Why Do I Need a Wedding Stylist?
Ever heard of a wedding stylist? Perhaps you have, perhaps you haven't! It's a relatively new term in the wedding industry, but it's one that is becoming more relevant in industry lingo.
By far, the most popular/highly trafficked post we've ever shared on this blog was one I wrote more than two years ago about the differences between event planners, coordinators, designer, and stylists. Read the post here! Because our website stats tell us that hundreds of people stumble upon that post each month, I know that people are actively searching for clarification about different roles. In that post, I explain a stylist's role as follows:
The term stylist refers to many different roles, such as a wardrobe stylist, personal stylist, hair stylist, etc. In reference to weddings and aesthetics, the term stylist should be defined as someone who styles the wedding, meaning he or she is responsible for creating/implementing a cohesive aesthetic. This is often similar to (or the same as) an event designer. More specifically, a stylist often approaches his/her work with the same eye and attention to detail used in an editorial process.
That's a very quick explanation, but today I want to share a bit more. Here are two powerful reasons why I believe a wedding stylist is a valuable addition to the team of creative partners and vendors you hire to serve you throughout your wedding planning process:
1.) A stylist pays extremely close attention to details.
This isn't to say that others on your vendor team aren't also paying attention to details. A planner or coordinator is highly focused on details, as are photographers. But there is a difference between the high-level oversight of logistical details that your planner brings to the equation and the scrutiny of small details that a stylist is most heavily focused on. In my role as a stylist, I'm focused on making sure each piece of paper, each ink color, each piece of ribbon, each textile, each floral element, and each little bit of everything are all working together in harmony to produce a cohesive aesthetic vision. Don't ever assume that every event planner, coordinator, or designer, will take responsibility for all of these things. It isn't their job and it's not fair to place those expectations on them!
Jake & Heather Photography
2.) A stylist is hands-on on the actual wedding day, not just in the design process leading up to it.
Once the wedding setup and design installation is complete, a stylist often stays onsite to work closely with or ahead of the photography team. Many photographers are talented at styling flatlays of paper details or other elements to capture them on a wedding day, but not all claim that to be a strong suit. And truthfully, even photographers who do feel comfortable in that role, feel a sense of relief when there is an experienced stylist on hand to take that workload off of them. You want your photographer(s) to be free to shoot, shoot, shoot. To be fully focused on capturing you, your fiancé, your loved ones, and the atmosphere, in both portrait and candid capacities. If they have to spend 10 minutes styling an invitation suite (yes - it really can take that long, or longer!), that's 10 minutes of time they're not able to be actually operating their camera. As a stylist, I work in a collaborative capacity with our photography partners. I aim to be a few steps ahead of them, seeking good light, setting up detail shots, and pulling together all of the elements we'll need to create beautiful artistic photographs for you precisely so that they don't have to do so. They bring their expertise to the table, and so do I. Together, we're able to ensure you have photographs of details that are truly important to you. Even better, those photographs help round out a collection of images that are aesthetically cohesive. Simply put, I employ the same standards and practices on a wedding day that I do for an editorial process.
Til next time,
Becca