A Beginner’s Guide to Wedding Lingo for Newly Engaged Couples

Congratulations on your engagement! As you embark on this exciting journey toward your wedding day, you’ll quickly find yourselves immersed in a world filled with wedding lingo and acronyms that might seem unfamiliar at first. Don’t worry; we’re here to help! In this guide, we’ll walk you through some of the common terms and acronyms you’re likely to encounter as you begin planning your special day.

Understanding Wedding Lingo: Common Wedding Day Photography Terms

It’s pretty wild that we throw this wedding lingo around like everyone studies the wedding industry, so below you’ll find the most common terms used by your wedding pros in reference to your wedding photography.

1. Bride + Groom Portraits or Romantic Portraits: These are the beautiful, posed photographs you likely see everywhere and immediately think of when you imagine your wedding day. The two of you, dressed to the nines in your wedding attire, gazing out over a field of wildflowers or the city skyline. The Romantic Portraits (as we like to call them) are the ones you’ll want to print for your wall art and download to your phone screen as your phone wallpaper. 

2. Candid Shots or Documentary Shots: Also known as “photojournalistic images” candid shots are those spontaneous, unposed photographs that capture genuine emotions and moments throughout your wedding day. These photos often turn out to be some of the most cherished memories. Note: In our opinion, the majority of your day SHOULD be candid, as it’s your wedding day, not the day for your photographer to get their marketing images. A good wedding photographer will anticipate moments and navigate your day without being hands on during most of it. 

3. The First Look: This is the moment you and your partner see each other for the first time. Traditionally it’s been as the bride walks down the aisle. However, when most photographers are casually chatting about the first look, they’re talking about a private moment between you and your partner before the ceremony, where you see each other for the first time in your wedding attire. It’s a deeply emotional and intimate moment that many couples choose to share. We cover a lot of details about the first look in the following blog posts:

4. Formal Portraits (aka: Family + Wedding Party Portraits): These are the posed group photographs featuring you, your families, and your wedding party. They’re a great way to capture the love and support of your closest friends and relatives. We like to call them your “VIP Groups” and have a system for making these quick and fun so everyone can get to the party (including YOU)! 

5. Detail Shots: Detail shots focus on the small, intricate elements of your wedding day, such as the rings, flowers, invitation suite, shoes, decor, etc. While these may seem unnecessary, you spent your time in selecting these items. Don’t push them off like they’re not important to you, if they aren’t important, you wouldn’t have selected them. It’s our job to make sure they’re documented with the same love and care the rest of your wedding day is documented. 

Short Terms: The Wedding Acronyms

By now, you’ve likely seen a dozen or more “short terms” in the wedding lingo used by professionals that make your eyes twitch or your head hang. I’m here to help by decoding all those acronyms the wedding pros use thinking they’re common knowledge. (But let’s be real, we’ve ALL googled them at least once). 

1. HMUA: This stands for Hair and Makeup Artist, who will help you look your best on your wedding day by styling your hair and applying makeup. This can be a team or a single person depending on who you choose. 

2. MOH: Maid/Matron of Honor is your chief bridesmaid, the head of your bride tribe and usually holds the title of your bestie, sister or other close friend/relative. (It could even be your MOM!). This is the gal who’s generally in charge of all the party planning (bridal shower, bachelorette, etc.) and she’s likely the most excited person out there for you to get married. 

3. BM: Best Man is your groom’s chief attendant, his bro, and the guy who likely knew you were the one before your fiance even did. He’s probably the one who told all the other bros that your man was on his way to “holy matrimony”. 😉 

4. DOC: Day-Of Coordinator is a professional hired to manage and coordinate the details of your wedding day, ensuring that everything runs smoothly. Sometimes this is the same as your Wedding Coordinator (WC) but other times it’s someone provided by the venue. Note: I highly recommend hiring your own DOC rather than using the one provided by the venue. They’re both quality professionals, but the venue provided DOC is juggling all the weddings for that venue, whereas the one you hire is dedicated to your day. There is a huge difference in someone who selects their own clients and someone who is managed by the venue. Last year several of our weddings had coordinators and boy did they run smoothly. Check out Jenny + Albert, Stephanie + Howard and Alicia + Mark‘s wedding blogs.

5. RSVP: Répondez s’il vous plaît is French for a response from your guests indicating whether they will attend your wedding or not. It’s a prettier way of saying: “Yo, hit me back if I can count you in.” 

6. STD: This is the worst wedding lingo acronym (am I right?), but it stands for Save The Date is a notification sent to guests in advance of the formal wedding invitation, informing them of the date and location of your wedding. If you have a lot of guests coming in from out of town, you’ll likely want to send these several months before you think you need to. (Like maybe now if you’re getting married in the fall of 2024 or early 2025). 

7. MOB/MOG: Mother of the Bride/Mother of the Groom are the mothers of the couple getting married. Sometimes they’ll be involved in the planning aspects of your wedding, but other times they just want to attend without feeling responsible for everything and everyone. 

8. FIL/MIL: Father-in-law/Mother-in-law are the parents of your spouse. Sometimes they’re involved in the planning aspects of your wedding too, but traditionally they’re responsible for the Honeymoon and Rehearsal Dinner. We find that currently, most family members just want to attend without feeling responsible, allowing them to enjoy the moment. 

9. DIY: Do It Yourself refers to wedding elements that are handmade or created by you, either as a cost-saving measure or to add a personal touch to your wedding. One of our favorite weddings with a ton of DIY elements is Kiersten + Phillip’s Trinity Tree Farm Wedding. 

Now that you’re familiar with some of the common wedding lingo and acronyms, you’ll be better equipped to navigate the exciting world of wedding planning. Remember, your wedding day is a celebration of your love and commitment to each other, so don’t stress too much about the details. Enjoy the journey and savor every moment along the way. Happy planning!