Ashley and his newly wedded wife, Sara, sure had a beautiful wedding. The charming shades of pink and magenta donned by her bridesmaids, coupled with the white elegance from his groomsmen, the Mcleans’ event was a sight to behold. Sara particularly looked stunning in her flamboyant engagement outfit, apparently designed and sewn by her brother. Yet, while we let your eyes do the talking, we, on the other hand, are moving on with our A-Z wedding terminology list. This piece features all wedding terms between the letters O-S.

Sara and her gorgeous bridal train

 

WEDDING TERMINOLOGY CNTD O-S

Our last article ended with us explaining the term, ‘Nosegay’ — a small, handheld bouquet carried by bridesmaids. Below are some relevant terms starting from O-S:

 

1. Officiant

Like the ‘Justice of Peace’, an officiant is the broad term used to classify any official that carries out a marriage ceremony.  

 

2. Out-of-town guest

Just as the name spells out, an out-of-town guest is anyone who needs to book a hotel room or find alternate accommodation around the venue to attend your wedding. This is for people who come in days before the wedding for other sub-events — welcome dinners, rehearsals etc. As a courtesy, couples often prepare beautiful curated welcome bags for these guests, with items such as customized wedding favours.

 

3. Page Boy

A page boy is an addition to the bridal party. He, ideally a young boy, walks behind the bride and carries her train down the aisle to the alter. However, they sometimes exchange roles with ring bearers to carry the wedding bands or rings ahead of the ushers.

 

4. Palette

A wedding palette, like any other palette, refers to the colour scheme of your event. This selection of colours influences everything from decoration to linens to the bouquet and even the ink on your invitations. A palette should consist of at least three colours — the main colour, a neutral, and an accent. 

 

5. Place Card

Place cards are different from escort cards (little cards displayed at the entrance to show which table a guest should sit). They, on the other hand, tell your guests exactly where to sit once they’ve gotten to their table. Although they may sound a little ‘too much’, place cards come in handy when you are serving different menu options for people with separate dietary needs, for instance. Or for having a certain arrangement on a head table. Again, because they are more formal, place cards are commonly used at events with limited sizes and a meticulously selected guest list.

 

6. Place Setting

Unlike a place card, a place setting is a collective name for the pieces used at each guest’s seat at the dinner table. It is an important part of your wedding decor, showcasing your style as a couple and making your guests feel welcome. A standard place setting must include a charger, a dinner plate, a salad plate, a bread plate with a bread knife, salad and dinner forks, salad and dinner knives, a soup spoon, a dessert spoon and fork, a water glass, and at least one wine glass. Modern couples add a special note to complete the setting.

 

7. Plus One

One thing couples should discuss and decide on beforehand is the plus one feature — an additional invite for a wedding guest to invite a date. And not all guests should have a plus one. It is ideal for people who are already married, established couples or any attendee who may not know anyone else at the wedding. But remember, it all depends on your budget.

 

8. Rehearsal Dinner

After the wedding rehearsal, the couple can organize a rehearsal dinner for the bridal party and close relatives to feast together one last time before the wedding. Usually held the night before the wedding, a rehearsal dinner can be extended to out-of-town guests, as well as the wedding party’s plus-ones, and close friends.

 

9. RSVP

Ever wondered what RSVP really meant? It’s French which fully reads as ‘Répondez, s’il vous plaît’. This is a polite way of finding out who would or wouldn’t attend the wedding. Normally, a contact number is printed on invitations so that guests can call them to RSVP. Nowadays, they are done online using URLs which allow for more information — how many people will be attending, meal choices, song requests — to be captured.

 

10. Save The Date

The idea behind a ‘save the date’ is to inform people about the wedding before actual invitations are sent out. They’re particularly useful if you’re having a destination wedding or have chosen a popular wedding date; like on a public holiday. Save the Dates, however, have evolved into an avenue for sharing interesting photos and videos of the couple. Not that we’re complaining though 😁

Ghana Wedding Market is a first-of-its-kind online wedding shopping platform. Over here, we offer merchandise, services and ideas you would need to have the wedding you’ve always wanted. What’s more is we also give free advice to both clients and vendors whenever they need it.

Our services include:

• Photography

• Videography

• Venue acquisition

• Event Decoration/Styling

• Catering

• Mixology

• Makeup/Grooming

• Online Wedding Merchandise Shop

• MC Hiring

• DJ Hiring

• Cultural/Urban Dancers Hiring

• Membership & Advertisment Packages and many more…

We often update our services list so do not be disheartened if what you need is not on this list yet.
Views, complaints, compliments and advice are always welcome.

Experience working with us and you will look no further.