Menu cards...do we reallyyyyyy need them?

You can definitely skip ceremony programs. Most people don't do them. You can also skip the menu cards.

View Quoted Comment Thanks Hannah!

Are you doing a buffet? If so I say you can skip them, but if your guests will have to order I would have at least one on the table.

Bear in mind that many don’t go to the website and those who do probably won’t recall what they read. Menu cards are always appropriate regardless of the meal type but you can have one per table instead of one person.


If you’re having a plated meal, guests may recall vaguely that you asked them if they wanted chicken or beef but they were not given any details beyond that. Many may prefer beef but they don’t like certain cuts, preparation types or sauces so they may have chosen chicken instead that they never order if they know on the rsvp what exactly the options are. Beyond that, menu cards are less functional with a plated meal aside from listing what is actually on everyone’s plate. But then the invite/rsvp doesn’t need to be cryptic in the first place.
For a buffet, people don’t understand the concept at all but having menu cards on the tables actually cuts down on the lines because guests know before they go up what is being served, so what they can get more of and what to skip. Same with stations.

View Quoted Comment Great points...it'll be a plated dinner and we're submitting meal choices 2 weeks prior. So I think we're good now with skipping them. Thanks!

View Quoted Comment Hey Michelle great points and I totally agree with folks not reading the website. We've had at least 15 guest forget to select their meal choice before completing the RSVP. It's written in bold with clear instructions on how to select the menu drop down but they still miss it anyway lol.


We decided to skip formal invitations as our first 2 save the dates went to waste due to covid. So we used the WW website as the offical invite so everyone does have to go online to RSVP. We'll also have a plated dinner and we were able to put the full menu on there, even down to informing guests that the teriyaki glazed salmon has carmelized onions on top lol. I think if we didn't have everything mapped out then we would've had to get them for sure. But I think we're covered even though some folks may forget meal they selected the day of lol. Thanks for all the info!

View Quoted Comment

Speaking from experience as a guest, if you don’t have a formal/paper invite, guests will not take it seriously and wait for the paper invites to come in the mail.

You really can’t fault guests on the website because it is a new trend.

Skip them both! They can choose their meal selection with the invite. And it’s not your job to remind them on what THEY chose. Save your money.

View Quoted Comment That may be the case for some but MY guests are taking this wedding very seriously. They have waited two and a half years for this union and they understand that it's a total waste of money to send formal invitations after everything we've been through with covid. We ordered formal invitations for our first wedding date and where are they...sitting in a box in the closet; we are now on date #3. And as I stated, we had already purchased two different paper save the dates; with our pictures and all.


In the time of a pandemic, and in MY planning stages...ordering paper invites for a date that's not even guaranteed is ridiculous. Website RSVPs isn't that new and it's very popular! It's 2021 and the world is moving onto a new wave!

View Quoted Comment Lol yes I'm with you on that! Thanks Aza; we're definitely skipping them now!

Girl skip them both and save the money. They'll just eventually go in the trash anyways 🤷🏾‍♀️ I'm with just putting it on the website.

View Quoted Comment Lol got it...I will keep that extra money lol thanks honey!

I am sure you are done with all of the tedium, but a ceremony program could turn into your own special keepsake, even if others throw away. I have seen bifold (4-part) programs where in addition to the schedule of songs and readings, a half page is dedicated to list all the persons involved: parents as MOB, MOG, attendants, flower girls, Officiant, etc. We may not always have these people in our lives and a paper document of that day (though you have photos, lived experiences) could be something to frame. They don't have to be fancy either. Microsoft Word and photocopies are legitimate and cost effective.

As for menus, I just did them to add color and tie in my invitation design, but I surely had paper guilt. Best wishes, you are almost there!

View Quoted Comment Hi Michelle I didn't think about it that way; great point! Thanks so much! 👀

View Quoted Comment I also meant to throw in a heart and not the eye emoji 😂😂😂❤

Hmmmmm. Not needed in hindsight AND with our people, they decided to switch up their choices because they forgot what they ordered which caused issues with bringing the food out in time. It all worked out in the end but it wasn't necessary. We thought it looked great with the copper flatware and napkins since they had accents of copper foil on them and it did but NOPE, our folks lost their minds!

My wedding is taking place in September and plan to skip both the menu cards and programs. While they are nice touches, they are mostly left behind by guests.

I loved the idea of the menu cards printed on the table for elegance. However, ours were left behind on the table, which we expected. Ceremony cards is only useful if it's a fan card for outdoor ceremony in hot weather. I made those for my sister wedding and her guests held on to them for fan purposes.

We will be having both menu cards and ceremony programs. However, menu cards are completely optional and can easily be skipped, and ceremony programs can also be skipped unless you're having a religious ceremony.

I'm skipping menus and programs, they kind of seemed like a waste to me especially since I'm having a buffet style dinner.

I did like how tables looked when they're set up with the menus placed on top of the plates, so I am getting these "thank you" cards I think they're sweet and hoping some people will take them home as keepsakes since I'm not planning on doing favors (not sure yet)