Wedding Glossary

Ankle length: A dress that just barely reveals the ankles, a tad shorter than floor length.

Applique: Lace or trim pieces that are sewn onto another fabric.

Atelier: A workshop or studio, esp. one used by an artist or designer.

Backpiece: This is an often highly decorated comb that sits on the back of a bride's head and is used for attaching her veil.

Ballet: Also known as a waltz, this is a veil length that drops below the bride's knees, but above her ankles.

Basque: A neckline that follows the collar bone.

Basque waistline: A waistline that is below the waist and dips down to a point in the front.

Bateau Neckline: A neckline that goes straight across the shoulders with just a small dip in the front. Also known as a boat neckline.

Beaded alencon lace: A re-embroidered mesh lace with pearls and sequins sewn onto the lace.

Bespoke: Traditionally made to order or made to measure. Meaning a one off production to the client or clients measurements, requests or requirements.

Bias cut: Dress silhouette that is cut on a diagonal grain, so that it gently curves to the body through the hips then falls into soft folds at the hem.

Blusher: A short, single layered veil that covers the bride's face before the ceremony.

Bodice: The close-fitting upper part of a dress.

Boning: Flat plastic inserts sewn into a bodice's understructure. Boning gives shape and support. It allows for a smoother appearance around a body's curves because it stiffens the outside fabric and prevents creases at the waistline.

Bridesmaids: These are the woman who are good friends with the bride, supporting her emotionally both before and on her big day. Although they traditionally pay for their own gowns, the bride should give them an idea as to what sort of styles and colors she expects them to wear.

Bridal satin: A satin with a shiny surface, sometimes used as an accent. Not recommended for an entire dress, as this fabric can be overwhelming.

Brocade: An intricately woven jacquard fabric with a raised overall interwoven design giving an embossed effect. The embossed effect is often highlighted by contrasting metallic yarns.

Bustle: The way a dress with a train is lifted off the ground in a decorative way. There are several different bustle styles available; your seamstress will design a bustle for your individual dress using snaps and/or hooks.

Cathedral: The longest of veils, this is three and a half yards in length.

Chantilly: Delicate bobbin lace of scrolls and florals on a soft mesh background, often with scalloped edges. Good for all-over use on bodices and sleeves when a soft, romantic look is desired.

Chapel: This is the name for a length of bridal veil that will reach the floor, extending two and a half yards from the headpiece.

Chiffon: A sheer, transparent soft flowing fabric made from silk or rayon and used as an overlay for dresses. Also used as long neck scarves.

Choker Necklace: A single strand of pearls worn around the collar; the most classic style of pearl necklace, it looks good with a jewel or bateau neckline.

Classic: Simple and harmonious; elegant, Formal, refined, and restrained in style.

Collar Necklace: A necklace consisting of three or more strands of pearls fitting snugly around the neck, this style looks good with low necklines.

Comb: A bridal headpiece attached to her hair with teeth like a comb. May be as ornate as the bride wishes it to be.

Corset: A woman's tightly fitting undergarment extending from below the chest to the hips, worn to shape the figure.

Crepe: A lightly crinkled textured fabric with a flowing hand. Available in rayon for a more clingy dress or polyester for a less clingy look.

Crepe-Back Satin: A lightly textured reversible fabric with crepe on one side and a high luster satin on the other. Very slinky and flows well.

Crown: One of the things a bride may choose to wear, it is a fully circular gemstone or bead adorned head piece that is larger than both a half crown and tiara.

Custom: Made or done to order for a particular customer.

Damask: This is a linen or fabric with raised patterns woven into it. Brocade is similar but of a heavier weight. The word is derived from Damascus, the capitol of Syria.

Decolletage Neckline: A deep, plunging neckline that reveals the decolletage.

Demi- Couture: Is a new way of buying into a couture-like garment without having the level of bespoke that couture offers, but still buying into a piece that is made with great attention to detail and that is really special.

Designer: A person who plans the form, look, or workings of something before its being made or built, typically by drawing it in detail.

Detatchable train: An extension of fabric that attaches to the wedding gown to make a trailing extension of the gown. It can then be detached at the reception to avoid bustling the dress.

Double Tier: A two layered veil. Usually, one layer will be longer than the other.

Duchesse Lace: Lace with floral designs using a lot of raised work with irregularly shaped spaces between designs.

Duchess Satin: A low luster satin with medium body. An elegant construction that is resistant to wrinkles and is machine washable. Available in polyester.

Elbow: A length of veil which reaches down to the bride's elbows.

Embellishments: These are extra adornments either sewn or glued onto a bridal gown. The additions may include; embroidery, lace, glass or crystal beads, ribbons, bows, shiny plastic circular pieces called sequins, fringes, pearls, and others.

Empire: A waistline that starts just below the bust. An empire waistline can run straight across or curve down the sides to hit the small of the back.

Finger Tip: One of the most popular lengths of veil, which as the name suggests, extends to the fingertips.

Fitted sleeve: A close fitting sleeve with no fullness or pouf at the top. There are various lengths: cap, short, above elbow, below elbow, ¾ length, and long.

Floor length: the dress's hemline falls 1/2 to 1 1/2 inches from the floor.

Flower Girls or Flower Children: These are small children (usually girls) that pave the way down the aisle for the bride by holding a pomander or scattering flower petals from a small basket.

Flyaway: This is a many layered veil that will barely reach to the shoulder.

Fountain: This is the name of a veil style, where part is gathered up atop the bride's head and the remainder set loose to fall around her face. A fountain veil will reach to either the shoulder or the elbow, depending on preference.

Fingerless Glove: Can be either long or short, and is good for when you're putting on those rings (you don't have to take off your glove or cut a slit in the finger).

Fitted Sleeves: Sleeves that fit very close to the arm.

Full Dress Jacket: Usually worn at very formal weddings (read: evening), these jackets are short in front and have two long tails in the back.

Gauntlet Glove: Not as much a glove as it is a long sleeve that goes from wrist to elbow, not even covering the hand. Sometimes they'll come to a point on the back of your hand.

Gore skirt: It's a flared skirt that is fitted at the waist and full at the hem. There are no gathers or pleats at the top. All the fullness comes from the shape of the panels. A gore skirt has more flare than an A-line in the front.

Half Crown: An ornate headpiece for the bride which lies between a crown and tiara in size and weight.

Halter Neckline: A neckline that scoops down in front and ties behind the neck, leaving the arms bare. Think of Marilyn Monroe's white dress from The Seven Year Itch.

Illusion fabric: Fine netting used for veils, headpieces, and on the sleeves and necklines of dresses.

Jacquard: An intricately woven shiny fabric with a floral or foulard design woven into the fabric.

Jewel Neckline: A high neckline that follows the natural shape of the shoulders and neck.

Juliet Cap: This is a close fitting cap that is often decorated with precious stones sometimes worn as a bride's headpiece.

Juliet fitted sleeves: A tightly fitted sleeve with a small pouf at the shoulder.

Lace: A decorative mesh of interlaced threadwork which is plaited, knotted, looped and turned to make either simple or complicated patterns and raised work. There are many different styles of lace, which has a long history of romance, and in some form or other it is very often included on a wedding gown. Alencon, Chantilly, Spanish and Venise are just a few of the many lacework types available.

Madonna veil: A veil that falls just below the chin and is worn at informal weddings. Also known as a birdcage veil.

Maid Of Honor: Known as the chief bridesmaid in some countries, she is the last bridesmaid to walk down the aisle before the bride herself. If the couple are exchanging wedding rings, then it is her duty to hold the ring destined for the groom, and hand it over to the bride at the right time, as the best man does in reverse. She will also hold onto the bouquets during the vows, and see that the bride's dress is properly turned out. Traditionally the name for unmarried woman.

Man Of Honor: Some brides prefer to have a male friend attending to the duties of the maid of honor. If so, this is his title.

Mantilla: This is a Spanish word literally meaning 'little cloak.' It is a lace or tulle shawl that the bride can wear around her head and shoulders.

Matron Of Honor: This is the proper title given where the maid of honor is married.

Mermaid silhouette: Slim-fitting dress silhouette that flares out at the knee.

Modified sheath: Dress silhouette that is form-fitting through the torso. It is narrow in the front of the skirt, like the sheath, but flares out below the hips in the back to finish in a small train.

Off-shoulder: A bodice style that stops just below the shoulder. Different neckline variations include: straight, straight with notch in centre, curved, sweetheart, and v-neck.

Opera Glove: Featuring 16 buttons, this glove is worn only at formal weddings, and usually with strapless or sleeveless or spaghetti-strap-style gowns. It goes all the way up to the upper part of your bicep.

Organza: Crisp and sheer like chiffon, but with a stiff texture.

Pages or Page Boys: These are small children (usually boys) who follow the bride down the aisle carrying some of her train. They can also be known as train bearers.

Poet sleeve: A sleeve that is fitted at the top and fuller at the bottom, where it is gathered into a cuff.

Pouf: This is a piece of netting that is gathered up and attached to a headpiece or comb, to allow for extra height to the veil.

Queen Anne Neckline: A neckline that's high in back and sides of neck, curving to a centre front point.

Ring Bearer: This is a usually a small boy, sometimes a little girl, who walks down the aisle as part of the bridal procession carrying an ornamental cushion that has two rings tied to it.

Satin-Back Shantung: A reversible fabric with a slightly irregular surface on one side and a high luster satin on the other. Available in silk and polyester.

Sheath silhouette: A modern dress silhouette with a narrow skirt that is form-fitting through the torso.

Short Glove: Good for semi-formal or informal weddings. The end of the glove falls an inch or two above your wrist and is perfect paired with a long-sleeved dress. They often have one button, but there are two-button and four-button styles that end somewhere between your wrist and your elbow.

Silk: This expensive, lustrous, and fine but strong natural thread is used for the most costly of wedding gowns. Many different weaves are available, which are used for different parts of the gown as they vary in density, suppleness, and sheen. Satin, Organza, Chiffon, Shantung, and Velvet are some examples.

Sleeveless: A bodice style that doesn't have any attached sleeves. This style may end cut-in from the shoulder, on the shoulder, or dropping down slightly off the shoulder.

Snood: A snood is a knitted net the bride may wear at the back of her head to enclose her hair.

Strapless: A bodice style that comes around from under the arms. Can be straight across in the front or in a sweetheart style.

Sweep: The shortest dress train, it goes back 8 to 12 inches after touching the floor.

Sweetheart neckline: A neckline that dips in "Valentine" fashion to the bustline.

Tailored: Simple, trim, or severe in line or design

Taffeta: Crisp and smooth, good for full dresses. Can be matte or shiny.

Tea length: The dress's hemline falls several inches above the ankles.

Tiara: One of the headpiece options for the bride, a tiara is a thin jeweled semi-circular coronet with a higher front and sloping sides worn at the top of the head. Or if it is regular in height, then it may be worn at an angle.

Train: This is a long (or extremely long) extension to a wedding gown or other dress that trails along the floor behind the wearer.

Trumpet silhouette: Dress silhouette that is form-fitting over the bust, waist and hips and then flares out at the top of the thigh. Fuller at the bottom then an A-line. Not the same as a mermaid style that flares out lower at the knee.

Tulle: Netting made of silk, nylon, or rayon, used for veils and skirts.

Ultra Sheer: The sheerest possible hosiery made with a fine denier fiber which gives the ultimate in sheerness.

Unique: Being the only one of its kind; unlike anything else

Vintage: Old or outmoded. Characterized by excellence, maturity, and enduring appeal; classic.

Wedding: A marriage ceremony, esp. considered as including the associated celebrations.

Wedding dress: Bridal gown: a gown worn by the bride at a wedding.

Wide satin band: A decorative accent that uses a wider band of satin on the skirts hem.