How to use this glossary
Each term is defined as it appears on paper, followed by what to check in your own contract, quote or invoice. The wording of your contract decides what a term means for your booking; where a question turns on the law in your state, a qualified attorney licensed there can tell you.
Additional insured
An additional insured is a person or business added to someone else’s insurance policy for a particular event or period. A venue may require each vendor to name the venue as an additional insured on the vendor’s certificate of insurance.
What to check: Read the venue’s exact wording for the name, address and coverage it asks for, and pass it to each vendor with the date it is due.
Go deeper: What is a certificate of insurance for a wedding vendor?
Administrative fee
An administrative fee is a charge a venue or caterer adds for arranging the event, sometimes calculated as a percentage and sometimes as a flat amount. Its name alone does not say whether any of it goes to the staff who serve you.
What to check: Ask in writing what the fee covers, what it is calculated on, and whether any portion is paid to staff.
Go deeper: Service charge vs gratuity at a wedding: is it a tip?
Amendment (addendum)
An amendment or addendum is a later document that changes or adds to a signed contract, such as a new guest count, an added hour or a changed date. Once signed, it is part of the agreement you compare invoices against.
What to check: Keep each amendment with the contract it changes, and check the invoice against the latest signed version rather than the original.
Go deeper: Wedding contract checklist: what to check before you sign · Wedding invoice: what to check before you pay it
Balance due (final payment)
The balance due is what remains of the contract total after the payments already made, payable by the date the contract sets. The due date is set by the contract and can fall days or weeks before the wedding.
What to check: Confirm the deposit and each installment are credited before paying, and put the due date on your calendar.
Go deeper: Wedding payment schedule: a template and how to build it · Wedding invoice: what to check before you pay it
Cake-cutting fee
A cake-cutting fee is a charge a venue or caterer adds for cutting and serving a cake made by an outside baker, stated per person or as a flat amount.
What to check: Check whether the fee applies to your cake, whether it is per person, and whether plates and forks are included.
Go deeper: Wedding catering proposal: what it includes, line by line
Cancellation schedule
A cancellation schedule is the part of a contract that says what you owe, or what the vendor keeps, if you cancel by a given date. It is set out as dates or periods before the event, each with an amount or percentage.
What to check: Write the dates into your calendar and work out what would be at stake at each one before you sign.
Go deeper: Are wedding deposits refundable? How to check your contract
Card processing fee
A card processing fee, or convenience fee, is a percentage a vendor adds when you pay by credit card rather than by check or bank transfer.
What to check: Check the rate and the payment methods it applies to before choosing how to pay each installment.
Go deeper: Wedding payment schedule: a template and how to build it
Certificate of insurance (COI)
A certificate of insurance is a one-page summary, issued by an insurer or broker, showing that a vendor holds liability insurance, for how much and for what dates. Venues can require one from each outside vendor before the event.
What to check: List which vendors owe a certificate, the date it is due, and the wording the venue requires on it.
Go deeper: What is a certificate of insurance for a wedding vendor?
Children’s meal
A children’s meal is a menu or per-person price a caterer sets for guests under a stated age. The contract says the age limit and whether children count toward the guest count and any minimum.
What to check: Check the age band, the price, and whether children are included in the final count you submit.
Go deeper: Do kids count in the wedding headcount? Children's meals
Contingency (budget)
A contingency is an amount you set aside in your own budget for costs not yet known, such as overtime, a changed guest count or a late fee. You decide its size; it is not a vendor charge.
What to check: Keep it as its own row in your budget and record what you draw from it and why.
Go deeper: Wedding budget spreadsheet template: how to make one
Corkage fee
A corkage fee is a charge for serving wine or other alcohol that you supply rather than buy from the venue or caterer, stated per bottle or per person.
What to check: Check whether outside alcohol is allowed at all, how the fee is counted, and whether it counts toward any minimum.
Go deeper: Wedding catering proposal: what it includes, line by line
Damage waiver
A damage waiver is an optional or required charge on a rental order, stated as a percentage or flat amount, that limits what you pay if rented items are damaged. Its limits are set by the rental company’s own terms.
What to check: Read what the waiver excludes, such as loss or stains, and what you would still owe.
Go deeper: Wedding venue inclusions: what you still need to rent
Date-change fee
A date-change fee is a charge for moving a booked event to a new date, set out in a postponement clause. The clause may also set how long a new date can be held and whether current prices apply.
What to check: Compare the date-change terms with the cancellation terms before deciding which to use.
Go deeper: What is a wedding postponement clause? What to check
Day-of coordinator
A day-of coordinator is hired to manage the wedding day itself and the lead-up the contract describes, as distinct from a planner hired to plan from the start. The contract’s scope decides when their work begins and what it covers.
What to check: Check the start date of their involvement, the hours on the day, and whether the rehearsal is included.
Deposit
A deposit is a payment made when you book that is applied to the contract total. Whether any of it can be returned depends on the contract’s own wording and cancellation terms.
What to check: Check that the contract says the deposit is credited toward the total, and find the clause that says what happens to it if you cancel.
Go deeper: Are wedding deposits refundable? How to check your contract · Wedding payment schedule: a template and how to build it
Design fee
A design fee is a charge a florist or decorator adds for design work, stated as a flat amount or as a percentage of other items. When it is a percentage, the lines it is calculated on decide its size.
What to check: Ask which lines the percentage is calculated on and whether delivery, setup and labour are inside that base.
Go deeper: Wedding florist proposal: design, delivery and setup fees
Exclusive vendor list
An exclusive vendor list names the only vendors a venue allows for a service, such as catering. A preferred list recommends vendors without requiring them; the venue contract says which kind it is.
What to check: Find whether the list is required, and what it costs to bring someone not on it.
Go deeper: What is an outside vendor fee at a wedding venue?
Final guest count (guarantee)
The final guest count, sometimes called the guarantee, is the number of guests you commit to by a set date, and per-person charges are billed on it. Some contracts bill the guarantee even if fewer guests attend.
What to check: Put the deadline on your calendar and check whether vendor meals and children count toward the number.
Go deeper: Wedding final headcount: when it is due and who counts
First right of refusal
A first right of refusal is wording in a hold that lets you decide first if another client asks for your date, within the number of days the hold states. Its exact terms are set by the venue.
What to check: Get the hold in writing, with how you will be contacted and how long you have to answer.
Go deeper: What is a date hold at a wedding venue? How holds work
Food and beverage minimum
A food and beverage minimum is the least a venue requires you to spend on food and drink for the event. If your order comes to less, the contract says what happens to the difference, such as a shortfall charge.
What to check: Ask whether service charge and tax count toward the minimum, and what is charged if you fall short.
Go deeper: What is a food and beverage minimum for a wedding? · How to compare wedding venues and quotes side by side
Force majeure
Force majeure is contract wording about events outside either party’s control, such as severe weather or government orders, and what happens to the booking if one occurs. What it covers depends entirely on the words in your contract.
What to check: Read which events are listed, what notice is required, and whether it leads to postponement, credit or refund. For what it means where you live, ask a qualified attorney licensed in your state.
Go deeper: What is a wedding postponement clause? What to check
Garage-to-garage
Garage-to-garage is transportation contract wording that bills time from when the vehicle leaves the company’s base until it returns, rather than only the time you ride.
What to check: Check whether billing is garage-to-garage or from pickup to drop-off, and add travel time to your estimate.
Go deeper: How does wedding transportation work? Limo contract terms
Gratuity
A gratuity is a tip for the people who serve you. In a contract it may appear as a suggested amount you choose to pay, or as a mandatory charge, and the wording decides which.
What to check: Check whether the contract calls the gratuity mandatory or discretionary before planning separate tips.
Go deeper: Service charge vs gratuity at a wedding: is it a tip?
Highlight film
A highlight film is a short edited video of the wedding, listed in a videographer’s contract with its approximate length, alongside any longer edits or raw footage.
What to check: Check the stated length, what else is delivered, and the delivery date.
Go deeper: What should be in a wedding videographer contract?
Idle time
Idle time is a charge for a vendor’s time on site when they are not actively providing the service, such as a photo booth set up but paused during dinner.
What to check: Ask whether idle time is billed and at what rate, and plan the service hours to match your timeline.
Go deeper: Wedding photo booth rental: what the contract should say
Load-in and load-out
Load-in is when a vendor may bring equipment into the venue and set up; load-out is when it must be removed. Both are set by the venue’s access hours, and vendors can charge for time outside them.
What to check: Match each vendor’s setup and removal times to the venue’s access window on your run sheet.
Go deeper: Wedding DJ and band contract: what to check before signing · Wedding vendor handoff: week-of checklist and contact sheet
Marriage license
A marriage license is the government document that authorizes the marriage, issued by a local office before the ceremony. The requirements and deadlines are set where it is issued.
What to check: Check the issuing office’s rules directly, and agree with your officiant who returns the signed license and when.
Go deeper: Wedding officiant agreement: what to include and ask
Outside vendor fee
An outside vendor fee is a charge a venue adds when you bring in a vendor it does not supply or list, stated as a flat amount, per person or as a percentage.
What to check: Add the fee to that vendor’s quote before comparing it with the venue’s own option.
Go deeper: What is an outside vendor fee at a wedding venue?
Overtime
Overtime is time a vendor or venue works past the hours in the contract, billed at a stated rate and increment, such as per hour or per half hour.
What to check: Note each overtime rate and who is allowed to approve extra time on the day.
Go deeper: Wedding vendor overtime charges: how overtime works
Per-person pricing (and "++")
Per-person pricing states a cost for each guest, multiplied by the guest count. A price written with "++", for example $95++, is stated before service charge and tax are added.
What to check: Multiply the per-person price by your count, then add the service charge and tax on the base the contract names.
Go deeper: Wedding catering proposal: what it includes, line by line · How to compare wedding venues and quotes side by side
Price escalation clause
A price escalation clause allows a vendor to change the price after you book, for example if menu costs rise or the event moves to a later year. Its wording sets what can change, by how much, and with what notice.
What to check: Look for words such as "subject to change" and ask for the price to be held in writing.
Proposal (quote)
A proposal or quote is a vendor’s offer of services and prices, which may expire on a stated date. A brochure or price list describes options; a proposal prices a particular event; a signed contract records what was agreed.
What to check: Check the proposal’s expiry date and compare the contract you sign against the proposal you accepted.
Go deeper: How to compare wedding venues and quotes side by side · Can a wedding vendor raise prices after booking?
Rain plan (weather call)
A rain plan is the backup arrangement for an outdoor event, and the weather call is the agreed time by which you decide whether to use it. The venue contract may set the space, the fee and the deadline.
What to check: Write down the backup space, any fee, and who makes the weather call and by when.
Go deeper: Outdoor wedding rain plan: how to set a backup plan
Raw footage
Raw footage is the unedited video a videographer records. A contract says whether it is delivered, in what format, and whether it costs extra.
What to check: Check whether raw footage is included and how long the videographer keeps a copy.
Go deeper: What should be in a wedding videographer contract?
Retainer
A retainer is a payment that reserves a vendor’s date. Some contracts treat it as part of the total and others as a separate booking charge, and the contract’s wording decides which.
What to check: Check that the retainer appears as a credit on later invoices, and read what the contract says happens to it if you cancel.
Go deeper: Are wedding deposits refundable? How to check your contract · Wedding invoice: what to check before you pay it
RSVP date
The RSVP date is the date you ask guests to reply by. Setting it before your earliest vendor final-count deadline leaves time to chase late replies and finish seating.
What to check: Work back from the earliest final-count deadline in your contracts, not from the wedding date.
Go deeper: When should a wedding RSVP deadline be? How to set it · Wedding final headcount: when it is due and who counts
Run sheet (timeline)
A run sheet is the timed plan for the wedding day that tells each vendor where to be, when, and who to ask. It is where contract times such as access hours, performance hours and meal breaks come together.
What to check: Build it from the times in each contract, then share each vendor only the part that concerns them.
Go deeper: Wedding vendor handoff: week-of checklist and contact sheet · Do you have to feed wedding vendors? Meals and breaks
Second shooter
A second shooter is an additional photographer who works alongside the lead photographer, listed in the contract as included or as an added charge.
What to check: Check the hours the second shooter works and whether they have their own meal and overtime terms.
Go deeper: What should be in a wedding photographer contract?
Security deposit (damage deposit)
A security or damage deposit is money a venue or rental company holds against damage or extra cleaning, returned in whole or part after the event under the conditions in the contract. It is separate from the booking deposit.
What to check: Read the return conditions and timeline, and photograph the space before and after.
Go deeper: Wedding venue security deposit: how to get it back · What to do after your wedding: vendor closeout checklist
Service charge
A service charge is a percentage a venue or caterer adds to the bill, calculated on a base the contract names, such as food and beverage or the subtotal. It is not necessarily a tip, and the contract wording says whether any of it goes to staff.
What to check: Find the rate and the exact base it is calculated on, and check whether sales tax is charged on it.
Go deeper: Service charge vs gratuity at a wedding: is it a tip? · Service charge sales tax: is a wedding service charge taxed?
Servings (cake)
Servings are the number of slices a cake is sized and priced for, as stated on the bakery order. The slice size the bakery assumes decides how many a cake yields.
What to check: Match the servings to your guest count and ask what slice size the number assumes.
Go deeper: How much cake to order for a wedding: bakery checklist
Setup and strike
Setup is installing décor, rentals or equipment before the event; strike, or teardown, is removing it afterward. Either may be included in a price or billed as a separate line.
What to check: Check whether setup and strike are included or billed, and that their times fit the venue’s access hours.
Go deeper: Wedding florist proposal: design, delivery and setup fees · Wedding venue inclusions: what you still need to rent
Shortfall charge
A shortfall charge is what a venue bills when your spending comes in under a minimum, such as a food and beverage minimum. The contract says whether it is billed as the difference or as a room fee.
What to check: Work out your spending against the minimum at your current guest count before the final count is due.
Go deeper: What is a food and beverage minimum for a wedding?
Sidewalls (tent)
Sidewalls are removable panels that close the sides of a rented tent, listed as a separate line or included in the tent price.
What to check: Check whether sidewalls are included, whether they will be installed or held on site, and the cost.
Go deeper: Wedding tent rental checklist: size, cost and questions
Site fee (rental fee)
A site fee or rental fee is a flat charge for using the venue’s space for a set time, separate from food, drink and staffing.
What to check: Check whether a percentage charge, such as a service charge, is also being calculated on the site fee.
Go deeper: How to compare wedding venues and quotes side by side · What is a food and beverage minimum for a wedding?
Tentative hold
A tentative hold is a venue’s agreement to keep a date for you for a stated period before you sign and pay. It ends on the date in the hold unless the venue’s terms say otherwise.
What to check: Get the end date in writing and put it on your calendar.
Go deeper: What is a date hold at a wedding venue? How holds work
Trial (hair and makeup)
A trial is a session before the wedding to test a hair or makeup look, priced separately or included in a package, with its own date and cancellation terms.
What to check: Check the trial price, whether it is credited toward the wedding-day booking, and what happens if you reschedule it.
Go deeper: Wedding hair and makeup contract: trial, fees and timing
Vendor meal
A vendor meal is a meal provided to vendors working the event, which some vendor contracts require. The caterer may count vendor meals in the headcount or charge a separate vendor-meal price.
What to check: Count the vendors whose contracts require a meal and give the number to the caterer with your final count.
Go deeper: Do you have to feed wedding vendors? Meals and breaks