditional formula is “N., receive this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Some couples write their own ring vows if the priest allows it, which honestly can go either way – I’ve seen some beautiful ones and some that made me cringe but that’s neither here nor there.

Prayer of the Faithful

Also called Universal Prayer or Prayers of the Faithful. Someone reads intentions and everyone responds “Lord, hear our prayer” after each one. Usually there are like 5-7 intentions covering the couple, their families, the Church, the world, people who are sick or have died, etc. You should list who’s reading these and include the response.

My cat knocked over my coffee right onto a stack of programs once during this section’s formatting and I had to reprint 150 programs at midnight, so that was fun.

Liturgy of the Eucharist

Now we get into the actual mass part that happens at every mass, not just weddings.

Preparation of the Gifts

Some couples have family members bring up the bread and wine to the altar. List their names if they’re doing this. There’s usually music during this part – note what song is being played or sung. The priest says a prayer over the gifts and everyone responds “Blessed be God forever.”

Prayer Over the Offerings

Quick prayer, everyone says “Amen.” Just note it in the program.

Eucharistic Prayer

This is the long central prayer of the mass. It starts with the Preface Dialogue where the priest says “The Lord be with you” and there’s a whole back-and-forth that ends with the Sanctus (Holy, Holy, Holy). Then the priest says the Eucharistic Prayer – there are different versions but you don’t need to print the whole thing, just note “Eucharistic Prayer.”

Within this prayer is the Consecration where the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ. After the priest elevates the host and chalice, he says “The mystery of faith” and everyone responds with one of the memorial acclamations. The most common is “We proclaim your Death, O Lord, and profess your Resurrection until you come again.” Print whichever one they’re using.

The Eucharistic Prayer ends with the doxology “Through him, and with him…” and everyone responds “Amen.”

Communion Rite

Starts with the Lord’s Prayer (Our Father). Everyone knows this one but print it anyway because people say it different ways and you want everyone saying the same version. The Catholic version ends with “but deliver us from evil” and does NOT include “For thine is the kingdom…” – that comes later after a prayer by the priest.

Then there’s the Sign of Peace where everyone shakes hands or hugs and says “Peace be with you.” Just note “Sign of Peace” in the program.

Next is the Lamb of God (Agnus Dei) which goes “Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us” (twice), then “Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, grant us peace.” Print this because the rhythm trips people up.

The priest holds up the consecrated host and says “Behold the Lamb of God…” and everyone responds “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.”

Then there’s Communion. List the music being played during Communion. Also – and this is important – include a note that Communion in the Catholic Church is only for practicing Catholics who are in a state of grace. Non-Catholics and non-practicing Catholics should remain in the pews or can come forward with arms crossed over their chest for a blessing. Some couples get weird about including this but it’s necessary to avoid awkward situations.

After Communion there’s usually a period of silent reflection, maybe a meditation song, then the Prayer after Communion. Everyone responds “Amen.”

Nuptial Blessing and Conclusion

The priest gives the special Nuptial Blessing over the couple. This is a beautiful prayer that’s specific to weddings. You can print the whole thing or just note “Nuptial Blessing” – I usually print it because it’s really meaningful and parents especially like reading it.

Concluding Rites

Any announcements happen here (usually there aren’t any at weddings). Then the priest gives the final blessing – “May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit” and everyone responds “Amen.”

The priest or deacon dismisses everyone with “Go in peace” or “Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord” and everyone responds “Thanks be to God.”

Then the recessional music starts and the wedding party exits. List the recessional song and the order people are leaving in (usually reverse of how they entered, or…).

Other Stuff to Include

On the cover of your program, put the couple’s names, wedding date, church name and location, and maybe a nice graphic or photo. Inside, you might want to include a welcome message from the couple, explanation of what a Catholic mass is for non-Catholic guests, the wedding party names and roles, and thank yous to parents and special people.

Some couples include the lyrics to the songs being sung so everyone can sing along. Some include translations if they’re doing any readings or prayers in another language. Some include a memorial section for deceased loved ones.

One thing that really annoys me is when couples design these elaborate programs with tiny font and weird layouts that make the actual order of service impossible to follow. The program should be functional first, pretty second. Your guests need to be able to glance down and know what’s happening and what they’re supposed to say.

Back in summer 2021 I had a couple who insisted on printing their program in this gorgeous script font that was basically illegible and halfway through the ceremony you could see all their elderly relatives squinting and giving up on trying to read it. Form follows function, people.

Also make sure you run your program by the priest before you print it. Different parishes have different preferences and the last thing you want is to print 200 programs only to find out Father Jim doesn’t allow that particular version of the vows or whatever. Most priests are pretty chill but some are particular about the wording and format.

The program should be printed front and back, usually on nice cardstock, folded in half so it’s like a booklet. Standard size is 5.5″ x 8.5″ (half of a regular letter-size paper). You can tie them with ribbon or just leave them plain.

Make sure someone is assigned to put the programs out before the ceremony – usually an usher or a family member. Put them on a table at the entrance or have ushers hand them out as guests arrive.