Every Ghanaian wedding needs a programme. The church service follows an order set by the minister, the reception follows an order run by the MC, and the printed booklet in guests’ hands tells them what is coming next. Couples who agree the programme early, and share it with everyone involved, have fewer surprises on the day.
Below are sample programmes for a church wedding and a reception. Churches and families differ, so treat these as templates to adjust with your minister and MC.
Sample programme: church wedding
The order of a Christian wedding service in Ghana usually follows this pattern. Your church may combine, add or skip items.
- Arrival and seating of guests
- Entrance of the groom and best man
- Entrance of the bridal train
- Entrance of the bride, escorted by her father or a family representative
- Opening hymn
- Opening prayer
- Bible readings
- Choir ministration or special song
- Sermon
- Marriage vows
- Exchange of rings
- Pronouncement of marriage
- Prayer and blessing of the couple
- Signing of the marriage certificate
- Presentation of the couple
- Offertory and thanksgiving
- Closing hymn and benediction
- Recessional and photographs
A full church service usually lasts between one and a half and two hours. Ask your minister how long the sermon will be and whether the church allows photographers and videographers to move around during the service.
Sample programme: wedding reception
The reception is run by the MC. A typical Ghanaian reception programme looks like this:
- Arrival and seating of guests
- Welcome and introduction by the MC
- Opening prayer
- Grand entrance of the bridal train and the couple
- Introduction of the families
- Chairman’s remarks, if there is a chairperson
- Serving of food
- Cutting of the cake
- Toast to the couple
- Speeches by the best man and chief bridesmaid
- First dance
- Presentation of gifts
- Vote of thanks
- Closing prayer
- Dancing and after-party
Some couples move the first dance closer to the grand entrance, or serve food earlier so that guests are not waiting hungry through the speeches. Discuss the order with your MC and caterer, since food timing affects everything else.
Who needs a copy
Share the final programme with everyone who has a role. The minister, the MC, the DJ, the photographer and videographer, the caterer, the decorator, the chief bridesmaid and the best man should all know the order and the timing. A short version with times can be printed for the vendors, while the guest booklet can be more decorative.
Name a person to keep time. This is often the planner, a family member or the chief bridesmaid. Their job is to move things along when a speech runs long or the couple are late from photographs.
What to put in the guest booklet
The printed programme booklet for guests usually includes the couple’s names and wedding date, the order of service, the words of hymns and readings, the names of the bridal train, the officiating minister and the families, and a short thank-you note from the couple. Some couples add a photograph or a short story of how they met.
Print enough copies for the church and keep a few spare for the reception. And check every name before printing: a misspelt name in a wedding programme is the kind of mistake relatives remember.
