You’ve asked and we’ve answered! Welcome to your weekly column ‘Planning Your Happily Ever After’ with wedding consultant Shikima Hinds.

Never too old to learn.

I had a statement made to me by one of my planning assistants during a recent wedding set-up and I had no clue what she meant. In my mind, I had just another “Oh, Shiki, you’re getting old” moment… I humbly asked what she was talking about. I was quickly schooled on another modern term and phase… specifically to wedding social trends.

So let me help bring everyone else up to speed with these modern wedding terms, many of which were created in the COVID era.

A

Anniversary reception: A party held on a married couple’s wedding anniversary in lieu of a traditional reception on their actual wedding day. This gives couples the opportunity to creatively celebrate their would-have-been-wedding at a later date.

B

Bistro lighting: Often also called café lighting, it is a popular lighting option for weddings. This type of lighting involves a string of bare bulbs dangling from them at even intervals. They are most popular throughout the entire outdoor reception space, a tent or dance floor. This type of lighting creates a warm glow in your space!

C

Change the date: A notice telling your guests the new date and location for your wedding. The popularity and need for this notification arose because of the novel coronavirus pandemic, weddings have been postponed en masse — sometimes even more than once.

Charger plate: A charger plate, also known as a “charger”, is a large, decorative plate that’s used underneath other dinnerware. Guests never eat off this plate directly, but rather the plate stays under the salad or dinner plate. It’s purely decorative.

F

First Look: A first look is a moment during the wedding day when the bride and groom see each other for the first time. The first look allows couples to share this special moment together in a more private setting. Unlike traditional weddings where the couple plans to see each other during the ceremony.

Force Majeure: This term translated means “great force” or an “act of God,” and is a clause that appears in contracts and refers to any unforeseen events related to the day of the wedding. More often than not, this clause previously applied to weather-related events and other liabilities; with COVID, however, this term is continuously used by couples drafting new contracts.

G

Grandmillennial wedding: It refers to a young person who embraces retro fashions and décor styles. They are typically in their early ’20s through the late ’30s with a great appreciation for their grandparents’ style with a modern twist. In a nutshell, Grandmillennial style is granny chic. It celebrates unexpected texture blends, antique furniture, floral patterns, and bold colours that when combined with a millennial’s modern spin creates a very eclectic yet romantic style.

Ghost chairs: These are chairs made entirely out of clear polycarbonate and are often called the clear acrylic chairs. They bring an elevated modern twist event design. They are available in a few different designs, which it makes a versatile, elegant, and contemporary seating choice for any wedding.

Garland: Garlands are strands of greenery and flowers that are used to dress up surfaces at weddings. They can lie on reception tables, draped on the bar, or strung through chandeliers and whatever else you can imagine.

Gobo lighting: Gobos are stencils that are placed on the front of lights to create patterns that are projected onto the walls and ceiling to create a more immersive feel for a wedding ceremony. They may be the couple’s names, logo, shape, or graphic design to complement the wedding décor. It’s often projected on a large wall or dance floor.

Golden hour: The golden hour can be witnessed at two times during the day; the first hour after sunrise and the last hour before sunset.

Sunset is often the best time to take wedding photos, as the sun is at its lowest point in the sky, producing soft, diffused light which is far more flattering.

H

Hashtag: This is a way to group together conversations or content around a certain topic, making it easy for people to find content that interests them. Couples usually come up with a hashtag shortly after they become engaged and document the engagement, wedding planning, and actual wedding with their hashtag. Your wedding hashtag is an efficient way to keep track of all the photos that your bridal party and guests take along the journey. A great way to remember these social media photos is in a custom wedding album, you can include the captions and comments that your loved ones wrote and keep them in one convenient place.

L

Latermoon: A honeymoon reserved for a later date; often, this type of honeymoon is preceded by a minimoon.

M

Minimoon: This romantic getaway is when a couple travels to a more easily accessible locale for a shorter period of time. If you’re strapped for cash or don’t have time to take a long vacation away from work, a minimoon is a fantastic take on the traditional honeymoon.

S

Shot list: Shot list is a buzzword that refers to a list of photos you want your photographer to capture on the big day.

Sweetheart table: A dining table reserved for just the happy couple. A sweetheart table is an alternative to the more traditional head table, which typically seated the bride, groom, wedding party, and sometimes parents and immediate family members.

Signature cocktail: A specialty drink chosen just for the wedding. The recipe or name often has meaning for the couple. Couples can design their own cocktail for their special day which can be a great way of celebrating their happy occasion.

W

Wedding Party: This term is used to encompass the bride, groom, and their attendants.

Walk-Through: This is a pre-wedding tour of the vendor to make sure everything is right for you before the big day. This is often called a site visit.

Y

Your day! Fulfil your wishes and dreams and be sure to go with your heart when making big decisions. No matter how many people you have to help you plan your wedding, you must remember that it’s your day.

Z

Zero stress: Stay cool, calm, and focused throughout your wedding planning experience. It’s easier said than done.