Congratulations on your engagement!
Now that you’re beginning the exciting planning journey, you must familiarize yourself with the extensive terminology used in the wedding industry.
Navigating the various terms and jargon can seem overwhelming, but fear not!
Our comprehensive guide to wedding terminology is here to help you gain confidence and understanding as you start planning your special day.
This detailed guide to essential wedding terminology ensures you feel fully prepared for the exciting journey ahead.
Let’s dive in and decode the world of wedding planning together!
Engagement
Fiancé — The person to whom you are engaged. This can also refer to a man engaged to be married, taken from the French version of this term.
Fiancée — A woman who is engaged to be married.
Engagement Photos—These are used to document the couple’s engagement and are often personalized to showcase the couple’s love story. They are also commonly used to get comfortable working with your wedding photographer.
Wedding Hashtag—Personalized wedding hashtags are used so guests can follow wedding updates and post their photos and well-wishes from the event on social media so the couple can easily find them. Some services will help you generate wedding hashtags.
Wedding Registry — A service offered by a store or organization where a couple lists their gift preferences for their family and friends to use. Couples typically choose 2-4 places to register for wedding gifts. This term can also be listed as Bridal Registry and Gift Registry.
Wedding Website — A personal wedding website is a website engaged couples use to communicate with guests for their wedding. These can range from free services to highly customized designs for a fee. Couples use these to tell their love story, share wedding details, gift registry information, and more.
Wedding Planning Terminology
Wedding Color Palette — This refers to the range of colors you plan to use at your wedding. You may get asked, “What is your color palette?” While you may have a single color in mind, you’ll want a range of colors that work well together. Your wedding planner or primary vendor can help you create this.
Mood Board—Your mood board helps you visually communicate your wedding inspiration and desired style. It can include images with specific colors, textures, and physical items that inspire you. Your planner will often create a mood board with you. However, you can create and use your own in your meetings with your vendor team.
Run Sheet (or Runsheet)—This document lists all the action steps in the wedding planning process, specifically the day-of process. Your planner or primary vendor, such as a day-of coordinator, will want to create this together.
Shot List—This refers to the photos you want the photographer or videographer to capture at your wedding events. Consider what images are most important to you.
Full Planning—This refers to wedding planning and coordination packages for couples who want a full-time professional to oversee every aspect of their wedding planning and wedding day. This includes vendor management, scheduling, marriage licenses, tracking RSVPs, creating the planning timeline, and overseeing the big day.
Partial Planning—This typically involves months of wedding coordination and additional planning services, with a set number of hours dedicated to the client. It can be helpful for couples who want to be very hands-on but need professional coordination as the day approaches.
Wedding Coordinator—While most Wedding Planners offer coordination services, a wedding coordinator maintains contact with vendors and serves as a liaison for the couple. Many coordinators offer month-of, week-of, and day-of services.
Rain Plan—A rain plan is just what it sounds like: a backup plan in case of rain or inclement weather.
Room Flip—This refers to when a room is completely transformed between the stages of a wedding or event. The most common room flip example is having your guests leave the ceremony for a cocktail hour only to return to the same room for the reception. This is done to help economize space and budget and limit the inconvenience of needing multiple locations.
Venue Walkthrough—A venue walkthrough is an appointment to see a potential wedding venue, ask questions, take pictures, and ultimately envision what your event would look like there. All wedding venues encourage couples to schedule a personalized venue walkthrough.
Venue Coordinator—The person at the venue who will book your wedding, help with in-house services such as menu and floral, and ensure the event runs smoothly during your reception.
Vendor Meal—This refers to the additional meals you may need to arrange for the vendors working at the event itself.
In-house—This is the term used when the vendor offers additional services. Most commonly, this is used at venues. They often provide in-house catering or floral arrangement services and, in some cases, event planning.
Golden Hour — This is a photographer’s term referring to a pre-sunset time when the natural light is ideal for taking wedding photos. The event time will play into when your wedding photos should be taken.
Hard-Stop — When your wedding festivities have to be over, guests need to be off the premises.
Wedding Type
Destination Wedding—This refers to a wedding in a different state or country than where the couple lives and often involves the wedding party or guests staying with the couple for a weekend or more in that location.
Elopement—While the term used to indicate running away to get married, it is now most commonly used to indicate a purposefully small or pared-down event. This could range from only the couple attending to a few friends and family.
Intimate Wedding — An intimate wedding typically has fewer than 75 guests. This wedding style is purposefully low-key, though that doesn’t have to mean casual.
Micro Wedding — A micro wedding is a wedding or reception with less than 50 guests. One version of a micro wedding is to combine an elopement with a small reception.
Dress Code
Black Tie—This dress code is for events starting after 6 p.m. and is traditionally the most formal.
Black Tie Optional—This dress code indicates that men do not have to wear a tuxedo, and women can wear anything from full-length gowns to cocktail dresses.
Wedding Attire
Tuxedo—This specifically refers to a man’s dinner jacket, which comes in various styles, from the traditional to the more modern, and in different colors.
Waistcoat — This is the vest typically worn by men over a shirt and under a jacket.
Cumberbund — This is the broad waistband worn instead of a vest, typically in men’s clothes.
Cufflinks—This device fastens the two sides of a shirt cuff together. They also make great wedding gifts for your fiancé.
Appliqué —Appliqué is the ornamental needlework and detailing often seen on wedding dresses. It can range from glitter and beads to extensive lace.
Grosgrain Ribbon—This ribbed fabric is often used in belts, sashes, and floral bouquets.
Wedding Veil—The veil is worn on the head and comes in various styles. You can find them in lace brocade, tulle, organza, silk, and chiffon fabrics, from floor-length cathedral veils to blusher veils that cover the bride’s face.
Silhouette—In the context of weddings, this refers to the shape of various wedding dress styles. Experts most often refer to the different styles by their silhouette names. These include ballgowns, fit-and-flares, mermaids, and more.
Godets — This is the name for the triangular material inserted into a dress to make it flared for a more dramatic or ornamental look.
Wedding Party
Officiant (or Celebrant)—This person officiates at the wedding ceremony. It can be a religious figure, a civil celebrant, or an ordained friend or family member.
Best Man — Considered the principal groomsman. Often the role is filled by the most important person to the groom.
Groomsman — These are members of the groom’s party and officially attend to the groom at a wedding.
Ring Bearer—Traditionally, a young boy carried a ring tied to a pillow down the aisle. The best man keeps the rings with him until the groom needs them. This role is often filled by the couple’s pets or young relatives.
Maid of Honor—This is the title for an unmarried woman who acts as the principal bridesmaid at a wedding. This role is typically filled by the bride’s sister or best friend.
Matron of Honor—Similar to the bridesmaid, this role is given to the married woman acting as the principal bridesmaid. Some brides have a maid and matron of honor, while some opt for one or the other.
Bridesmaids — These are members of the bride’s party and are typically close friends or family members of the bride.
Flower Girl—The flower girl role is traditionally filled by a young girl who walks down the aisle just ahead of the maid of honor after the bridesmaids. She scatters flower petals along the aisle before the bride. This role has changed recently to include grandmothers and male friends or relatives who act as flower attendants.
Attendants—Anyone who plays a role in the wedding, including the best man, bridesmaids, ushers, flower girls, etc. These people are called this because they have roles and responsibilities to “attend” to during the wedding.
Usher — An usher is typically a male relative or friend of the couple who shows guests to their seats for the ceremony and answers general questions.
Guests
Guest List — The list of people invited to your wedding.
Seating Plan (or Chart) — The seating arrangement for your guests during your wedding reception.
Plus One—This is a term referring to your wedding invitation, which allows a guest to bring someone of their choosing.
Welcome Bag—Welcome bags are typically gifts given to out-of-town guests, including family and friends who have come from a distance to attend your wedding. They are usually prepared, delivered to hotel rooms or guesthouses, and filled with convenience items or local delicacies.
Room Block — This refers to blocking off 10+ rooms at a hotel or hotels for out-of-town guests. These often come with a slight discount and are especially helpful for guests to locate a convenient place to stay while they are in town for the wedding.
Design & Details
Save-the-Date —This is sent to guests ahead of the invitation to allow them to save the wedding date on their calendars.
Invitation Suite — An invitation suite refers to all the various pieces that come with a wedding invitation, including the wedding invitation, response card, and information card, and often includes wedding stationery.
Wedding Stationery—This is separate from the wedding invitation, though often part of invitation suites. It is personalized stationery used for thank you cards and more.
Letterpress — This is a vintage-style printing with a deep impression. This is the opposite of embossing, which produces a raised image.
Vellum — Vellum is a type of see-through paper often used in highly stylized wedding invitation suites.
Escort Card—Escort cards direct guests to a table instead of a specific seat. They are considered a less formal choice than place cards.
Place Card — Place cards show guests both a table and the specific seat they have been assigned. Traditionally, this means the reception is a more formal event with a served dinner option.
Wedding Program — Traditionally, this refers to the piece of paper that lists the order of events in your celebration, including who participates in each event phase. This allows guests to know who is doing any readings, the names of your wedding attendants, and more.
Flowers
Boutonniére (or Boutineer) — This is a single flower or small bud that is worn, typically by a man, in the buttonhole of his lapel.
Corsage—A small bouquet is typically worn by a woman on her dress or around her wrist. At weddings, these are often worn by the mothers of the bride and groom, grandmothers, and other females who play a prominent role in the day’s events.
Bouquet—This often refers to the bridal bouquet, which is the flower arrangement carried by the bride as she walks down the aisle. The maid of honor holds this for her during the ceremony and returns it for the recessional.
Nosegay —This refers to a small bunch of flowers, often particularly sweetly scented. Other terms for this type of bouquet are posy and tussie-mussie.
Garland—This is a band or chain of flowers, leaves, or other types of foliage. It can also refer to wreaths worn on the head, but typically, it refers to the festive florals draped in loops throughout the event space or as runners on tables.
Pomander—A pomander is typically a decorative ball of flowers used in wedding decor.
Flower Wall — This can be an entire wall of florals or can refer to single flowers or garlands draped in single strands as a backdrop.
Cake
Buttercream — This is a popular icing for wedding cakes. The most common types of buttercream are American, Swiss Meringue, and Italian Meringue.
Fondant —Fondant is associated with more luxurious cakes and is often used to sculpt or decorate cakes. It has a unique consistency and is a popular alternative to buttercream.
Ganache —This is another popular way to “ice” a cake and is also a cake filling. It is a mixture of chocolate and cream and has a firm consistency.
Royal Icing—Royal Icing is a mixture of powdered sugar, water, and meringue powder. It is most often used to hold decorations together and in piping.
Naked Cake — This is easily identifiable because it has minimal or no outer layer of frosting to show off the cake’s texture and filling. This trend has been around for a while and has only gained popularity.
Cutting Cake—This is the cake that gets cut in the traditional ceremony for the photo opportunity, but it is not typically enough to serve all the guests at the wedding. It is also a more expensive cake.
Sheet cake—This is a less expensive option and is slightly different from a traditional cutting cake. It is often cut in the kitchen and served to guests as single slices.
Decor
Centerpiece — These are decorative pieces for display in the middle of a dining or serving table.
Tablescape — This is a term for the artistic arrangement of decor and flowers on any given table.
Charger — This is a large decorative base setting on which the dinnerware is placed during formal dinners.
Place Setting — This is a complete set of dishes and cutlery provided for a single guest at the reception — or during a meal.
Candelabra—This is a large, branched candle holder that can be placed on tabletops. Large candelabras can also be used for altar decorations and other purposes.
Taper Candle—A taper candle narrows slightly from a broader base to a “tapered” top. It fits most standard candle holders and has a traditional burn time of one hour per inch.
Tealight Candle — These are tiny candles in a thin metal or sometimes plastic cup. They are an inexpensive and attractive candle option.
Gobos Lighting — Gobo stands for go-between optics. Gobos lighting comes from a stenciled circular disc used inside a lighting fixture. These can be customized with patterns, initials, names, and more.
Pre-Wedding Events
Engagement Party — An event hosted by the friends or family of a couple to celebrate their engagement.
Bachelor and Bachelorette Party—These are the groom’s (bachelor) and bride’s (bachelorette) celebrations with their wedding party. They can also include a wider group of friends and be an entire getaway rather than a single-night party. They do not have to be scheduled on the same night and don’t have to take place the night before the wedding.
Rehearsal Dinner—This includes the wedding party and some extended family or close friends and takes place after the wedding rehearsal the day before the ceremony. It can also be a Rehearsal Brunch or anything else your specific schedule requires.
Getting Ready
First Look—A first look is when the bride and groom have a private moment to see each other before the ceremony. The photographer and videographer often capture this on film.
First Touch—Some couples prefer not to see each other before the ceremony but would love to have a private moment alone. A first touch is when a wall or door separates the couple and holds hands for a moment.
Ceremony
Prelude — This is the music played while guests are seated for the ceremony. It can be whatever the couple prefers.
Wedding Processional — This refers to the wedding party walking down the aisle. This includes the officiant, parents, bridesmaids, flower girl, ring bearer, bride, and groom.
Vows — Vows are the promises partners make to each other during the wedding ceremony. Many couples opt to write their vows either in addition to or instead of the traditional options. Vow types vary greatly depending on the couple’s culture and/or religious background.
Recessional — This is when the wedding party exits after the ceremony.
Celebration: Food & Drink
Cocktail Hour—The hour after the ceremony and before the reception, guests mingle and are served drinks and food, such as hors d’oeuvres. This doesn’t always have to be an hour.
Corkage Fee—This is the fee charged per bottle when you provide your wine or alcohol. When negotiating your contract, it would help to speak with your caterer about their corkage fee policy.
Open Bar — The host pays for the drinks at an open bar option.
Signature Cocktail — This can be one drink or, in some cases, two drinks from the bride and groom served as a particular treat for the event. Couples often pull from their love story, family history, and more to create a special drink for their wedding day.
Feasting Style—This catering style usually features various food options that guests can serve themselves. It focuses on beauty and delightful tastes. In some cases, this looks like a luxurious charcuterie set-up.
Plated Sit-Down Dinner—This catering style is usually predetermined, with options listed on the reply card of the wedding invitation. The wait staff serves guests their meals.
Canape — A small piece of bread or pastry with a savory topping served with drinks.
Crudite — These are traditional French appetizers featuring sliced or whole raw vegetables with dipping sauces.
Celebration: Reception Details
Grand Entrance — This is when the newlyweds are introduced at the reception.
Head Table—This is the principal table where the wedding party traditionally sits at the reception. In some cases, the newlyweds sit with the group at the head table, while in other cases, they have their private sweetheart table.
Sweetheart Table — A private table set up just for the newlywed couple.
Send-Off — This is when the couple officially exits the reception. Traditionally, this is where the couple leaves for their honeymoon, but many modern couples opt for a different timeline. The send-off is where the couple walks through the guests lined up to cheer them out. Guests can cheer with bubbles, streamers, flowers, flags, and more. Many people also make their exit to fireworks.
Wedding Planning Terminology
These are just some of the most common wedding planning terms you need to know.
Here are a few quick recommendations for learning the rest of what you need to know.
Get comfortable asking questions:
It’s essential to feel at ease when asking questions.
Whether you’re negotiating, discussing pricing, or seeking to understand the distinction between family and feasting styles, don’t hesitate to ask vendors for explanations.
If something isn’t clear, there’s no need to feel embarrassed about seeking clarification.
Vendors are generally happy to provide further details.
Do your research:
Conduct thorough research. Our blog offers plenty of helpful guides for newly engaged individuals like you, and numerous valuable resources are available online.
While you should seek guidance from your vendors, staying informed and up-to-date with the latest information is essential.
Don’t assume anything:
Be cautious about making assumptions.
It’s tempting to think that you and a vendor share the same understanding, but avoiding assumptions is best.
Please don’t presume that something is covered in the contract simply because it appears to be the other way around.
Happy Wedding Planning
Get ready for an exciting wedding planning journey!
Armed with all this wedding terminology, it’s time to start using your knowledge.
