Order of Service Wording Guide

When planning your wedding ceremony, you might find those around you asking if you will have an order of service book at the ceremony.

I usually hear two questions from brides-to-be:

  • What is an “order of service book”; and
  • What do you put in an “order of service book”?

An order of service book is to help your guests follow what is said through the ceremony, but it often becomes a keepsake from the wedding for your guests too. You can have an order of service book for all types of weddings, not just religious ceremonies.

It can be as complex or simple as you wish, as long as it covers what is in the ceremony. It could be as simple as a running list on a single piece of card, or as complex as a multilingual booklet that guests can follow word for word.

An average order of service book is 4-8 pages long, and A5 in size, making it easy to hold yet large enough to read comfortably.

A rough guide for the text in an order of service book:

  • Page 1: thank-you to bridal party, parents, celebrant/minister, any other special people in the making of your wedding
  • Page 2: processional song, welcome/introduction
  • Page 3-4: readings
  • Page 5: declarations and vows
  • Page 6: prayers (for religious ceremonies)
  • Page 7: recessional song

We can help you put your order of service book together, and design it to match the theme of your wedding – or you can choose one of the predesigned order of service books in our online store.

We acknowledge the Bunurong/Boon Wurrung people, the traditional custodians of the land on which we live, work and play. We pay respect to their elders, past and present.