Do Wedding Designers, Florists, and Stylists All Do the Same Thing?

There are so many different types of wedding vendors that it can be hard to remember who's responsible for what. To add further confusion to the process of hiring your big-day team, there are some pros with job descriptions that seem as if they'd overlap. One such example? Wedding designers, stylists, and florists. If you're wondering what a designer does that's different from a stylist or florist—and whether or not you need to hire all three—we're here to help.

Related: When Do You Really Need to Start Booking Your Wedding Vendors?

In terms of job responsibilities, the most important thing to know is that a wedding designer will handle the big picture, which means they'll have a hand in everything from your venue selection and creating the day's mood board to choosing your lighting, linens, tabletop décor, and more. Some wedding designers also serve as a wedding planner or florist, but that's not always the case. If your wedding designer is also your planner, they'll likely work with a florist or floral designer as well to oversee your floral scheme. Your designer is there to make sure every last detail of your wedding flows together seamlessly, fits with your personalities, works well with your venue, and falls within your budget.

It's common that two designers, such as an overall wedding designer and a florist, will work together, in which case you'd be hiring a wedding planning and design firm that handles everything. That means one pro would manage rental orders and wedding-day logistics, including tenting, lighting, and overall scheduling; another pro from the same team would manage all of the tabletop orders and floral logistics.

A florist may ask about your venue, colors, linens, floor plans, rentals, dresses, and more in order to create a floral scheme that works within the environment you're looking to create, but they won't help you create that aesthetic on their own. Some florists are very involved and attend multiple site visits, while others prefer to simply provide the bouquets and centerpieces based on the information you've shared with them. Depending on the budget you've assigned to flowers, and how many specialty arrangements you'll need, your florist's level of involvement may vary. Simply put, while these pros may help guide and execute your vision, they aren't usually helping you come up with ideas from scratch.

A wedding stylist generally comes in toward the end of the process and walks through design concepts with your planner, designer, and florist. At this point, they might make suggestions of details that can be added or take away a few things that feel out of place. They might also help you with attire decisions as they relate to the overall design look and feel of your wedding. On big day, your stylist is likely to be found managing the finishing touches and making sure all the little details you've prepared for your wedding are utilized. They'll also likely be tag teaming with the photographer to make sure all your wedding details are caught in their best light, or they could be found rearranging the buffet table to look bountiful and beautiful. In short, they'll take the vision that was created by you or your planning and design team and make sure everything is executed to perfection.