Wedding Lingo

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OMG!! LOL, YOLO! 

We're all savvy with the usual acronyms and online lingo. However, when it comes to weddings, there's a whole new set of acronyms and lingo used. It certainly took me a little while to figure out what they meant and get used to it. Below is a quick list of some terms and acronyms you'll probably come across during your wedding planning process.

• BM - abbreviation used for 'bridesmaid'.
• BP - Bridal party
• DW - Destination wedding
• FBIL - Future brother-in-law
• FFIL - Future father-in-law
• FG - Flower girl
• FH - Future husband
• FOB - Father of the bride
• FOG - Father of the groom
• FSIL - Future sister-in-law
• GM - Groomsmen
• GP - Grandparent
• Boutonnire - Not just for prom! This is a tiny flower arrangement usually attached to the left lapel of the jacket. Boutonnieres can be worn by grooms, attendants, ushers, and the bride's and groom's fathers. 
• Ceremony - This is the part of the wedding when the bride walks down the aisle and the couple exchange vows. 
• Cake Table - Throughout the reception, the wedding cake should stand pretty atop a beautifully adorned table. Generally, the table is located in a special location adjacent to the bandstand or stage. After dinner has been enjoyed, the bride and groom will take part in the traditional cutting of the cake at the cake table.
• Catering Station - Instead of having a sit-down affair where waiters serve dinner to guests, food stations can be set up. Also commonly called a buffet, you can choose to have different ethnic foods at various tables.
• Center Piece - The decoration/attraction in the middle of each table. It's usually a floral arrangement, but can definitely be a candle arrangement, or whatever the bride and groom wants it to be. 
• Chafing Dish - A dish used to keep hot foods warm before or during serving. Also often called food warmers, these dishes can either be kept warm by cooking fuel lamps or electricity.
• Charger Plate - A large decorative plate, almost platter-sized, placed under the entrée and salad plate to add color to your reception tables. A beautiful gold or silver leaf charger can add formality and flare to a simple table. It can also be a further way to incorporate your wedding color palette into your reception table.

Choosing the Venue

One of the first things H and I did even before we settled on a wedding date was start visiting venues. These places go quickly, especially if you're looking to have a wedding during the prime wedding seasons (i.e., late spring through early fall). Therefore, my advice would be to start looking at venues early. Now, do note that if you're planning to have a traditional Chinese wedding, the below won't apply as much as these weddings are normally just held at a Chinese restaurant. Therefore, the main things to consider is really just whether you like the restaurant and how much they cost per table.

What I had done to jump start this process was buy a book all about the different venues available in my region. The guide I had was very comprehensive, albeit a little dated with regards to its pricing information. Nonetheless, this was a great starting point to figuring out the relative prices of each location, as well as where the venues were, what a sample menu looked like, capacity, and photos. Using this magazine, I narrowed down the venues of choice to about 10-15. My wonderful maid of honor helped me conduct some online research on each one to help us narrow down the selection to just 5-7 potential venues. After this, we contacted each venue to book an appointment to visit.

Venues we visited:


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• Jericho Terrace
• Chateau Briand
• Greentree Country Club
• Dyker Beach Golf Course
• Marina Del Rey
• The Inn at New Hyde Park
• The Fountainhead