Words and Terms Every Couple Needs to Know
By: Kristen Castillo

As a B2B (Bride to Be) or G2B (Groom to be), you need to know certain wedding lingo when you’re planning your nuptials. You may hear a lot of new terms and buzzwords. Don’t know what they mean? You better find out! Ask your vendors to explain the verbiage so you know exactly what it means when you hear terms like bouts, gobo, B.E.O and Plus Plus.

Lingo basics:

• DH – Dear Husband
• MOH – Maid/Matron of Honor
• BM – Best Man
• MOB – Mother of Bride
• FOB – Father of Bride
• MOG – Mother of Groom
• FOG – Father of Groom
• BZ – Bridezilla
• OOTG – Out of Town Guests

Wedding Terms to Know:

• Asymmetrical – A gown cut that is long in the back and short in the front. The term can also refer to any dress that has an uneven neck or hemline.
• AV – Short for audiovisual. This is what may be needed at your venue to project music and video for your ceremony and reception. This may include lighting as well.
• Blusher – This short veil covers the bride’s face.
• Cathedral Train – Popular for formal weddings, this train style trails six to eight feet behind the gown.
• Chapel Train – This train style runs three to four feet behind the bride’s dress.
• Chiavari Chairs – Also called “Chivari,” these elegant specialty chairs are available in a variety of colors like white, black and silver and can be accessorized with colored cushions and chair covers.
• B.E.O. – This term refers to the Banquet Event Order, the written tally of your food and beverage order, number of guests, rooms and the total price. You’ll have to sign this document before the wedding, since it’s the contract of your event’s food and drink expectations.
• Bouts – Short for the floral term boutonnieres and pronounced “boots,” these lapel flowers are worn by the men in the wedding party.
• Chuppa – Also known as a chuppah, this is a wedding canopy under which Jewish couples are married.
• Digital Negatives – These are the untouched images of your wedding day, given to you by a photographer usually on a disc or flash drive.
• Engagement Sessions – Also known as e-sessions, this is when the bride and groom shoot photos with a professional photographer. These pre-wedding pictures are a great way to get to know your photographer and have professional images for your website, save the dates and other wedding stationery.
• F & B – The Food & Beverage Minimum refers to the specific dollar amount the bride and groom must spend for food and beverage to use the venue for their wedding. This minimum may or may not include tax and tips. If you don’t meet the food and beverage minimum, you’ll have to pay that amount anyway.
• First Look – A wedding day photo session for the bride and groom before the ceremony. This is the first time they’ll see each other on the big day.
• Fondant – A smooth edible decorative cake icing that’s used to make elegant cake designs.
• Flush Mount – A modern album style featuring borderless prints on thick, lay-flat pages.
• Ganache – A chocolate glaze or icing often used in wedding cakes and desserts.
• Gobo Lighting – Project your monogram or another pattern or logo onto a wall or the dance floor using this type of lighting, which is created by a metal or glass template placed in a lighting
• fixture. You can commission a custom pattern or rent standard wedding patterns like “Just Married” or a hearts design.
• Hashtag – The word or phrase used to brand your wedding on social media, noted by the #, such as #JasonAndSophia or #PalmerWedding
• Highboys – Tall, pub-style tables used during the cocktail hour and the reception.
• Host Bar – The bride and groom pay for all the drinks served to guests from the bar.
• Ketubah – A Jewish marriage contract that is signed by the bride and groom before the ceremony.
• Lazo – A traditional wedding cord or lasso formed into a figure eight, it is often used by Latinos during Catholic wedding ceremonies to symbolize unity.
• Mermaid – A dress style that hugs your figure and then flairs below the knee.
• Officiant – The person who presides over the wedding, such as a pastor, priest, rabbi or judge.
• Online Proofing – Reviewing your wedding images on an Internet gallery, which is typically hosted by your photographer and is password-protected.
• PP – The per person catering charge, such as $95 per person. This is the base price for one guest and does not include extras like drinks, taxes and tips.
• Place Cards – These cards show a guest’s name and the table number where they’ll be sitting.
• Plus Plus – Also seen as ++, this refers to the taxes and service charges added to the bride and groom’s venue bill. Keep in mind the plus-plus can increase the bill 25 to 30 percent.
• Processional – This refers to the bride and the wedding party walking up the aisle at the start of the ceremony.
• Recessional – The bride and groom and wedding party’s exit from the ceremony as they walk down the aisle.
• Sand Ceremony – Unifying gesture when the bride and groom each pour a different colored sand into one vase.
• Second Shooter – The backup photographer who assists the primary photographer in shooting details of the day, as well as images of the guests.
• Sneaks – Often the photographer will post a few edited images to social media within hours of the wedding, tagging the bride and groom.
• S-T-D – You may think it means something else, but STD stands for “Save the Dates.” These informal announcements, mailed months before the big day, let your guests know to mark your wedding on their calendar.
• Sweep Train – A train style that short enough to just touch the floor.
• Sweetheart Table – A private table for the bride and groom to sit at during dinner and the reception.
• Trash the Dress – Sounds crazy, but many brides actually take photos in the days and weeks after the wedding. The brides will put their wedding dress back on and do things that will likely ruin or “trash the dress.”