Scrolling through tonnes of wedding inspiration photos and seeing the vendors tagged in them may leave you perplexed. Exactly what is the difference between wedding planners, stylists and coordinators? And who should I hire? This post is an attempt to clear the dust and provide some insight into each of their roles. Whom you should hire ultimately boils down to the scale of your wedding, how involved do you want to be, your budget and how much time you have.
Wedding Planners
Wedding planning takes up a lot of time and effort. A wedding planner will recommend, contact, source and negotiate with vendors. They will listen to your ideas and conceptualise a plan. They will accompany you to your meetings with vendors, help manage your budget, keep track of payments and keep to a timeline. They are best for those who easily get distracted by the sheer amount of options. Do note that some wedding planning companies have in-house stylist and decorators.
When should I hire a Wedding Planner?
Hiring a wedding planner is perfect for someone who:
Has a huge guests list and only a short time to plan
Has the budget for it
Has no free time to plan
Does not want to deal with the stress of wedding planning
Is not good with guesswork, managing time or budget
How do I choose a Wedding Planner?
Get recommendations from friends
Hire someone within your budget
Look through their portfolio (Do note that some wedding planners have in-house stylist and decorators and may not be flexible to work with another independent stylist or decorator you may otherwise want to hire)
Have a chat with them to make sure they are the right fit for you and that you are both on the same page
Concept: The Wedding Notebook | Stylist: Tie the Knot | Florist: Darlings Florist & Events
Wedding Stylist
The role of a stylist is to design a personalised theme and colour palette for you. Often they will take a look at your Pinterest board to do this. They will then do a site visit and make a detailed floor plan. Props and decorations will also be sourced by a stylist. They will commission relevant vendors such as florists, furniture rentals, lightings and stationary to bring to life the envisioned design. The budget for decor will be handled by the stylists as well. A wedding stylist can help with the procurement of additional features involving decorative elements like a dessert table or a flower bar.
When Should I hire a Wedding Stylist?
Hire a wedding stylist if:
Creativity is not your strength
You are not sure what you want and are distracted with every other idea you come across
Decor is a priority for you and you want to nail it on the head
You have a complicated and difficult theme to pull off
How do I choose a Wedding Stylist?
Look at their portfolio
Have a chat and hear their pitch or ideas
Make sure they are within your budget
Wedding Coordinator
A Wedding co-ordinator is suitable for the organised bride who wants to take on the challenge on wedding planning by herself. Not every bride or groom would find wedding planning stressful. For some, it can be fun. Without a co-ordinator, you will need to enlist the help of close relatives or friends to take charge of the order of events on the actual day. A coordinator will usually meet with you a month prior to the wedding to get up to speed with what you have planned thus far. They will familiarise themselves with the venue, create a timeline for the actual day, tie off loose ends, confirm bookings with vendors, and take charge of everything on the day.
When Should I hire a Wedding Coordinator?
Hire a co-ordinator if:
You know exactly what you want
You want to plan your own wedding
You are organised
You want your bridal party or family to be able to relax and enjoy the day-off
You want to enjoy the final weeks leading up the wedding and go into your wedding day with a clear head to soak up every moment
You have a budget for it
How to pick a Wedding Coordinator?
Ask around for recommendation
Look through their portfolio
Discuss pricing
Work with someone you are comfortable with, someone who understand your OCD-ness
After all is said and done, once you’ve decided to enlist a vendor, trust them; because the truth is not everything is within your control and excessive worrying would only taint the joy of wedding planning. It would also be prudent to stop window shopping for similar vendors so that you can move on to other things that needs your attention.