Common Wedding Terminology
Logistical Wedding Terminology
Full Planning: This describes wedding planning and coordination packages tailored for couples seeking a full-time professional to manage every detail of their wedding journey. Services encompass vendor coordination, scheduling, marriage license handling, RSVP tracking, timeline creation, overseeing the wedding day, and more.
Hard Stop: The time when all events must end and guests must be off the venue’s premises.
In-House – Services offered by a venue’s own vendors, such as in-house floral arrangements or in-house catering. Ask us about our in-house lighting options!
Rain Plan: Your plan for moving an outdoor event if rain is to disrupt the event. (We highly recommend an indoor venue for this very reason!)
Room Block: The act of holding several hotel rooms for out-of-town guests, usually at a bundled or discounted rate.
Runsheet / Run of Show / Cue to Cue / Detailed Timeline: A minute-by-minute outline of the day-of process, usually created with your planner or day-of coordinator.
Unplugged Ceremony: This means that your ceremony should be technology-free, without phones or cameras. This clears the aisles for professional photos, so make sure to indicate the ceremony is unplugged with a sign or announcement.
Venue Staff: The venue worker who will be onsite to help the event run smoothly from the perspective of the property and make sure folks follow the rules. This is not the same as a planner or coordinator.
Venue Walkthrough: An appointment to walk through a venue, ask any questions, and determine whether it works for your wedding.
Wedsite: A fun term used for the wedding website, often paired with a wedding hashtag. Used for wedding info and updates.
Music Wedding Terminology
Prelude: The music that plays as people are being seated for the ceremony. Usually very soft and gentle music that starts about 30 minutes before the ceremony invitation time.
Processional: The music that plays when the walking party walks down the aisle.
Recessional: The more upbeat music that plays after the ceremony as the couple leaves back down the aisle.
Wedding Attire Terminology
Appliqué: Decorative needlework done on dresses with beads, glitter, lace, etc., used to add artwork to a wedding gown.
Black Tie: The most formal dress code there is. Typically consisting of tuxedos and full-length gowns and associated with a very formal wedding (multi-course plated meal with wine pairings, evening reception, hosted transportation, and a band).
Black Tie Optional: A dress code like black tie but less strict. Still formal, but it allows for non-tuxedo suits and cocktail dresses, allowing for more personality to shine through.
Bridal Dresser: A professional who helps a bride get dressed on her wedding day, assisting with any complicated outfit problems or last-minute alterations or touchups.
Bustle: A form of gathering and securing the long train of a dress with hooks, loops, or pins so the wearer can be more active (and dance!).
Convertible Dress: A dress that can be easily converted in a way that allows for freer movement, making quick changes for different events much easier. Usually has a detachable skirt, adjustable sleeves, etc.
Cufflinks: Decorative device for fastening the sides of a shirt cuff together.
Cummerbund: Broad waistband worn in place of a vest on a suit.
Godets: A triangular piece of fabric inserted into a skirt to make it appear more flared and dramatic.
Makeup Trial; The session where one tries on several different makeup looks with a professional makeup artist to find, tweak, and re-work what the final wedding look will be.
Sample Sale: A clearing-out event that some wedding dress stores and boutiques will have when they need to clear out some inventory space. Perfect for a budget-conscious dress shopper.
Trunk Show: A show where the designer shows off their latest line of work, often at a discounted rate. A bit pricier than a sample sale, but also a great opportunity to see pieces that stores will not sell.
Wedding Terminology – Details
Escort Card: If you’re having a seating arrangement where people are assigned to tables but not specific seats, escort cards tell each person their assigned table.
Flatlay: A photo shot from above. In wedding terminology, it usually refers to a photo of a well-crafted piece of decor, such as stationery or a floral arrangement.
Guest Books: A large book that guests can sign and write messages to the newlyweds, as a keepsake for the newly married couple.
Invitation Suite – A term referring to the set of all the various pieces of an invitation, such as the invitation itself, the response card, the stationery, etc.
Letterpress: One of the most popular printing techniques for wedding invitations, made by inking text onto a raised plate, like a stamp, and pressing down into the stationery to give the text a deep impression in the stationery.
Micro Wedding: A very small wedding, usually with 50 guests or less, made popular during the pandemic. Different from a minimony in that it doesn’t plan for a bigger wedding at a later date.
Place Card: The more formal alternative to escort cards, place cards are located at the table and tell guests the specific seat they are provided with rather than just their table.
Vellum: A translucent type of paper used in many stylized wedding invitations.
Wedding Event Terminology
Ceremony: The actual ceremony where the couple exchanges vows and is wed.
Reception: The time after the ceremony and cocktail hour where dinner is served, speeches are given, and often there’s dancing.
First Look: This is the moment some couples choose to have where they see each other in their wedding attire for the first time before the ceremony. This moment is usually captured by the wedding photographer or videographer and may include private vows, exchanges of gifts, or additional family photos.
First Touch: An alternative to the first look, the first touch is when the couple is separated by a door and holds hands for a moment before the ceremony but does not see each other.
Send-Off (Or Exit): This is when the couple leaves the reception, essentially signifying the end of the reception. The guests will often line up and cheer them on with bubbles, flowers, or other party favors. Traditionally, the couple leaves for the honeymoon, but modern couples often opt for a different timeline.