As a professional wedding planner with 15 years under my belt, I’m still learning lessons and optimizing each of my events for maximum success. This isn’t just a glossary of terms. This is a chronicled exploration of tips I’ve learned along the way and pitfalls to avoid.
Whether you are a novice or have attended a few weddings, learning the right wedding terminology can make the planning process smoother.
The wedding landscape is continually changing. Not only do we see trends come-and-go, we are experiencing the benefits of new apps and technologies that are changing the wedding planning landscape.
Five years ago I would have cautioned you against online RSVP, but now websites make managing your registry a breeze and allow you to customize the RSVP options for each guest. It’s an exciting time to be planning a wedding.
Creating Your Wedding Budget
“Plus-Plus”
Definition: In wedding pricing, “++” after an amount indicates plus-plus pricing, which includes taxes, gratuity, service fees, and resort fees. Not everyone charges all these fees, so it’s important to ask what’s in the ++ before committing.
Practical Use + Tips: We see “++” most often in catering budgets, or from hotels and resorts. Let’s say you’re torn between two hotels, and you’re a savvy WeddingScout shopper, so you are asking for cost estimates before signing a contract.
For the purposes of the example, let’s assume they all came back with a plated dinner package of “$75++ per person”. But again, you’re a WeddingScout member who knows the right questions to ask and you have them detail what is included in the “++”.
In my experience, Austin Hotels and Hill Country Resorts charge anywhere from 23% to 26%. If you’re comparing two venues, you have to take the time to do the math. For example, at first glance, the food and beverage packages at The Four Seasons Hotel Austin are less expensive than their competitors at Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa. However, the service charge is 1% greater so at the end of the day, their price-per-person is actually slightly higher.
Beautiful spring wedding at Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa | Photos by Ashlee Huff Photography
Fixed vs. Variable Expense
Definition: A fixed expense is any line item in your budget that doesn’t vary based on your guest count. For example, once you book a DJ, it doesn’t matter if your guest count jumps from 100 to 150. Your DJ fee is going to stay the same. Knowing wedding planning phrases, like ‘fixed vs. variable expenses,’ is essential as it impacts your budget and decisions.
Examples of non-fixed or “variable expenses” include things such as catering, chair rentals and flowers––those costs will go up or down based on your final guest count.
Practical Use + Tips: How does venue selection play a role here? Think about it this way. You’ve already built your budget and picked most of your vendors. Then your parents decide to add an extra 20 people to the invitation list. First, you are not alone. This happens all the time. I call it “invitation creep”.
If you’re at a hotel or resort that provides all the tables, chairs, linens, glassware, etc. then you’re really just looking at adding 20 people to your food and beverage package. It’s easy math.
However, if you’re at a wedding venue where you bring everything in, expect to spend a minimum of $13 per person for those items listed above. Additionally, you need 20 more chairs, two more tables, and two more floral centerpieces. We are looking at a minimum swing of $600 on top of the extra food / alcohol cost because your mom got chatty at a cocktail party and invited some extra friends.
In short, it is important to know what costs are fixed and which ones may change! Read those contracts and make sure you know which vendors are charging a per-person rate. Those non-fixed expenses can change quickly based on your guest count and can end up taking you beyond your budget.
Other Important Fees and Charges to Look Out For
Definition: Get used to reading the phrase, “Additional Charges May Be Incurred “. AKA, “there are going to be some fees that will surprise you later on”.
Practical Use + Tips: Maybe they are called charges, maybe they are called fees. Just know they are coming and plan accordingly! As you’re shopping wedding venues and building your budget, here is a list of fees and charges to look out for:
- H4 Flip Fee: This fee is most often charged by the catering team and/or floral team when you move guests from one area to another, and then transform the space. Some venues such as The Allan House or Brodie Homestead require flipping the space for larger weddings, so be sure to take this into consideration. Understanding wedding terms like ‘flip fee’ can help you budget more accurately and avoid unexpected charges during your venue search.
- H4 Gift Bag Delivery: I’ve seen this fee range from $3/bag to $10/bag. Why? Hotels hate delivering gift bags. There is too much room for error when all the guests are checking in at 3pm on a Friday. The fee is to dissuade you, so if gift bags are important to you, try to negotiate this fee on the front end before you sign.
- H4 Power Drop: This is a fee for the AV company to run power to your band, DJ, or lighting team. It’s most common at hotels and resorts, but some venues like Laguna Gloria also require larger weddings to run extra power. This fee can range from $250 to $600 on average, but watch out for those pesky service charges and fees at hotels. A $600 fee is really an $800 fee by the time you get to the bottom of your bill. If you’re already tight on budget and comparing a DJ vs. a band, ask if a power drop is necessary. Maybe you don’t need one for a DJ, but you do with a band, and that $800 swing just helped your decision making process. Our Venue Cost Calculator always takes power into account when comparing venues!
- H4 Damage Waiver: When you’re shopping for rentals online, some companies will show their pricing. Before you get too swept away falling in love with that $14 chair, note that nearly all rental companies will charge a damage waiver (in addition to delivery fees, labor fees, and sales tax). The damage waiver is typically 10% to 12%. So if you’re looking at two venues and can’t decide between them, but one includes chairs and the other one doesn’t, do the math before you book. Ask a rental company to put an order together for you so you can see the true cost. Or better yet, become a WeddingScout member, because we do it for you with our super-detailed Venue Cost Calculator.
- H4 Production Fees: This is a big number, often 20% and it applies to larger items such as tents, dancefloors, carpeting and vinyl installations. Same as the chair analogy above, if you’re comparing two venues and one comes with a stage and dance floor, that’s a huge savings for your bottom line.
Building Your Wedding Day Timeline
“Time-Specific”
Definition: Time-specific delivery fees are important to take into account when building your wedding budget, and your venue’s rules play a large part.
Practical Use + Tips: Unless you are getting married at a turn-key hotel or resort, you are likely bringing in some rental items (linens, china, glassware, stage, etc.). The more restrictive your venue is on timing, the more it’s going to cost you.
Most standard delivery fees for Austin venues are going to be under $200. No big deal, right? Wrong. I very rarely have clean and simple standard delivery times.
Most venues will allow access to the site for 8 to 13 hours on average. Every extra hour you can give to your rental team to deliver and set up is going to save you money. However, if you need them to deliver your items between 2pm and 4pm, that two-hour window is going to cost you 2.5x your standard delivery fee.
All of the rental companies have slightly different numbers, but here is a good rule-of-thumb:
- 4 hour window (1.5x delivery fee) = $300
- 3 hour window (2x delivery fee) = $400
- 2 hour window (2.5x delivery fee) = $500
- 1 hour window (3x delivery fee) = $600
“After-Hours”
Definition: This is another little two word phrase that can cost you a lot. After-hours fees apply when you have pickup or delivery of rentals outside of their standard business hours.
Practical Use + Tips: You may assume that event rental companies have long weekend hours, and you would be wrong. Standard delivery hours are typically Monday – Friday 9am to 4pm, and Saturday 8am to 2pm. That’s right…2pm. Some venues, particularly museums, don’t even let you access the property until 2pm. So no matter how you build your wedding day timeline, there is going to be an additional $400 after-hours fee.
Another common example is late-night-pickup. Venues often require you to remove everything from the premises the night of your wedding. They either have another event coming in the next day, or they simply want the space to look nice and tidy when giving tours to other potential clients.
Late-night-pickup is typically around $400. When building your timeline, it can never hurt to ask the venue if Monday pickup is an option. Better yet, try to negotiate that into your contract upfront!
Venue Walkthrough
Definition: After you’ve drafted your wedding day timeline, it’s important to do a walkthrough onsite with the key players (typically your wedding planner, venue manager and sometimes the caterer).
Practical Use + Tips: Check your venue contract to make sure you can have a two-hour access period to the venue in the months leading up to the wedding. Some venues actually require it, others simply leave it up to you. I think it’s always a good idea and I’ve never executed a wedding for a client without doing a walkthrough.
I recommend physically and linearly walking the venue according to the timeline. Start with when and where you arrive onsite, where you go, and literally walk through the events of the day. It’s ideal to do this with the venue manager, as they can provide tips and ideas that you may not have thought of.
Ren Newey and wedding client during final walkthrough | Images by Ashlee Newman Photography
Planning Around Weather
Rain Plan
Definition: Your plan B incase of inclement weather.
Practical Use + Tips: While I can write on this subject for hours, especially as it pertains to venue selection, I’ll stick to the highlights here.
When I’m building out a client’s timeline and layout I have a plan A, plan B, and plan C.
- Plan A is our “shine plan”. Perfect ideal weather.
- Plan B is our “eh, not too bad but iffy plan”. Rain forecast is at or above 30% and we will need to watch the hour-by-hour forecast to make final decisions.
- Plan C is “worst case scenario”. Storms with heavy rain, or light rain, but all weekend.
When it comes to Plan B, always prioritize covering your caterer and musicians. If there is a chance of rain, they should always be covered. I will never forget the one wedding where despite a friendly forecast one dark pesky cloud opened up at the start of dinner and dumped heavy rain on us for 30 seconds. That was it. 30 seconds and the band had to grab as much equipment as they could and run for cover. Everything was wet and they couldn’t plug back in. One cloud shut down the band.
Like I said, even experienced wedding planners can learn lessons from time to time. Unless there is zero chance of rain, I always cover the band.
A quick Central Texas rain shower at The Contemporary Austin Laguna Gloria | Photos by Ruet Photography
Groundcover
Definition: Any plant or rock base that protects the topsoil from erosion or turning into mud.
Practical Use + Tips: If you have ever been to ACL Fest, you know what I’m talking about here. Did you know the City of Austin closes Zilker Park before and after ACL Fest for lawn maintenance? Crews will work on aeration, irrigation and applying different nutrients so that it can withstand the thousands of people walking around all weekend. Venues aren’t that different. They suffer a lot of wear and tear.
Turf grass is your friend. I will never forget when the Four Seasons Austin installed turf grass for the first time. It looks green and lush year-round and will never leave your guests’ feet muddy. It’s a game changer for your rain plan.
So if you’re trying to choose between two outdoor venues, give an extra few checks in the “pro” category for venues like Woodbine Mansion who have adopted the turf-grass strategy. It’s never fun waking up to a rain report on your wedding day, but knowing you don’t have to worry about mud can make or break your wedding experience.
Transitional Walkways
Definition: Landscape design details that take into account the guests’ transition between events.
Practical Use + Tips: A common mistake at outdoor weddings is thinking that a tent is going to save you from the rain. How people enter and exit the tent is often overlooked and that’s where we end up with guests sloshing through the same worn-down path and puddles.
When you are touring venues, look down.
Most weddings will have guests move from ceremony, to cocktail hour, and then reception. Ideally you want a rock or cement raised walkway. Imagine the women at your wedding wearing $400 heels. If rock and grass are the only options, be sure to manage the guests expectations in advance of the wedding.
Woodbine Mansion expertly combines turf grass with tile and rock pathways to ensure every wedding is picture-perfect | Images by Two Pair Photography
Evacuation Plan
Definition: Your Plan C for worst case scenario.
Practical Use + Tips: I’ve been planning weddings for 15 years in Central Texas and I’ve seen some wild weather: flash flooding that washed out roads to venues, a small tornado that ripped off the roof of a church the morning of the wedding, and rain so heavy the sail-cloth tent was minutes from collapsing.
Imagine your outdoor wedding in a lightning storm. Do you really want 200 of your closest family and friends standing under a metal tent? The rental company that sold you the tent isn’t responsible for your plan, and neither is the venue. It’s going to be up to you, as the host of the event, to have another plan, which usually means booking an indoor venue or restaurant at the last minute.
Remember that a tent cannot protect your guests from high winds and flying debris, and high winds may cause a tent to become flying debris.
Event Insurance
Definition: An insurance policy that protects your investment and may cover costs if you are found liable for an injury to an attendee, are responsible for property damage, or have to cancel or postpone your wedding.
Practical Use + Tips: Spring wedding season in 2020 provided a crash-course in event insurance for many in the industry. I remember a specific day that spring when the news reports were using the phrase, “brace for impact” and I immediately texted all of my clients to increase their event insurance packages asap. Only one of my clients did, and I’m proud to say that she was fully reimbursed for the deposits she had already made on wedding expenses.
These days I don’t imagine you will find an insurance package that covers pandemics, but there are plenty of other reasons to have insurance, and it typically costs just a few hundred dollars.
Certificate of Insurance
Definition: A Certificate of Insurance is a vendor’s proof of a valid insurance policy. Many venues require all of your vendors to have a $1m coverage COI.
Practical Use + Tips: I think it’s extremely smart for venues to require this insurance. If you’re hosting an event on a private property, or your home, it’s even more important to require every vendor to provide proof of insurance.
For one, things happen. I remember watching the night-vision security tapes of a catering truck driver who took too tight of a turn on his way out. It was close to midnight and his giant box truck slammed into the beautiful stone entrance gate. Fortunately their insurance company covered the thousands of dollars in damage to the electric gate and stone work.
Secondly, proof of insurance is evidence of an established professional compared to someone just getting started or testing the waters. Don’t trust your wedding investment with vendors who don’t take their businesses seriously.
Types of Venues
Generally speaking, there are three types of venues to consider for your wedding day.
Hotels / Resorts
Definition: Wedding venues or spaces that are part of a larger hotel or resort.
Practical Use + Tips: There are many benefits to hosting your event at an experienced hotel or resort.
- Turn-key experience for rentals, catering, bar, parking and more
- Large ballrooms for last minute rain plan
- Often come with stage and dance floor
- Experienced staff who are familiar with how weddings operate best
- Kitchens and staff who can serve hundreds of guests quickly
- Onsite lodging for your guests
- Perks such as complimentary hotel room the night of your wedding
- Space to enjoy a day of glam time with your friends
The biggest down-side is that you have less control over food and alcohol. Hotels and resorts will require you to use their services for catering and bar and establish a food and beverage minimum (“F&B min”). This is where they make their money. Often charging just a few thousand dollars in venue fees, their revenue model is based on the upcharge for food and alcohol. Event venues have a different revenue model…
Colorful downtown wedding at South Congress Hotel | Photos by The Nichols Photography
Event Venues
Definition: Event venues are buildings or properties designed to host events. They can be family-owned and operated, part of a larger non-profit or museum organization, or run by a larger company that specializes in managing event venues.
Practical Use + Tips: There are many benefits to hosting your event at an event venue.
- Flexibility in picking your vendors, including catering, bar and rentals
- Unique features for couples who don’t want a cookie-cutter wedding
- Privacy on your wedding day (not sharing the space with hundreds of hotel guests)
- Flexibility in guest count, as you’re not beholden to an F&B minimum
The biggest downside is that you need to be much more involved in planning, or hire a wedding planner. You will want expert coaching on how much alcohol to order, which catering company is the best for your vision and budget, and how to plan for and rent tents, dancefloors, and staging. In short, it’s not a turn-key experience.
Private Dining & Restaurants
Definition: Restaurants that provide the option of a full or partial buy-out.
Practical Use + Tips: My clients are often surprised to learn that I bought out a restaurant for my wedding reception. This is a great option if you’re getting married in a church, small chapel, or a park and just need a location for the reception.
- Benefit of a turn-key experience with the privacy of a private event space
- Select a restaurant that represents you and your partner’s style and preferences
- Big rentals are taken care of: tables, chairs, linens, china, glassware, etc.
- All of the bar staff, ice, mixers and garnishes are taken care of
- Great location, as most restaurants are located downtown, or central
- Parking or valet is either already planned out, or your guests can rideshare
The primary downside is lack of ceremony location and overall aesthetic. Most restaurants don’t have a ton of outdoor space, so you’re not going to get that garden-vibe or epic Hill Country sunsets. There are always trade-offs, and you have to pick what works best for you!
Ancillary Events
Rehearsal Dinner
Definition: A pre-wedding celebration that typically takes place the night before the wedding ceremony, after the rehearsal. It’s a time for the couple and their families and friends to gather, enjoy each other’s company, and kick off the wedding weekend.
Practical Use + Tips: The history of the rehearsal dinner dates back to when the families of the couple would meet for the first time before the wedding. The bride’s family hosted the wedding, and the groom’s family hosted the rehearsal dinner. In modern days, there are no rules! The goal is to have an established time and location for family and friends to mingle before the wedding celebration.
- Timing: It doesn’t have to be dinner. Consider a less expensive brunch, bar-b-cue lunch, or reserve space at a brewery.
- Attendees: Historically families invited the wedding party and out of town guests. That has changed and we are seeing more and more “rehearsal dinners” that are as large as the wedding itself.
- Hosting: It is customary, but not obligatory, for the groom’s family to host. I see approximately 1/2 of our rehearsal dinners hosted by the groom’s family, and ½ hosted by a combination of the families, including the bride and groom.
- Atmosphere: These dinners are almost always less formal than the wedding. You typically don’t want to “upstage” the wedding day.
- Toasts: Speeches are still very common, and most people think of the toasts as the primary activity of the dinner. Plan ahead for AV and microphones and either set a list of who is providing toasts, or do an open mic. If you are doing an open-mic, be sure to appoint someone as emcee and have a cut-off time.
Beautiful rehearsal dinner setup at Parkside on Sixth Street in Austin, Texas | Images by Cory Ryan
Welcome Party
Definition: A post-rehearsal dinner event that’s less intimate and provides a place for all guests who are in town to get together.
Practical Use + Tips: As weddings have become more and more expensive and lavish, so too have rehearsal dinners. A way of keeping costs at bay, is to host a small and intimate rehearsal dinner earlier in the evening, followed by a more casual welcome party where everyone is invited.
There are some venues in Austin that are ideal for this Dinner-Turned-Welcome concept. Imagine a small dinner that’s just the wedding party, then closing the toasts out and transitioning to another room, or large balcony space for the next event.
See here for detailed pricing and photos of our favorite spots.
Farewell Brunch
Definition: The final event of a wedding weekend where guests bid farewell to the couple and express their thanks to the hosts.
Practical Use + Tips: The farewell brunch used to be an event we only planned for high-end luxury weddings with big budgets. What’s another hosted event if money isn’t a concern? It’s common to host these in a conference room at your hotel or resort.
These days couples are getting creative. I’ve had many couples host the day-after brunch at their own houses, bringing in breakfast tacos, coffee and mimosas. It can be a sweet casual way of saying goodbye (and hearing stories from the night before). Think of it as an end-cap to your wedding weekend and feel free to get creative.
If you are hosting your event at a hotel or resort, ask about comping your guests’ breakfast, or allowing the host to cover breakfast at a discounted rate. At an Omni Barton Creek wedding recently, the hosts provided breakfast tickets for those staying at the resort and shared the tickets with a note explaining the bride and groom would be in the restaurant from 10am to 12pm, so stop by and say “farewell”. This gave the guests freedom to check out of their rooms at 11am and come down for brunch. Meanwhile the couple and their parents didn’t have to do anything to prepare, other than simply be there!
Remember many of your guests will be catching flights that day, so I recommend a come-and-go approach where people can stop by for a coffee and a taco on their way to the airport. Encourage “travel wear” attire and appoint someone the night before to grab a few floral arrangements from the wedding to decorate the farewell event.
Bridal Luncheon
Definition: Traditionally the bridal luncheon was a brunch or afternoon tea hosted by someone in the family, such as a God-mother or aunt. It was an opportunity for the bride to say thank you for the support of her attendants and often give them a small gift. In modern days, it’s more common to host this event on the wedding day during glam-time.
Practical Use + Tips: As every aspect of the wedding industry has become more over-the-top, so too has hair and makeup. As a result, your wedding attendants are often spending five or six hours together getting ready before the ceremony starts. This is a great time to treat them to brunch and mimosas, and give them a gift.
Warning– if you are hosting your wedding at a hotel or resort, expect to pay 3x for brunch, mimosas and coffee. It’s just the way it works. However, it’s common for aunts or friends of the mother of the bride to offer to foot this bill. Oftentimes the hotel will simply bill it to their room (once confirmed in writing). So if someone in your family is asking for a way to contribute and support the couple, keep this in mind!
The most common gift we see lately is the gift of professional hair and/or makeup. If you have a large wedding party, it gets expensive very quickly. Assume approximately $100 per service. My clients with the largest and most expensive weddings will cover professional hair and makeup for their wedding party, but it’s always a discussion and I always build it into the budget from the beginning. It’s most common for the bride to offer either hair or makeup, and let the wedding party pay for the additional service if they want both.
The bottom line from an etiquette perspective is this: If you are requiring your wedding party to get professional hair or makeup, you need to pay for it. If you aren’t paying for it, then these services should be optional.
Coordinators and Planners
Venue Manager / Event Manager
Definition: The person responsible for confirming final timelines and layouts before the wedding weekend. They will often remind you of venue rules, provide tips or insight as to how events run at that venue, and confirm that your final venue payments are made.
Practical Use + Tips: Larger wedding venues may have a venue manager, sales manager and event manager. Sometimes all three roles are rolled into one person.
If you stay in the industry long enough, you will see venues experiment with offering in-house coordinating services. They are looking for alternative revenue sources and these programs nearly always fail. The coordinators are loaded up with too much to do, become burned out, and often leave. It’s a training ground for aspiring wedding planners and involves brutal hours.
If you can afford it, you should always hire your own coordinator who represents you, not the venue.
Manager on Duty (MOD)
Definition: At an event venue, this is the person responsible for tracking the safety and cleanliness of the property, including making sure every wedding is following the venue’s rules.
Practical Use + Tips: As a wedding planner, I love these people (and if you treat them well, they will turn a blind eye when you need them to)! Always have your caterer include the MOD as part of the vendor meals. They work late hours every weekend and this simple gesture goes a long way, especially if you’re needing to bend a rule or two.
The manager on duty is not responsible for your event. They are there to protect the venue and make sure things don’t get out of control. They are the people who will require the bar to stop serving your drunk uncle, or call the cops if things are getting too rowdy. They’re also the people who will lovingly offer to drive the golf cart to help your grandma to her seat, or turn down the air conditioner even though all the exterior doors are open.
They can sprinkle fairy dust on your wedding, or bring down the hammer. Be good to them.
Day-of Coordinator
Definition: An experienced event planner who comes in to assist you close to your wedding date and becomes the primary point of contact and “conductor” of your wedding day.
Practical Use + Tips: Every wedding planner who reads this will say, “ugh– there is no such thing as a day-of coordinator”. I agree, but the jargon still exists so it must be addressed.
If you really want someone to come on the day of your wedding to handle a few projects, what you really need is a warm body you can boss around. If you want someone experienced to come in and take the reins so you can enjoy the day, you’re looking for an “event management” package from a wedding planner, or a coordinator who will come in one to two months before the wedding.
I respect that wedding budgets vary greatly and not everyone can afford a planner. The event management planners that I recommend to family and friends are a minimum of $2,500, usually $3k. You might get lucky with an extremely dedicated type-A person trying to cut their teeth in wedding planning. I was that girl in my twenties. Those clients were lucky as hell! I also remember the exact wedding where I came home to my husband and said, “I’ll never do another wedding for $1k again”. If the aspiring planner is good at what they do, they’ll do ten to twenty weddings before they set a reasonable minimum for their services.
Ren Newey setting up for a wedding at Mattie’s Green Pastures | Photos by Cory Ryan Photography
Wedding Planner
Definition: A person whose profession is the planning, design, and organization of weddings. See also, hopelessly romantic type-A people pleasers.
Practical Use + Tips: Oh where to begin…
As it relates to wedding venues, some venues require that you hire a planner. This is for self-preservation, making it clear their staff are not your planners. They will often provide a list of planners they recommend. If it’s a more difficult venue in regards to setup times, strict rules, or if you have to bring everything in, it’s important to stick to their recommended list. If it’s a turn-key straightforward venue, like a hotel or resort, experience isn’t as paramount.
In my experience, the hardest weddings to plan for and execute well are personal residences or erecting a tent in a field on someone’s ranch. The easiest venues are resorts and hotels. Think about that from your perspective of hosting a wedding. The harder it is, the more support you need.