Wedding Planning Lingo (with Honest Advice)!

Why are we talking about STD’s when it comes to wedding planning?

Minimums? Those sound scary.

Oh, and the MOB. Why would the mob be coming to the wedding?

Read on, friends, I’m going to clear all of this up for you.

(I promise, the MOB is not going to be at your wedding and STD’s are not what you think…)

Wedding Planning Lingo


MOB - FOB - MOH - BM - GM

Mother of the Bride, Father of the Bride, Maid of Honor, Best Man or Bridesmaid, Groomsman.

See a pattern here? How about FIL and MIL? (Father-in-Law, Mother-in-Law) or FFIL and FMIL? (Future in laws!). Can you figure out BOB, SOB, BOG, SOG, BIL and SIL now? (Siblings).

FG - Flower Girl, RB - Ring Bearer.

Literally everybody at the wedding has an acronym, even your future husband (FH, and when you are married, he becomes a DH).

F&B

Food & Beverage. The catering and bar companies love to throw this one around.

OOT
Out-of-Town (often referenced as your ‘OOT Guests’).

STD

No, it’s not what you think! This popular acronym is for your guests, a reminder to Save-the-Date for your wedding! Use the full terminology around guests and family, and abbreviate to STD with your wedding vendors.

DIY

The ‘Do it Yourself’ aspect of wedding planning. Some weddings are more DIY than others, but either way can be amazing if it’s done with love!

Bout

This is short for ‘boutonniere’, because who really wants to try and spell that?

Bouts are the flowers that men wear on their suit lapels.

Corsage

The flowers women wear on their wrists.

Crinoline

This is the netting under a wedding gown that adds shape and volume. You can purchase additional ‘crinoline’ skirts to wear under the dress if you prefer more volume.

Bustle

Most wedding gowns come with a train, which is a trail of fabric at the back of the skirt that is both traditional and romantic. These trains can also become a nuisance when it comes to dancing, so make sure you chat with your bridal salon about having a GOOD bustle installed. (Hint, one button, even two, is rarely enough! You want a series of ties or loops to make sure that the bustle stays put through all of the dance-floor-shenanigans).

Charger

This is the decorative ‘plate’ under the main dinner plate at a place setting. You do not put food on the charger, it is simply there for decoration.

Head Table

Where the couple and wedding party sit.

Sweetheart Table

For couples who would like to sit together at the reception with the wedding party seated at a different table.

DOC

Day-of-Coordinator. This is somebody you hire to spend the day making sure all of the pieces of your wedding day come together.

WP

Wedding Planner. This is the person you hire (hopefully me!) to help you choose and hire vendors and locations, create a cohesive wedding day aesthetic and feel, help you with your timeline, put our fires, mentor you through the process, and make sure your wedding day is about YOU and not the nitty gritty details that go into it.

TP

Toilet Paper. Sorry had to throw that one in and make sure you were paying attention! That aside, toilet paper is used in a super popular bridal shower game where guests use TP to dress the bride in a white gown and veil, and is often referred too as the TP Game.

Vendor Meal

If you read your contracts, you’ll find that many of your vendors (often planning, photography, DJ, entertainment, and videography) require a meal. At some venues the ‘vendor meal’ is actually a soggy sandwich and a bruised apple. While the cost savings may be appealing, don’t forget that these vendors have likely spent 6-8 hours with you, sans break, before getting a meal on the day of your wedding. They will appreciate access to hot food and will feel appreciated too.

Cake Cutting Fee

Yes, this is a big one. Many couples are shocked to find out that their venue will charge a per-person price to cut and serve the cake. Factor this into your cake and desserts budget.

Minimums

Many venues, especially popular ones, have minimums associated with certain dates. What does this mean? Simply put, they can require you to also spend a certain amount of money on food & beverage.

Fridays, Saturdays, and Holiday Weekends can cause extra sticker-shock, so watch out. It is not always as simple as the ‘site fee’ to book a venue.

The wedding lingo I’ve shared with you are only some of what you may hear while planning your wedding. Are you looking for somebody to help you though the rest? I always love hearing from awesome couples who are looking to have fun, unique, and love-filled weddings.

Wanda Bonner