1-DAY PRE-NUPTIAL PHOTO
A single day dedicated to your pre-nuptial picture taking; similar words are “engagement session” , “pre-wedding” , “prenup”
ALTAR
This term specially refers to the structure or table at the front of a house of worship, but, when it comes to your wedding day, it takes on a more general meaning. In the wedding world, the altar is the physical spot where you and your S.O. will exchange vows, whether the ceremony is religious or otherwise. If you’re creating an altar from scratch,
AVP
Audio and Video Presentation. A compilation of pictures and videos of the bride and groom and their families. This can be growing up photos, their prenup shoot, college days or even their time as boyfriend and girlfriend.
BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY
Black and white photography is the act of capturing a scene without color. Here, you capture the scene in black and white or convert it during post-processing.
BLACK TIE
Don a floor length evening gown or tuxedo when the attire is black tie. This is the dress code chosen for evening weddings, specifically after 6 o’clock in the evening. Men’s attire includes a tuxedo, waistcoat, white dress shirt, a black bow tie, and black dress shoes. Ladies should expect to wear a long evening gown or formal cocktail dress and dress shoes.
BLACK TIE OPTIONAL
Tuxedos encouraged, but not mandatory. Women may wear short dresses but ensure it’s a formal cocktail dress, and not a sundress. Also, no wedges.
BOMBONIERE
This is the Italian word for wedding favour. Bomboniere are gifts given to guests to thank them for attending.
BOUDOIR PHOTOGRAPHY
Boudoir photography is capturing intimate and romantic images of its subjects. They take place in a bedroom or dressing room environment.
BOUQUET
This refers to the bunch of flowers (usually) carried by a bride. The bouquet is also what is thrown in the bouquet toss.
BOUQUET TOSS
This tradition stems from England. Women (during this time) were said to rip at the bride’s dress in order to secure some of her good luck for themselves. To escape, the bride would toss her bouquet at them and run away. Nowadays, the bouquet is tossed by the bride in a ceremonial gesture, and the single woman who catches it is said to be the next to marry.
BOUTONIERRE
This refers to the spray of flowers worn (usually) by a male in their buttonhole.
BRIDAL PROCESSION
This refers to the order in which the bride and her bridesmaids walk down the aisle toward the awaiting groom and his groomsmen.
CANDID PHOTOGRAPHY
Candid photography is the act of capturing subjects without their knowledge.
CATHEDRAL VEIL
Think Lady Di processing Westminister Abbey. It’s a formal veil that extends past the wedding dress train measuring around 120 inches. The name originates from dramatic veils processing long, Cathedral chapel aisles.
COMPOSITE PHOTOGRAPHY
Composite photography is the combining of visual elements from separate sources. Together, they create a resulting single image. This creates an illusion that all these separate elements are part of the same scene.
CORSAGE
This is a single flower or spray of flowers attached to lace and either pinned to the front of a woman’s dress, or tied around her wrist.
DAY-OF COORDINATOR
If a full-service wedding planner isn’t in your budget, we highly recommend investing in a DOC, or day-of coordinator, if your venue doesn’t provide one. This pro will take over the production side of your wedding day, overseeing set-up and making sure the timeline runs smoothly so you can focus on being the bride and your loved ones can celebrate instead of stressing over whether they’ve accurately brought your vision to life.
DESTINATION WEDDING
Get out of town! Destination weddings are a fantastic way to share a place you love with your favorite people. So what qualifies as a destination? Really any location where you and your guests will want to book a hotel room instead of driving home at the end of the night. So it might require a long flight, or it could be just an hour or two away.
DRESS CODE
This is the level of dress expected by the marrying couple. Usually the dress code is included in the wedding invitations. Find out here what dress codes actually refer to.
DRONE PHOTOGRAPHY / VIDEO
Drone or aerial photography is the action of photographing from an airborne object. This can include, but not exclusive to helicopters, planes and drones.
ENGAGEMENT PHOTOS
Consider this a dress rehearsal. Engagement photos have become more and more common, and are now often included in packages offered by wedding photographers. It’s an opportunity to get more comfortable in front of the camera, get to know your photographer (so you’re all friendly by the time your wedding day arrives!), and come away with a few gorgeous photos to use in your save the dates or wedding website.
ENGAGEMENT PHOTOS
Consider this a dress rehearsal. Engagement photos have become more and more common, and are now often included in packages offered by wedding photographers. It’s an opportunity to get more comfortable in front of the camera, get to know your photographer (so you’re all friendly by the time your wedding day arrives!), and come away with a few gorgeous photos to use in your save the dates or wedding website.
FIRST DANCE
The first time you and your spouse take the dance floor as a married couple. Couples usually waltz, two-step, or swing to a tune significant to their love story. Check out our playlist for first dance song inspiration.
FIRST LOOK
A private moment between the bride and groom before the ceremony that helps break up (and slow down) the day. It also makes for a great photo-op opportunity. This is in-place of the groom seeing his bride for the first time at the opening of the chapel doors.
GARLANDS
These are flowers (or greenery) twirled into ropes that can be hung from doorways, stairs, or railings, as an extra touch to decor. A more delicate garland may be worn by the bride as a headpiece.
GOLDEN HOUR
Photographers often refer to the time just before sunset as “golden hour.” During this time, the light is soft and perfect for post-ceremony portraits. Could be during sunrise or sunset
HEAD TABLE
This is where the bride, groom, bridesmaids, and groomsmen dine together during the reception. The “altar” of the reception, if you will.
HIGH RESOLUTION RAW PHOTOS
Photos taken during your wedding that are unedited, and in full resolution
INTIMATE WEDDING
This refers to weddings that host under a hundred guests.
LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY
Landscape photography is the capturing of nature. They can be man-made features or the disturbances found in physical areas.
LONG EXPOSURE PHOTOGRAPHY
Long exposure photography is capturing a scene with a long shutter speed setting. This allows you to capture stationary elements of a scene while blurring or obscuring the moving elements.
MATRON OF HONOUR
This is the term given to a maid of honour if she is herself married.
MOH
An abbreviation of Maid of Honour or Matron of Honour.
MOVIE POSTER
Movie Poster Style with you as the subject, could be for social media or printed 26×36 or could be LED Backlit 24×36
OFFICIANT
This refers to the official that carries out the marriage ceremony. Officiants are used in civil ceremonies.
ONSITE EDITOR
A video and/or photo editor that will edit photos/videos that are taken that very same day, and present it during the reception.
ONSITE VIDEO / PHOTO
An AVP made by the Onsite Editor played during reception, similar term is “SDE – Same Day Edit”
PALETTE
Your palette is the selection of colors you’ve chosen to work with on your wedding day, influencing everything from linens to flowers to even the ink on your invitations. Most palettes feature at least three colors—a main color, a neutral, and an accent—though you may also include a few different shades of each color for depth (think blush, pink, and fuchsia or French blue and navy).
PHOTO SLIDE SHOW (LOOP)
A number of photos that are projected onto a screen (without any accompanying music) to entertain your guests while waiting. This will loop (start again after the last photo is shown) Music could come from a band or the DJ
PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY
Portrait photography is the act of photographing people. Here, we look at their physical expressions and features. These include self-portraits, silhouettes and high-key (using well-lit scenes) images.
PRELUDE
A sophisticated term for background music. The prelude is the music selection played in the ceremony space softly in the background as guests mingle and find their seats.
PRE-NUPTIAL MINI MOVIE
A short video taken on your pre-nuptial shoot, edited by us and shown during your wedding program. Range 1-5 mins
PRE-NUPTIAL PHOTO AVP
A presentation of photos taken during your pre-nuptial shoot. Photos will be projected onto a screen during your wedding ceremony. Range 1-5mins
PROCESSION
All bridal party members walking down the aisle ending with the bride.
PROCESSIONAL
The music that plays as all bridal party members—and bride—walk the aisle and step into place. This music initiates the ceremony.
RAW FOOTAGES
Unedited videos taken by our videographers
RECESSIONAL
The music that plays after the bride and groom share their first kiss as man and wife, ending the ceremony.
RSVP
Is an initialism derived from the French phrase Répondez s’il vous plaît, meaning “Please respond” to require confirmation of an invitation.
SAME DAY EDIT PHOTO
Pictures taken on your wedding day will be edited and enhanced on the same day and can be used as a slide show. Similar word ONSITE PHOTO
SAME DAY EDIT VIDEO
Video that is shot on your wedding day will be edited by us on location and can be used and shown on the same day. Similar word ONSITE VIDEO
SAVE THE DATE
A preliminary announcement sent before the official wedding invitation for the purpose to notify all ceremony guests to mark their calendars. Often, the save-the-date is designed with an engagement photo or in a style that teases the entire stationery suite.
SAVE THE DATE TRAILER
A short video and/or photo clip shot during the pre-nuptials, and to be uploaded onto your social media account to advertise your wedding date. Could be played before you enter the grand ballroom.
SIGNATURE BOARD
A large print of 40×26 would be displayed just outside your reception where your guest would sign it.
STATIONERY SUITE
All of your designed paper goods for wedding day celebrations. Includes your save the date, wedding invitation, outer and inner envelope, response card, accommodations card, wedding program, escort and place card, menu card, and thank you cards.
VIDEOGRAPHER
A videographer is hired to capture what a photographer doesn’t. They capture the overall atmosphere of the day on film, so the newlyweds can watch their day for years to come.
WALK-THROUGH
There are two types of venue walk-throughs: The initial visit, where you’ll tour the venue and be able to ask questions before you sign a contract, and the pre-wedding walk-through, where you and your vendor team will get to see the space one last time and tweak your designs as needed before your big day arrives. Use the former to figure out if a venue is right for you, and the latter to finalize the details and make sure every aspect has been addressed.
WEDDING FAVOR
A token of gratitude for coming to the ceremony. The favor can also act as a souvenir of remembrance from the wedding and a fun spot to carry out your wedding “branding.”
WEDDING WEBSITE
Marrying couples use wedding websites to display all important information about their wedding online. Some couples even use their wedding website to invite guests, give details about travelling to and parking at the venue, and create excitement for the event ahead.
WPPI
Wedding & Portrait Photographers International, a yearly convention in Las Vegas for photographers.
WREATH
This is a circle of flowers generally used as a decorative centre piece, or in the bride’s hair as hairpiece. Wreaths (or flower crowns) are commonly worn by bohemian brides.