What Is The Difference Between A Wedding Planner And A Wedding Stylist?

If wedmin is not fitting well into your life, or if you want to create a Pinterest worthy wedding but don't feel you have the skills, then hiring a wedding planner or a stylist is something you should consider. But, it's a decent investment, so what do you get for your money? What exactly do wedding planners, well, do?! And for that matter, what about stylists? And how do their services differ? To make things a little simpler for you, we've asked one wedding planner and one wedding stylist, to break down their services and explain to you exactly what to expect when booking either.

Amy, The Timeless Stylist: A wedding stylist is a fairly new role in the wedding industry compared to, say, a wedding planner, and one that is still a little unknown. Whilst all wedding stylists’ services will be slightly different, most are ultimately there to play a very important part in your wedding, by giving you a day that you could only have dreamt of, by dressing your wedding venue and bringing all of those important décor and design details together. This role is key to couples who feel style is important to them, they care about how their day will look and feel and want to wow their guests. It is also ideal for couples who may not have the time to style their own wedding, or want to concentrate on the fun pre-wedding pampering and celebrations and not be stressfully dressing the venue when they could be sipping a glass of bubbles with a face mask on!

Moodboard Design For Weddings

As well as the styling element, I also offer a design element to my role. The way I like to work is to meet my couple at their chosen venue as early as possible in their wedding planning journey. I will then combine their personalities and any desires they initially have, together with my expertise and creativity, to design their wedding day. I will build a series of design mood boards for inspiration and then work out how we will take that a step further in creating unique elements solely for the couple, creating a whole design plan for how the day, and each individual element, will look. I will advise the couple on key suppliers that will all be involved with the styling - i.e. floristry, stationery, furniture, tableware, etc. and continue to work with these suppliers throughout the whole planning stage to build a beautifully cohesive and carefully selected wedding design, that I will bring to life on the day of the wedding (or the day before depending on access). Ultimately a wedding stylist’s goal is for our couples to set foot in their venue and be blown away by how the wedding stylist has thoughtfully and creatively brought together every single décor element.

Focusing On The Details

I am a very detail-focused wedding stylist and really care about all of the individual elements of a wedding day and how I can bring them all together to create a romantic and beautifully styled venue. Each stylist will have a unique service and style, and I love nothing more than creating a timeless feel with personal details, cohesive design, and romantic elements throughout. The packages a stylist offers will vary from supplier to supplier, but I tend to spend around 50+ hours on my couples’ wedding, including meetings, calls, supplier liaison, the design stage, and all of the venue styling itself, plus take-down after the event. Many stylists, as I do, also have a range of props, decor, and tableware that is included within the investment fee. For all of this, you can expect to invest around the £2,000 - £3,000 mark for a good, experienced stylist, depending on how involved they get, how many hours are needed and how many props will be included. Most stylists will offer a range of services though, and so you can often chat to them about the various ways they can help you. Amy - The Timeless Stylist

Charlotte, Best Day Ever Wedding Planning: It is my job as a wedding planner to be as rounded as possible, put on as many different ‘hats’ to ensure a couples day is the best it can be. Jumping in as a florist, seamstress, waitress and anything else a wedding day can throw at you but being a stylist is a little more tricky. Now of course a florist, seamstress, etc. brings on their own skillset but being creative and producing a couple's vision is a skill you either have or do not. This is where the biggest difference lies, having the knack to produce beautiful looks is a skill wedding stylists hone in on and truly are masters of their craft.

Organising Spreadsheets

As a wedding planner, my skills are very strong in ‘behind the scenes areas. Meaning my secret ninja abilities are within spreadsheets and logistical matters. Solving problems on the spot and having to think outside the box while managing multiple suppliers at once is a skill in itself. Add that to working at the speed of light to ensure a smooth running of the day and without the couple noticing or interrupting a busy schedule, and you start to see that the two roles are very different. A wedding planner will help with ideas but bringing those ideas to life is a stylist's domain. The planner will ensure that all your elements are being done, as well as working with all your other rock star suppliers to ensure everything is as it should be, and they will be the person to solve any problems if they come up. This ‘management’ that a planner brings ensures that EVERYTHING is being thought of and produced the way you as a couple expect/want it to be. We don’t just fluff dresses or walk around with clipboards but we are there to be on team couple and to make your day go on without a hitch.

Peace Of Mind

The cost of pure peace of mind is typically a percentage of the total wedding spend while other planners charge a fixed fee or a ‘from’ price. This will differ on guests numbers, location, how many days the event is, and the general difficulty of the planning process. Us planners have worked out the average amount of hours it takes to plan a great wedding (roughly between 200-300 hours) we then have to factor in tax and everything else running a small business entails and our pricing is as fair as it can be. Paying £3,000 + for a great planner may seem a bit steep in the short term but putting a price on peace of mind is priceless! Charlotte - Best Day Ever Wedding Planning

Much like your photographer, your wedding planner or stylist needs to be someone you 'click' with. It's totally down to personal preference and there are planners and stylists out there to suit every couple. A great starting point is our Recommended supplier directory. There you'll find planners and stylists all vetted by RMW and all capable of helping you have the wedding of your dreams.