Wedding Terminology to Help You Through Your Planning
If you’ve just entered the minefield of wedding planning, you’re probably Googling away resulting in reading tonnes of blogs with great ideas. But at the back of your mind you’re saying, “but what does that mean?”. I’ve put together a handy list of key wedding planning terminology to help you get to grips.
Canapes: small nibbles of food for your guests to enjoy, usually post ceremony while photos are taken.
Celebrant: the person who will perform a non-legal ceremony. For example, if you decide to have an outdoor ceremony (which is only legal in certain circumstances currently in the UK).
Corkage: some venues and caterers will allow you to provide your own alcohol, but charge a corkage fee to serve it for you.
Drinks Reception: the time after your ceremony where your guests grab a drink and sometimes canapes (see above) and mingle for a while. The couple and their family often take this time to have the family photos taken.
Dry Hire: a dry hire venue is one where you hire the building or land, with freedom to then choose your own supplier team with very few limitations.
Favours: small gifts for guests often found at their place settings. Common ideas are seeds to plant in honour of the couple, or something edible always goes down a treat.
Master of Ceremonies (MC): a person chosen to make announcements for the day i.e. introducing the newly married couple into their reception. This can be a person special to the couple, or someone professionally hired in.
On the Day Coordinator: a person either from the venue, or who you have hired to run the day from start to finish and make sure everything runs seamlessly in the background. You can have a look at my On the Day Coordination Service HERE.
Outdoor Wedding: No, this doesn’t mean getting married outside! An outdoor wedding involves hiring a structure such as a marquee, tipi or stretch tent. If you’re considering planning an outdoor wedding, have a look at my Outdoor Wedding Planning page and reach out to book in a free chat.
Save the Date: a card sent by the couple approx. a year in advance of their big day, advising people of the date. This is a way of getting guests to make sure they clear their diaries in advance, without having to have any of the details sorted yet.
Sweetheart Table: a traditional Top Table is usually the couple and their nearest and dearest (parents, maid of honour and best man). Nowadays it has become increasingly difficult for couples to get this politically correct. “Who do we ask?” “What if so and so gets offended that we didn’t include them?” “My parents are split up, do we invite the step parents?” So, introducing the Sweetheart Table! This is a table for just the couple alone, reducing the stress of family politics.
Venue Stylist: if you don’t feel like doing it yourself, you can choose to hire a professional stylist to bring your vision to life in making your venue look exactly how you’ve dreamed.
Wedding Breakfast: despite the name, no, this is not the breakfast you eat on your wedding day! Your Wedding Breakfast is the first meal you eat together after you are married. Traditionally, this used to be a three course sit down meal. However, nowadays this can be anything you like: sharing boards, buffet style, or even food from food vans.
Wedding Reception: once the more formal bits are done, the party can get underway. This is your wedding reception, usually full of drinks, dancing and music whether this be from a band, DJ, or your own speaker system.
Wedmin: simply put, this means your wedding admin. This includes everything from writing your guest list, keeping on top of your invoices and budget, and communicating with your suppliers. If you’re not looking forward to this part of your wedding planning, a wedding planner can take over this for you!
If you have any wedding terms you’re confused about and need help with, please reach out to book in a free chat!