The A-Z of Wedding Terminology - Brides

When planning a wedding, you'll learn that there are wedding words and terms you'll need to know. Master the wedding lingo with our master ... FACEBOOK PINTEREST EMAILSHARE WeddingIdeas&Advice Etiquette TheA-ZofWeddingTerminology By AnnaPriceOlson AnnaPriceOlson Instagram LinkedIn AnnaPriceistheassociateeditorialdirectoratBrides.Sheoverseesthebrand'strendingcontentandsocialoperations. Brides'sEditorialGuidelines Updatedon10/24/21 Factcheckedby CherisseHarris Factcheckedby CherisseHarris CherisseHarrisisafact-checkerwithafocusonlifestyle,beauty,andparenting. She'sworkedinresearchfornearlytwodecades. Brides'sEditorialGuidelines FACEBOOK PINTEREST EMAILSHARE PhotobyRyanRayPhotography  Haveyoueversatdownwithoneofyourweddingvendorsandwonderedwhatintheworldtheyweretalkingabout?Weddingscomewiththeirownlanguage,withphrasesyou’veneverheardbeforeandwordsthathaveanentirelynewmeaning.Tohelpyounavigatethoseconversationsandsoundlikeapro,we’veputtogethertheAtoZofweddingterminology.Inthisglossary,you'llfindwordsandphrasesyou'resuretoheartimeandagainfromnowuntilyousay“Ido." Readupnowforaquicktutorial—andthensharethislistwithyourpartnerforfurtherstudying! 01 of68 Altar PhotobyDanielleDeFiore Thistermspeciallyreferstothestructureortableatthefrontofahouseofworship,but,whenitcomestoyourweddingday,ittakesonamoregeneralmeaning.Intheweddingworld,thealtaristhephysicalspotwhereyouandyourS.O.willexchangevows,whethertheceremonyisreligiousorotherwise.Ifyou'recreatinganaltarfromscratch,exploresomeuniqueideas. 02 of68 Appliqué  PhotobySergioSandona  You’llhearthistermalotonceyoustartdressshopping.Appliquésarepiecesoflaceorotherfabricthataresewnontoabasefabric,creatingatexturedandoften3Deffect.Howfunisthehidden"LoveYou"phraseonDanielleSnyder'sReemAcragown?! 03 of68 BlackTie  PhotobyCorbinGurkin Ablacktiedresscodewillalwaysbeindicatedontheweddinginvite.Suchaformalaffairtypicallytakesplaceafter6p.m.,andmenshouldbedressedinatuxedo.Womenarewelcometoweareitheraformalcocktaildressorlongeveninggownfortheoccasion. 04 of68 BlackTieOptional  PhotobyAshleySawtelle Here,thedresscodeindicatesthatsomethingslightlymorecasualthanblacktiewilldo.Womencanstilloptforlongorshortgownsandmenhavetheoptionofwearingasuit(butatuxisstillverymuchappropriate!). 05 of68 Bouquet  PhotobyNorman+Blake  ThesearethebundlesofflowersyouandyourweddingVIPswillcarrydowntheaisle.Bouquetscanrangeinsize—frompetitenosegaystolushandorganicshapes—andstyle,sothisisagreatplacetoshowyourpersonality. 06 of68 Boutonniere PhotobyKateHeadley   Mentraditionallywearboutonnieres(placedontheirleftlapel,overtheirheart).Youmightoptforaboutonniere-stylefloralasanalternativetoacorsageforlovedoneslikeyourgrandmother,aswell. 07 of68 Bustle PhotobyPatriciaLyonsPhotography  Everwonderhow,exactly,you’llwalkanddanceinyourweddingdressoncetheceremonyisover?Enterthebustle.Thistailoringtrickfeaturesloops,buttons,orribbonsusedtopullupandtuckthetrainofadresstomakemovingeasier.AFrenchbustleattachesontheundersideofthefabric,tuckingitundersomostofthetrainishidden.AnAmericanbustle,ontheotherhand,attachesontheoutsideoftheskirt,pullingfabricuptowardthewaisttocreateaprettyandvisibledrape. Astylistcandeterminewhatwillworkbestforyourdressatyourfinaldressfitting. 08 of68 Canape  Photoby MeliaLucida Acanapeistypicallyacrackerorpuffpastrytoppedwithsomethingsavory,butthetermcanbeusedinterchangeableforsmallbites,horsd'oeuvres,andappsservedbeforedinner.Nomatterwhatyoudecidetoserveduringcocktailhour,wesuggestyoutakealessonfromthetruecanapeandmakeeachdishbite-size. 09 of68 Candle  PhotobyChris&RuthPhotography It'stimetoreaduponyourcandlevocabularyastherearemanyoptionsavailable.Tostart,therearevotivecandles,whicharepetitestylesthatareaboutaninch-and-halftall.They'relowandsubtleandoftenscatteredaroundcenterpieces.Then,therearetapercandles,whichareskinnycandlesticksthatstandtallontabletops.Theycanbeplacedinacandelabraorindividualcandleholders(madeofmarble,lucite,metal,younameit).Finally,therearepillarcandles,whichareshownhere.Thesestandontheirown(meaningtheydon'thavetobepairedwithanykindofholderorbase)andcandisplayedontabletopsaswellasinsidelanterns. 10 of68 Celebrant  PhotobyLaurkenKendall Whetherthey’reamemberoftheclergy,ajudge,oryourbestfriendwhogotordainedonline,acelebrantisthepersonwhowillofficiateyourceremonyandhasthepowertopronounceyou“married.”  11 of68 Centerpiece PhotobyJoelSerrato Floralarrangementsonreceptiontablesarecalledcenterpieces.Unsurprisingly,theyfillthe"center"ofthetable,andsetthetoneofthenight'sdecor.Whilevesselsandvasesaretypicalfilledwithblooms,theydon'thavetobe.Weloveseeingcouplesexperimentwithfruit,greenery—orevenjustcandlelight! 12 of68 Charger  PhotobyRebeccaYalePhotography No,it’snotforyourphone!Inweddingcontext,achargerisalargerplatethatisusedasthebaseofaplacesetting,essentiallytakingtheplaceofaplacemat.Platedcoursesareplacedontopofthecharger,whichcanalsoberemovedbeforetheservingofthemaincourseifyouprefer. 13 of68 Chuppah  PhotobyNatalieWatsonPhotography Jewishweddingceremoniesareperformedbeneathachuppah.Thisstructureconsistsofaclothcanopyandfourpoles.Thefoursidesareleftopentorepresenthospitalitytoweddingguests. 14 of68 CocktailHour PhotobyLacieHansenPhotography  Cocktailhourisachancetomix,mingle,sip,andsnackbeforesittingdownfordinner.Itusuallyoccursaftertheceremony,actingasatransitionfromamoreseriousandemotionalmomenttothepartytocome.Agreatcocktailhourneedsthreethings:refreshingdrinks(asignaturecocktail,smallselectionofwineandbeer,orafullopenbar),flavorfulfood(thinksmallbitesandgrazingstations),andentertainingmusic.Lookingtoshakethingsup?Havecocktailhourbeforeyourceremonysoeveryonecantoastyourvowswiththeirfavoritedrink! 15 of68 Corsage  PhotobyLaurenandAbbyRoss Youprobablysawtheseatyourhighschoolprom,andyou’llseethemagainatyourwedding.Corsagesaremostoftengiventomothersandgrandmothers,andarebasicallypetitefloralaccessorieswornonthewrist.Foramoderntake,swapouttheelasticforametalcuffwithflowersattached. 16 of68 Day-OfCoordinator  PhotobyDavieWhitenerPhotography Ifafull-serviceweddingplannerisn’tinyourbudget,wehighlyrecommendinvestinginaDOC,orday-ofcoordinator,ifyourvenuedoesn’tprovideone.Thisprowilltakeovertheproductionsideofyourweddingday,overseeingset-upandmakingsurethetimelinerunssmoothlysoyoucanfocusonbeingthebrideandyourlovedonescancelebrateinsteadofstressingoverwhetherthey’veaccuratelybroughtyourvisiontolife. Picturedhere:PlannerNeillieButlerhelpsabridegetreadyforherweddinginMobile,Alabama. 17 of68 DestinationWedding  PhotobyErichMcVey Getoutoftown!Destinationweddingsareafantasticwaytoshareaplaceyoulovewithyourfavoritepeople.Sowhatqualifiesasadestination?Reallyanylocationwhereyouandyourguestswillwanttobookahotelroominsteadofdrivinghomeattheendofthenight.Soitmightrequirealongflight,oritcouldbejustanhourortwoaway.Eitherway,adestinationweddingcreatesanintimateandpersonalexperiencethatyoureallygettosharewithyourguests. Picturedhere,you'llfindanewfavoritehotspot:Sintra,Portugal. 18 of68 EngagementPhotos  PhotobyMelissaMarshall Considerthisadressrehearsal.Engagementphotoshavebecomemoreandmorecommon,andarenowoftenincludedinpackagesofferedbyweddingphotographers.It’sanopportunitytogetmorecomfortableinfrontofthecamera,gettoknowyourphotographer(soyou’reallfriendlybythetimeyourweddingdayarrives!),andcomeawaywithafewgorgeousphotostouseinyoursavethedatesorweddingwebsite. 19 of68 EscortCard  PhotobyLacieHansen Escortcardsandplacecards(coveredbelow!)arethetwomost-confusedpiecesofweddingterminology.Escortcardsaredisplayedattheentrancetothereceptionarea,ultimatelydirectingeachguesttotheirassigneddinnertable. 20 of68 EscortCardDisplay  PhotobyAmyandStuartPhotography Ratherthanhaveindividualcards,somecoupleschoosetodirectguestswithasinglestatementsign.Inthiscase,tableassignmentsarenotedonalargersignordisplaywithguestnamesarrangedeitherbytableorinalphabeticalorder. 21 of68 Favor PhotobyJessicaBlex Thankyourguestswithatake-hometreatattheendofthenight.Thesegiftscanbewhateveryoulike,fromcharitablegiftsinaguest'shonortochocolatetrufflesinpersonalizedboxes(asshownhere).We'velearnedthatguestsappreciatesomethingtomunchonafterhoursofdancing. 22 of68 FirstLook  PhotobyWildHeartVisuals Can’timaginenotseeingyourS.O.beforeyouwalkdowntheaisle?Afirstlookmightbeforyou.Thismoment,whichhappensbeforetheceremony,isachanceforyoutorevealyourbig-daylooksandspendtimetogetherbeforeyou’resurroundedbyfamilyandfriends.It’salsoagreatwaytosqueezeinsomephotosbeforetheceremony—freeingyouupforcocktailhourlater! 23 of68 FlowerWall  PhotobyHarwellPhotography Ifyou’relookingtomakeamajorstatement,aflowerwallisagoodplacetostart.Thesedramaticinstallationsoffloralsandgreeneryareexactlywhattheysoundlike:Wallsofflowers!Aflowerwallmakesforastunningceremonybackdrop,acreativewaytodisplayescortcards,agorgeousphotobooth,oraneye-catchingbackdropfortheband.  24 of68 Fondant  PhotobyAlexBramall Thissugarydoughisusedtogivecakesasmoothandsleekexterior,whetherit’sthefinishedlookoracanvasforhand-painteddetailsoracascadeofflowers.Fondantcanbedyed,marbled,molded,andsculptedtotakeyourweddingcaketothenextlevel.Fondantisedible,howevermanyprefertoremoveitbeforeservingslicestoguestsasitcanbeverysweetandalittlegummy. 25 of68 Garland PhotobyEmmyLowe Garlandsarestrandsofgreeneryandflowersthatcanbeusedtodressupjustaboutanysurfaceatyourwedding.Weavethemamongstcandlesonyourreceptiontables,drapethemacrossthefrontofthebar,stringthemfromchandeliers,andmore. 26 of68 GoboLighting  PhotobyNorman+Blake Ifyou’reworkingwithalightingdesignerforyourreception,youmayheartalkofgobos.Thesestencilsareplacedonthefrontoflightstocreatepatternsthatcanbeprojectedonthefloororthewalltoadddepthandtexture.Shinealeaforfloralpatternonthewallsandceilingofyourtentforanevenmoreimmersivefeel,orhaveyourlightingdesignercreateacustomgobowithyourmonogramtoshineonthedancefloor. 27 of68 GoldenHour PhotobyKadeemJohnsonandDarEsSalaamRiser Photographersoftenrefertothetimejustbeforesunsetas"goldenhour."Duringthistime,thelightissoftandperfectforpost-ceremonyportraits. 28 of68 In-HouseCatering PhotobyErichMcVey ThismeanstheF&Bishandledbyyourvenueandnotanoutsidevendor.Anin-houseteamhasthehomecourtadvantage,meaningtheyknowthevenueandhowtooperateinthespace.Somevendorsrequireyoutoworkwiththeirteam,soaskaboutthisatyourfirstsitevisit. 29 of68 HeadTable PhotobyNicoleLeeverPhotography Sweethearttableswillnevergooutofstyle,butheadtablesareheretostay.ThislargerVIPtableiswherethenewlywedssit,surroundedbyeithertheirweddingpartyortheirfamilies.Theheadtableiscentrallylocated—oftenrightnexttothedancefloorforoptimaltoastviewing!—andoftenfeaturesmoreelaboratedecorationsthantheotherreceptiontables. 30 of68 Installation  PhotobyNorman+Blake Ifyou’vebeenwowedbyphotosoffloralchandeliers,flowerwalls,orothertoweringarrangements,thethingthat’scatchingyoureyeiscalledaninstallation.Thesestatement-makingdesignsmayrequirealittlemoretimeandtechniquetoputtogether,buttheendresultistotallypriceless.Ifyouwanttomakeastatementwithoutblowingyourbudget,considerasingledramaticinstallationoverthedancefloorandmoresimplecenterpieces.  31 of68 InvitationSuite  Photoby DavyWhitener Photography Theinvitationsuiteincludeseverythingyouneedtoknowtotellgueststhewho,what,where,andwhenofyourwedding.Asuitetypicallyincludesasavethedate,invitation,andRSVPcard,andmayalsofeatureanadditionalinformationcard(callingoutthingslikeyourweddingwebsiteURLortravelinformation),amap,oraweekenditinerary.Furtheradd-onsincludecoordinatingmenus,programs,escortcards,andplacecards. 32 of68 Ketubah PhotobyJamesxSchulze ThisistheJewishweddingcontract,usedtoformalizevowsandcelebratetheircommitments. Newlywedssigntheketubahfollowingtheirvows.Manymoderncoupleschoosetoturntoartiststoincorporatetheircontractsintopermanentpiecesofart. 33 of68 JusticeofthePeace PhotobyDaciaPiersonofEagerHeartsPhotography Ajusticeofthepeaceisajudge—oftenofamorelocaljurisdiction—who,inadditiontooverseeingandkeepingthepeaceincourt,isabletoperformcivilmarriages.Thisofficialisasecularalternativetohavingyourceremonyperformedbyareligiousleaderoralovedonewhoisordainedjustfortheoccasion.Ajusticeofthepeacemayperformtheceremonyinacourthousesetting,whilesomearealsoavailabletoperformweddingsatyourvenue. 34 of68 Kickback PhotobyJennEmerlingWeddings Whenyou’rediscussingcontractswithvendors,itisimportanttoaskaboutanykickbackstheymightbereceivingforrecommendingothervendorsintheirnetwork.Kickbacks—alsocalledreferralcommissions—areasumofmoneyavendorreceivesinreturnforgettingaclienttohireanothervendor.Forexample,aplannermightreceiveakickbackfromafloristifyouhirethembasedontheplanner’srecommendation.Thereisnothingwrongwithvendorshavinganetworkofothervendorstheyloveandhighlyrecommend.(Infact,you’llbeingreathandsifyourvendorsworkwelltogether!)However,you’llwanttoensurethatyou’renotpayingapremiumtocoveracommissionthat’sbeingpaidasincentiveforarecommendation.It’sagoodideatoaskyourvendorsaboutkickbacksbeforeyousignacontract,aspartofyourconversationaboutpricingandfees.  35 of68 Letterpress PhotobyAnnaShackleford  Oneofthemostpopularstylesofprintingusedonweddinginvitations,letterpressprintingoccurswhenaplatewithraisedtext(thinkarubberstamp)isinked,andthenpressedintopaper.Letterpressdoesn’tusuallyproduceanoticeablerelieftexture—askyourstationeraboutembossinganddebossingifyouwantmoreofa3Deffect—howeverwhenappliedtothickerpapers,letterpresscanproduceasubtletexturewheninkisappliedandtheplateispressedintothepaper. 36 of68 MOH  PhotobyErichMcVey MOHstandsforMaidorMatronofHonor.Thiswoman(maidisunmarriedandmatronismarried)istheonetostanddirectlybythebride’ssideontheweddingday,andisusuallyasisterorclosefriend—thoughyourmomorgrandmacouldabsolutelybeMOH,too!Themaidofhonorisoftenresponsibleforplanningthebacheloretteparty,andmayalsoplayaroleinthebridalshower.Comeweddingday,shemaywearadressthatisslightlydifferentfromtheotherbridesmaids,ormaycarryadistinctbouquetsoshestandsoutfromthecrowd. 37 of68 MoodBoard  Photoby VerryRobin&Co. AmoodboardistheO.G.Pinterestboard,acollectionofcolors,swatches,andimagesgatheredtoinspireandguideyouasyouworkonyourweddingdesign.Youandyourplannerorfloristmightworkonamoodboardtohelpnarrowdownandsolidifyyourvision—it’sagreattooltokeepyourdesignontrackandhelpyoufigureoutwhichdetailsandcolorsworkbesttogether. 38 of68 OpenBar  PhotobyErichMcVey Likeatotherpartiesandreceptions,anopenbarmeansyouhavewine,beer,andafullbarofliquortoofferguests.Thisoptionisthemostexpensivewaytoserveliquoratyourwedding,sofeelfreetogetcreativeifit'snotinyourbudget.You'llwanttoreadabouteverythingyouneedtoknowaboutservingbooze. 39 of68 Nosegay PhotobyRyanRayPhotography Anosegayisasmall,handheldbouquetofflowers.Anosegayisdifferentiatedbyitspetitestature,andisoftencarriedbybridesmaidsorjuniorbridesmaidsforacontrastinsizeagainstthebride’slargerandmoreornatebouquet. 40 of68 Out-of-TownGuest PhotobyMegSmithPhotography Anyguestwhoneedstobookahotelroomtoattendyourwedding—andisn’tjustspendingthenightsotheydon’thavetodriveaftertheparty!—isconsideredanout-of-townguest.Asacourtesy,manycouplesopttoinviteout-of-towngueststosomesortofwelcomeevent,rangingfromafull-ondinnertojustdrinksanddessertsoncetherehearsaldinnerisover.AndthoseInstagram-worthycuratedwelcomebags?They’realwaysanicetouch,especiallyifyou’reinadestinationwithuniqueneeds(thinkareusablewaterbottleforaweddingathighaltitude,oraminibottleofsunscreenifyou’retyingtheknotonthebeach). 41 of68 Palette  Photoby AnnaMarieSalaiforSuitePaperie Yourpaletteistheselectionofcolorsyou’vechosentoworkwithonyourweddingday,influencingeverythingfromlinenstoflowerstoeventheinkonyourinvitations.Mostpalettesfeatureatleastthreecolors—amaincolor,aneutral,andanaccent—thoughyoumayalsoincludeafewdifferentshadesofeachcolorfordepth(thinkblush,pink,andfuchsiaorFrenchblueandnavy). 42 of68 PlaceCard  PhotobyTecPetaja Nottobeconfusedwithescortcards,placecardsarewhattellyourguestsexactlywheretositoncethey’vegottentotheirtable.Thesearen’talwaysused—youcanoptforopentableseating,meaningyoutellyourguestswhichtabletositatandthenletthemchoosetheirownchairfromthere—butarecommonlyusedatheadtablesevenformorecasualweddings.Howeverthey’reessentialformoreformalandblacktieweddings,whereeachguest’sseatiscarefullychoseninadvance. 43 of68 PlaceSetting  PhotobyRyanRayPhotography Timetosetthetable!Placesettingsarethepiecesusedateachguest’sseatatthedinnertable.Weddingstendtofeaturemoreformalserviceandalargernumberofcourses,soplacesettingsareoftenmorecomplicatedthanwhatyou’dseeathomeonaregularweeknight.Formalweddingplacesettingsincludeacharger,adinnerplate,asaladplate,abreadplatewithabreadknife,saladanddinnerforks,saladanddinnerknives,asoupspoon,adessertspoonandfork,awaterglass,andatleastonewineglass.Notsurehowtosetthetable? 44 of68 PlusOne  PhotobyErichMcVey Thisisalwaysapointofpre-weddingconversation,andforgoodreason!Aplusoneisanadditionalinviteforaweddingguesttoinviteadate...andsomeguestsgetone,whileothersdon't.Therulescanvaryhere(dependingonthecouple'sbudget,weddingsize,andweddingvision)butgenerallymarriedcouplesandestablishedcouples(wholivetogether,etcetera)getplusones.It'salsonicetoconsideraplusoneforanyattendeewhomaynotknowanyoneelseatthewedding. 45 of68 Procession  PhotobyTimWilloughby Duringthispartoftheweddingceremony,bridalpartymemberswalkdowntheaisle,eventuallyendingwiththebride'sgrandentrance.Checkoutthefullorderfortheprocessional,anduniquemusicchoices. 46 of68 Processional PhotobyKTMerry Moreonthatmusic!Themusicplayingduringthebridalpartyandbride'sentranceiscalledtheprocessional.Thissong—orcombinationofsongs—officiallybeginstheceremony. 47 of68 QueenAnneNeckline  PhotobyCorbinGurkin You’veheardofstrapless,V-neck,andoff-the-shoulder,butwhatexactlyisaQueenAnneneckline?Thisface-framingnecklineistotallyflatteringandwillgiveyourweddinggownroyalvibes.AdresswithaQueenAnnenecklinehasahighbackandsleeves(capsleevesorfull-lengthsleevesaremostcommon),whichcutawayinthefronttorevealasweetheartnecklineatthebust.Itflauntsyourcollarboneswhilekeepingyourshoulderscovered,abeautifulcompromiseforabridewhowantstoshowalittleskininamoremodestsetting.Thisnecklinecanalsobeachievedbywearingaboleroorjacketoverastraplessgownwithasweetheartneckline.  48 of68 RealWedding  PhotobyBetsyNewman EverwonderwhatmakesourRealWeddingsreal?Thecouples,ofcourse!Eachofourrealweddingstellsthestoryofareal-lifecouple,fromhowtheymettothedetailsoftheirbigday.Ifyou’rehopingtohaveyourweddingpublishedafteryou’vetiedtheknot,besuretotalktoyourweddingplannerandphotographersotheycanmakesuretogetthosekeyphotosandhelpyougatherallthenecessaryinformationforasubmission.  49 of68 Recessional  PhotobyChris&RuthPhotography Therecessionalistechnicallythemusicplayingasthecouplemakestheirgrandexit.It'soneofourfavoritephotosfromtheday,sobesuretoenjoyeverychord.Thinkaboutusinguniquesongselections. 50 of68 RehearsalDinner Photoby AnaHinojosaandSergioSandona Therehearsaldinnerisapreweddingeventthatoftenoccursthenightbeforetheweddingitself.Ittypicallytakesplaceaftertheweddingrehearsal(hencethename!),andincludesthecouple,theirweddingparty,andimmediatefamilymembers.Thereisnosetruleonwhoisinvitedtothisdinner,andsomecoupleschoosetowelcomeout-of-townguests,theweddingparty'splusones,andclosefriendsaswell. 51 of68 RSVP  PhotobyErichMcVey Répondez,s’ilvousplaît!RSVPisapolite(andFrench)waytoaskyourgueststopleaseletyouknowifthey’llbeattendingyourwedding.MostweddinginvitationsfeatureanRSVPcard—or,nowadays,aURLwhereguestscanRSVPonline—askinggueststospecifyhowmanypeoplewillbeattending,andmightalsoincludedetailslikemealchoices,whereguestswillbestaying,orevenasongthey’dlovetohearonthedancefloor. 52 of68 SampleSale  PhotobyJoeyWillis Lookingtogetaweddinggownforasteal?Keepaneyeoutforsamplesalesatyourfavoritesalons.Thesesalesareachanceforsalonstoclearoutsomeoftheirpastinventory(includingfloorsamples)whilegivingbridestheopportunitytobuythegently-usedgownoftheirdreamsatanincredibleprice.Keepinmindthatthesesampleshavebeentriedonbymanybrides,sotheymayneedtobecleanedbeforeyouwearthemdowntheaisle.Askthesalontorecommendtheirfavoritelocaldrycleaner,aswellasafantasticseamstresstomakethisoff-the-rackdressfitlikeaglove. 53 of68 SignatureCocktail PhotobyMegSmithPhotography  Sip,sip,hooray!You’vefinallytiedtheknot,solet’sheadtococktailhourtocelebrate.MarktheoccasionwithasignaturecocktailthatyouandyourS.O.love,whetherit’saclassic(thinkamargaritaoraboulevardier)oracreativeseasonalconcoctioncraftedbyyourcatererjustfortheoccasion.Don’tforgetasigntellingguestswhat’sintheirdrink! 54 of68 SavetheDate PhotobyCassidyCarsonPhotography SavetheDatesaretheperfectwaytogetonguests’calendarsbeforeyousendoutyourweddinginvitation.They’reparticularlyusefulifyou’rehavingadestinationweddingorhavechosenaparticularlypopularweddingdate(likeaholidayweekend),asyou’llbeabletoletguestsknowtoexpectaninvitationbeforethey’vemadeotherbigplans.Besuretoincludeyourweddingwebsite,whereyoucanprovidelodgingandtraveltipssoguestscanstartshoppingforflightsandbookinghotelrooms! 55 of68 SweetheartTable  PhotobyChris&RuthPhotography Thisisatablesetfortwo!Thisisanoptionforcoupleswhowanttoenjoyadinnerdatesurroundedbytheirnearestanddearest.Welovewhencouplesplayupthisdisplaywithspecialsignageanddecoratedchairs. 56 of68 Tablescape  PhotobyLisaPoggi Atablescapeiswhatyougetwhenyourentiretabledesigncomestogether,fromtheplatesandflatwaretotheflowersandcandles.Asyou’reworkingonyourweddingdesign,thinkaboutthisoverallpictureandworkwithyourflorist,planner,andrentalcompanytofillinthefinishingtouches(likelowcompotesoffreshfruitorplayfulobjectsthatwillbringyourthemetogether). 57 of68 Train  PhotobyJennEmerlingWeddings Ifyou'relookingtomakeagrandentrance,consideragownwithadramatictrain.(Mostguestswillbelookingatthebackofyourdressthroughouttheceremony,afterall!)Thisextensionoftheskirtofyourdresscanrangefromafewextrainchestomultiplefeettrailingbehindyou,andcanlookoh-so-dramaticwhenexpertlyfluffedjustbeforeyouwalkdowntheaisle.Addabustletogetthetrainoutofthewaywhenit’stimetodance.  58 of68 Trial  PhotobyAnaHinojosaandSergioSandona Itcanbehardtoimaginehowthingswillturnoutonyourweddingday,whichiswheretrialscomeinhandy.Themostcommontrialsarewithhairandmakeupartists,andarebasicallyatestrunsoyoucanseeifyouliketheirstyleandgetanideaofwhatyou’lllooklikeonthebigday.However,othervendors(likefloristsandrentalcompanies)alsooffertrialsandmock-upssoyoucanvisualizeandtweakdesignsinrealtime. 59 of68 TrunkShow  PhotobyLucyCuneo Unlikeasamplesale,atrunkshowisanopportunitytopurchasethenewestcollectionofmade-to-orderweddingdressesatagreatprice—andoftenwiththedesignerbyyourside.Sowhyshopatatrunkshow?Mostsalonswon’tcarryadesigner’sentireline,butthoseadditionalpiecesmaybebroughtintotownjustfortheoccasion(whichmeansabiggerselectionfromthedesignerinquestion!).Theyoftenalsoofferreducedpricesduringthisperiod,soyoumightfindyourdreamdressforless.Finally,havingthedesignerinthesalonwillgiveyoumoreinsightintothecustomizationoptions,whetherit’sthesubtlechangeofanecklineortheuseofacompletelydifferentcoloredfabric. 60 of68 Usher  PhotobyRachelHavel Ushersserveanimportantroleduringtheceremony,helpingescortgueststotheirseatsandkeepingthingsorganizedbeforetheprocessionalbegins.Oftenfriendsorfamilymembersofthecouple,thesegents(andsometimesladies!)letguestsknowwhichseatsarereservedandwhetherthereisabride’sandgroom’ssideoftheaisle.Sometimes,theyalsohandoutceremonyprograms.Youmighthavethemdresstomatchthegroomsmenorweartheirowncoordinatedattire,butdon’tforgettogetthemboutonnieressotheystandoutfromthecrowd! 61 of68 Veil  PhotobyJoeyWillis Veilsaresynonymouswithbridesforareason.There'ssomethingaboutaddingthishairaccessorythatmakesyoufeellikearealbride.Veilscanvaryinlength,material,andpricing,soreaduponeverythingyouneedtoknowhere. 62 of68 Videographer Photoby HeatherWaraska Thisisoneweddinginvestmentmanycouplesarethankfulfor—orwishthey’dmade.Avideographerisafantasticadditiontoyourvendorteam,providingliveandmovingmemoriesofmomentsthatyou’llcherish.Yes,fantasticphotographyiswortheverypenny,butthosephotosdon’tmoveandcan’tpreservethewordsofyourfather’stoastoryourgrandma’skillerdancemoves.Ifyou’vegotspaceinyourbudget,giveavideographeracall.Youwon’tregretit! 63 of68 Walk-Through  PhotobyMelissaMarshall Therearetwotypesofvenuewalk-throughs:Theinitialvisit,whereyou’lltourthevenueandbeabletoaskquestionsbeforeyousignacontract,andthepre-weddingwalk-through,whereyouandyourvendorteamwillgettoseethespaceonelasttimeandtweakyourdesignsasneededbeforeyourbigdayarrives.Usetheformertofigureoutifavenueisrightforyou,andthelattertofinalizethedetailsandmakesureeveryaspecthasbeenaddressed. 64 of68 WelcomeBag  PhotobyRyanRayPhotography Ifyouhaveout-of-townguests,considergreetingthemwithawelcomebag—orbox!Thisgesturecanbeassimpleorascomplexasyou’dlike,butwerecommendincludingtheweekend’sitineraryandsomethingedible(likewine,snacks,andwater).Nomatterwhatyouoffer,remembertoincludeoneimportantitem:anotethankingeachguest. 65 of68 WeddingPlanner  PhotobyMegSmithPhotography Ifacoupledecidestohireaweddingplanner,theyaretappinganoutsideindividualtoorchestratetheirweddingfromstarttofinish.Thisprohandlespre-weddingplanning(budgets!spreadsheets!younameit!),aswellastheinstallationandrunofshowonthebigday.Seeourlistofthetopweddingplannersfromcoast-to-coast. 66 of68 (E)xit  PhotobyTimWilloughby Whenthenightisover,capitallofwithagrandexitasyoumakeyourwayintomarriedlife.Fromsparklersandglowstickstoconfettitossesandevenfireworks,therearedozensofwaystosignifythatthepartymaybeover,butyourlifetogetherisjustbeginning.  67 of68 Yichud PhotobyAnaHinojosaandSergioSandona AmeaningfulJewishweddingtradition,yichudmeans“seclusion,”andisthetermfortheperiodoftimethenewlywedsspendtogetherinprivateimmediatelyaftertheceremony.Thisgivesthecoupletimetoreflectontheirnewrelationship,providesamomenttorejoice,andisalsooftenachancetosharetheirfirstmealtogether(especiallyiftheyhavebeenfasting!)andhavesomewaterbeforeheadingtothedancefloorforawildandexhaustingroundofdancing.CuriousaboutotherJewishweddingtraditions?We’vebrokendownthe10mostcommontraditions! 68 of68 Zinnia PhotobyHeatherWaraksa You’vemadeittoZ!Zinniasarecolorfulflowersinthedaisyfamily,knownfortheirsoftandroundshapeandsunflower-likeappearance.Theyareanaffordablealternativetodahlias,andcomeintobloommid-summer(perfectfortheirvibrantred,orange,andpinktones!).  RelatedStories AMinimalMeetsRusticWeddinginColoradoInfusedwithPersonalTouches 53GeniusWaystoSaveMoneyonYourWedding 13WaystoPlanaWeddingOnline 30SmallWeddingIdeasforanIntimateAffair TheTop10BiggestWeddingEtiquetteDon'ts TheUltimateWeddingDécorChecklist 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