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How to Make Elegant Classic Wedding Fan Programs

Learn how to make these elegant classic wedding fan programs. Easy to follow steps to DIY your way to the perfect ceremony program for all of your guests.

Let me start with a little back story for you today!

I got into making paper crafts years & years ago when my sister Trisha was getting married.

She was looking for ways to make her day special and being the awesome big sister that I am…I made her wedding programs, table seating cards, favor tags, and menus for her big day. 

Yup, it was a lot but I’m super nice like that!

And besides she’s my baby sister.

After her wedding, I started to make paper crafts for family and friends for weddings, baby showers, parties, etc. 

Looking back now…honestly, some of the items I made weren’t all that great in the beginning…sorry Trisha.

But I got better with each event…or at least I like to think I did. 

So, that brings us to today’s project!

When my step-sister, Chrisi, got married recently she asked if I could make some paper crafts for her wedding.

She wanted me to create table numbers, programs, favor tags and a wedding seating chart.

OMG…you have to check out the beautiful wedding seating chart I made for her reception.

It wasn’t my inspiration because she found something she liked on Pinterest and sent me some of her ideas.

But I’m pretty sure I knocked it out of the park with that project!

It turned out sooo good…if I do say so myself!

It really turned out so good!

Don’t take my word for it…go look here!

Ok, enough of the back story…let’s get to today’s tutorial of how I made these simple and classic wedding fan programs.

Why Do You Need a Fan Wedding Program?

fan programs in wicker basket outdoors

Gah…aren’t these gorgeous?!

Traditional wedding programs guide guests through the ceremony and can include a variety of information.

Wedding party names, ceremony details, messages to the guests are all some of the items you can include on your wedding program.

My sister’s wedding was in September…in Florida…so it was HOT!

Creating fan wedding programs was a perfect idea for her ceremony to keep guests cool on a warm summer afternoon.

What Supplies Will I Need?

supply's on wood table to make fan wedding programs

Just a few basic supplies you can find at your local craft store or even online is all that you need to make these fan programs.

I’ve even created a template for you to use when making your own wedding programs.

Yay…so simple!!

Just click the link below to head to our VIP printable library.

Once you sign up you will have access to all of our printables and believe me there are so many great downloads you won’t want to miss out on!

Supply List to Make DIY Fan Wedding Program

Access all our free printables by subscribing and becoming a Simply2Moms VIP! Click the button below and a link to the Printable Library will be delivered to your inbox!

Now that you have your programs all printed out and all your supplies ready just follow these simple steps to make your wedding fan programs…

This post includes some affiliate links which means we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. You can read our full disclosure policy here.

Step 1: Print Wedding Programs

completed DIY wedding ceremony fan program on wood floor beside small initial round box

I created the wedding program design using Microsoft Word on my laptop.

Then printed them out on my regular home printer. 

But you could also have them printed at a local print/copy shop if you have a large quantity.

I printing the programs on white card stock so that the paper was thick and sturdy to assemble as a fan later.

We went with a simple classic but elegant look using a combination of plain & script fonts.

The fonts used are Great Vibes & Josefin if you’d like to use the same ones when creating your own wedding programs.

After all the wedding programs are printed gather all your supplies I listed above and find a clean space to work.

Step 2: Fold Printed Card Stock

folding 8.5"x11.5" printed program with scoring tool

Once the programs were printed I used my paper scoring board to mark and score the center of the program with the score tool.

This board makes an indented straight line down the card stock to help you create a perfect fold.

I love this tool…it’s helped make so many papercraft projects more simple.

My kids make their own birthday cards for friends and family…so it’s easy to make a perfect fold every time with this board.

Step 3: Use Paper Punch to Round Corners

punching corners of fan program to create rounded corners

After folding all the programs, I used a corner paper punch on all four corners of the folded card stock to create a soft rounded edge. 

There are lots of options for corner paper punches if you’d prefer a fancier corner on your programs.

We were going with a classic look so the round corner was perfect!

Step 4: Adhere Fan Handle

securing wood fan handle to paper program with double stick tape

Adding the wavy fan handle was another easy step. 

I just used double-sided tape to attach the handle to the inside of the program and then adhere both sides of the folded program together. 

Trust me…you do not want to use anything other than permanent double-sided tape for this project!

Glue may leak through the cardstock and leave stains on your program. 

Want to ask me how I know? 

Funny story…well not really funny at all!

I made fan programs out of Kraft cardstock for a friend’s wedding and thought the glue worked great…until I went to show the bride the fans the night before the wedding. 

Uh-oh!!!

The programs had marks that looked like grease stains all over the ALL 50 fans.

Yup…every single program was ruined! 

Guess who was up late making new programs?

Yours truly!

So please…don’t make the same mistake I did and just use tape when assembling your fan wedding programs.

Step 5: Finish the Wedding Programs with Pretty Ribbon

wedding ceremony fan program on chair seat outside

Adding ribbon to the handle was the perfect finishing touch for these easy DIY wedding fan programs. 

I used sheer organza ribbon in both silver and gold to complement the wedding colors.

These programs could be used for any special event…not just weddings. 

If you have any questions or suggestions, contact me or leave a comment!

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Pin it to remember it:

Pinterest graphic how to make elegant classic wedding fan programs

Justyne

Friday 17th of November 2023

Thank you for this tutorial! These will be perfect for our destination wedding in Mexico :)

AnnMarie

Friday 17th of November 2023

Aww that's amazing! Glad to be able to help. Congratulations!

Penny@realizinghome

Sunday 2nd of July 2023

Thanks for the idea and all your helpful tips! I created my own design and had them printed and scored for us at the print shop. I'd recommend asking for lightweight cardstock because our medium weight cardstock was hard to fold flat and round corners.

Anne

Wednesday 5th of July 2023

So glad you were able to make these for your upcoming event!

Adrienne

Tuesday 12th of July 2022

What size corner puncher did you use?

AnnMarie

Tuesday 12th of July 2022

Hey there! Here is the link for the corner punch I used to make the wedding fan programs: https://amzn.to/3AKbsZu It's also linked in the blog post. Thanks for reading our blog! :)

Julia

Saturday 4th of June 2022

I clicked the link but did not receive an email with a code to access the library? Please send to [email protected]

Thank you!

Julia

AnnMarie

Monday 6th of June 2022

Thanks so much for checking out our post about creating a pretty wedding fan program! We are so happy to share our template with you. We’ve set up the template so that you create your own copy of the template in your Google docs. This allows you to edit it and customize it for your event without changing our original template.

Here’s the link to make your own copy: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1W2z-DkoqX7nNu3kqkHxWQArgEWbKnzmHPT5pfcXlfcI/copy

You’ll be prompted to create a copy when it opens and then you can edit it with all your details! We would love to see your finished project! Please feel free to email us a picture and let us know if you have any questions.

Mary

Friday 24th of July 2020

HI! I am wondering if I missed the template for the actual making the words in the word document. Did I miss it? Lots going on so I may have! I need it as this looks wonderful! Please let me know! Thanks so much for this wonderful tutorial!

Anne

Saturday 25th of July 2020

Hi Mary! I'm so glad you liked these programs! We don't have an actual template. Just format your Word document so that it's in landscape with 1/2-inch margins. Then do two columns with a 1-inch margin between them. Hope that helps! If you have any other questions, let us know.