Wedding booklet: what to include and texts to start from
Updated 26 October 2026 · Written by Lysela
A wedding booklet is a small booklet left on the tables that tells guests about the day: your story, who is sitting where, the evening's programme, the songs and the toastmaster's rules. In Sweden it is called a festhäfte. Eight to twelve A5 pages are plenty. Below is a page-by-page contents list and ready-made texts to put your own names into: your story, an introduction of a guest and a page of toastmaster rules. Lysela does not make a complete booklet, but the song booklet and the programme can be made in the print studio, and the rest sits on the wedding website.
Try the print studio, no account neededWhat goes in a wedding booklet?
A folded booklet needs a page count that divides by four, so eight or twelve pages work well. Start with this order and drop what you do not need.
| Page | Contents | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Cover | Your names, the date and the place. | Use the same typeface as the invitation so they match. |
| Welcome | A few lines from you to the guests. | Write the way you talk. Four sentences are enough. |
| Our story | How you met and how the proposal happened. | Half a page. There is an example further down. |
| The bridal party | A name, a role and a line about each person. | Ask them what they would like it to say. |
| The guests | A line about each guest or each table. | Check that nobody gets a line that could hurt. |
| Programme | The evening's times in order. | Write the times last, once you know them. |
| Songs and games | Song lyrics with the tune, and short rules for the games. | Include only what will be used during the evening. |
| The toastmaster's page | How the evening runs and what guests are asked to do. | Let the toastmaster read it before it is printed. |
Write the story of the two of you
Keep it to half a page and write it the way you would say it at the dinner table. Three things are enough: where you met, one small moment guests can picture and how the proposal went. Replace whatever is in square brackets.
We met in [year] at [place]. [Name] arrived late and [name] had already decided to be in a bad mood, but [a detail] was enough to turn it around. In [year], [name] asked [name] to marry them, [where and how]. The answer was yes. Today you are sitting around these tables, all of you people who have been there along the way. Thank you for being here. [name] and [name]
Introduce the guests in the booklet
One line per guest or per table
With 30 guests you can write about each one. With more, a line about each table keeps the booklet to a couple of pages.
The same length for everyone
A guest with three lines and one with a single line is noticed. Keep to one or two sentences each.
Ask before you print
Have someone close to you check the lines. A joke that works for you can embarrass the guest.
[Name], [relationship]. Has known [name] since [when] and was the one who [short memory]. Sits at table [number], next to [name].
Table [number], [table name]: the colleagues from [place]. These are the people who have heard everything about [what] for two years and came anyway. The table is [name], [name] and [name].
Programme, songs and games
The programme is a list with a time and an item, one line per item, and it works best on a page of its own so guests can find it. Sizes and paper for the programme are in the guide to the wedding programme and menu.
Songs are set with a title, a tune and the words, and a chorus goes in italics so guests can see when to join in. Which songs to pick, and how to make a booklet just for them, is in the guide to wedding songs. Each game gets a short line of rules and how long it runs. Ideas are in the guide to wedding games.
A page of toastmaster rules
Rules make it easier for the toastmaster to lead the evening, because guests already know what applies. Keep them kind and short. What a toastmaster does during the day is in the toastmaster guide.
How the evening runs Tonight's toastmaster is [name]. If you would like to give a speech, speak to [them] before dinner. Speeches are [five] minutes at most. Toasts and songs begin when the toastmaster asks. Stay seated until everyone has a glass. The games start after the main course. Nobody has to join in. Please take photos. During the speeches the phone stays in your pocket.
How to make the booklet
Gather the texts first
Write everything in one document and leave the layout until last. Then you do not have to move pages around when a text grows.
Page size
A5 is comfortable to hold and sits well beside a plate. Plan one booklet per household.
Printing
At home, double-sided, or as a pdf at a print shop. Ask for a test print and hand in the file well before the wedding.
Keep what changes on the website
Times and contact details can change. Put them on the wedding website, where guests already find them on their phones, and let the booklet carry what is meant to be held.
What Lysela has
Lysela does not make a complete wedding booklet and does not write guest introductions, so you write that part yourselves. The wedding website, which guests open on their phones, has the programme, the bridal party with a photo, name, role and a line about each person, the toastmaster's contact details and the things worth knowing, in every tier. From Plus, you make a song booklet in the print studio: A5 pages with title, tune and words, a cover and a table of contents when the booklet grows. You print the sheets at home or save a pdf for a print shop. The programme also becomes a long card of 99 × 210 mm, with the times from your site. You can try the print studio without an account, but printing needs Plus.
You start without an account and pay once, SEK 795, SEK 1,795 or SEK 4,900 including VAT, and the site stays up for 12 months.
What usually goes on a wedding website, and what one costs, is in the checklist.
Frequently asked questions
What is a wedding booklet?
A small booklet on the tables at the wedding dinner, with the couple's story, the guests, the programme, songs and rules for the evening. It is usually eight to twelve pages.
How many pages should a wedding booklet have?
Eight or twelve A5 pages. A folded booklet needs a page count that divides by four.
Is there a template for a wedding booklet?
The order in the table above works as a template. Replace the texts in square brackets with your own names and memories.
Do you have to have a wedding booklet?
No. Many couples are happy with a programme and a song booklet, and let the wedding website carry the rest.
More to read
- What should a wedding website include? Checklist, timeline and cost
- Wedding menu cards, place cards and signs that match
- Wedding songs: music for the ceremony, the first dance and the party
- Wedding toastmaster: duties, a schedule and tips for the evening
- Wedding order of service: what to include, examples and how to print it