What is wedding styling? 25 things wedding stylists can do for you
A lot of people’s first thoughts when they hear the term wedding styling is bridal styling, to do with wedding dresses and outfits. When they realise that’s not what we do, their next question is usually “Ok, so – what is wedding styling, then?!” And that, friends, is a very good question.
There are two ways to answer ‘What is wedding styling?’. The first and most straightforward one is this: we transform spaces for events and celebrations, by building ceiling installations, creating beautiful tabletops, designing intimate ceremony backdrops, creating floral magic, incorporating stylish stationery, and everything in between, working right down to the tiniest of details.
Photograph – Claire Fleck
But a lot of the time when people ask ‘What is wedding styling?’, what they’re actually wanting to know is ‘What does a wedding stylist do… and do I need one?’ With that in mind, we thought we’d put together a helpful guide to a wedding stylist’s role for your day, and what they can do for you.
Photograph – David Moss
So, without further ado (but with further I dos…): What is wedding styling? Well, wedding stylists….
1. Help you nail your look/feel/vibe
A good wedding stylist will help nail the look and feel you want for the day. They won’t tell you what you want, but instead will gather all your ideas, inspirations, random thoughts and secret hopes, and work with you to shape them into something so perfect, you could never have dreamed of it.
Photograph – Jen Owens
2. Encourage a cohesive approach
Wedding planning can be quite a bitty process – with the average UK engagement being 23 months, it’s only natural that your decisions are made at different times, rather than all at once. A wedding stylist can help ensure your day has an overarchingly cohesive approach, so that everything works when combined together, as well as separately.
3. Look at your venue and spaces, and help you get the most out of them
It’s not often you get hundreds of square feet to do what you want with – so it can be totally overwhelming to know what should go where. Wedding stylists can help look at your venue and spaces, and work out how to make the most of them to maximise both impact and value for money.
4. Help you prioritise what’s really important for you
As wedding stylists, we have a perfect vantage point of subjectivity (that is, we love you guys and want to make sure that your wedding day is exactly the day you want!) but also objectivity: it’s not our wedding, and therefore we can have a sharp focus that you might not be able to. With loads of experience under our belts, this means we can help filter out all the noise of wedding planning, and help you navigate what’s really important.
5. Make sure to incorporate your personal love story
Sometimes we think wedding stylists are part detectives, part budding romance writers too, because one of the best bits of our job is listening to your love story and your memories together, and seeing how we can incorporate that into wedding day styling that has buckets of personal meaning.
Photograph – Claire Fleck
6. Ensure your suppliers are singing from the same style hymn sheet
Working with a wedding stylist helps solidify your vision, and make it tangible – both on the day but also in the run up to it, providing you with a moodboard, colour palette, and plans, that you can reference with your other suppliers to ensure everyone’s on the same page.
7. Help you follow your look through from beginning to end
As we said in the straightforward answer to “What is wedding styling?”, wedding styling covers everything from the massive to the miniscule – and it also covers the day from beginning to end. This means that we’ll ensure every bit of your timetable is ticked off stylistically, from entrance details to dinner tables and dancefloors.
Photograph – Kate Symington
8. Help you pick focal features or props
A lot of the wisdom around wedding styling is that of focal features or props – and we agree, it is an excellent way to style a space. But how do you pick what those focal features and props are?! That’s another place we can help.
9. Create floor plans and ensure the flow of the day
Look, there’s nothing sexy about logistics, so we’ll keep this short and sweet: floor plans are gold dust to ensure the day flows properly, and wedding stylists provide ‘em as part of their service. You want the best-laid plans, don’t you – and where does laying them down start if not the floor?!
Photograph – David Moss
10. Crystallise the journey of your day
Similarly to the floorplan, it’s not the sexiest part of the job, but it’s one of the most important. Wedding stylists can help oversee the journey of your day, ensuring it’s smooth, cohesive, and most of all: enjoyable.
11. Ensure guests both young and old are considered
Wedding styling may seem to be about aesthetics on the surface, but it’s also massively about experience. Young, old, and less-able guests all experience the day in different ways, and wedding stylists can ensure that they feel considered and comfortable during the day, with things like seating areas, easy access, and accommodations that still blend in with the rest of the styling.
Photograph – Jean Smart
12. Do the setup for you – allowing you to spend more time with the folks you love
And if you’re wondering “What is wedding styling on the day itself?” then we have excellent news for you: we’re more than happy to do the full setup for you, which means you can spend more time with the folks you love. We’ll clamber up ladders whilst you settle in with some champers – as it should be.
13. Can be creative, for the people who say they’re not creative at all
We hear soooooo many couples say they’re just not creative at all, but know they want something creative, exciting, and out of the box for the day. Well, we’re lucky enough that it’s our literal job to be creative for you – winner winner!
Photograph – Lianne Mackay
14. Make sure your voice is heard
Pulling together and then pulling off wedding plans can involve a whole host of different opinions, and though it might seem counterintuitive that another person in the mix could solve that problem, a good wedding stylist will help make sure your voice is heard and the focus is on you.
15. Consider all sensory elements
Have you ever thought about how you want your wedding to smell? We do. As well as how it looks, obviously, and how it feels in terms of vibe, we also carefully consider how it’s going to literally feel to the touch, and what you’ll be able to hear. The other senses are so often overlooked in wedding planning, but they make such a difference when they’re given their space to shine!
Photograph – David Moss
16. Recommend the best suppliers
So much of what we do is collaboration, and one of our favourite things in the world is helping to connect brilliant couples with exceptional suppliers who can bring their plans to life. Just call us the Scottish Google…
17. Help you allocate your budget
The answer to ‘What is wedding styling?’ involves lots of different things, and with that in mind wedding stylists are multi-dimensional: within our team, for example, we have specialist stylists, stationers, and florists. This means we’ll always give you our honest, expert opinion on where your budget is best spent, to make sure you’re getting what you want without spending more than you have.
Photograph – David Moss
18. Clear down the next day
Mostly, what goes up must come down – no matter how good it looks. If the idea of going to your venue the next day and having to clear up doesn’t sound appealing to you – because you’d rather see family, sleep off a hangover, you’re already halfway to your honeymoon or you simply can’t be bothered, all are very good reasons! – then your wedding stylists can come in and pack it down for you.
19. Act as a buffer for tension
Wedding planning is loads of fun, but it can also be quite stressful – and sometimes, tensions can run high. Your stylists can act as a bit of a buffer for tension, helping keep things calmer and in hand!
Photograph – David Moss
20. Take the pressure off
In a similar vein, wedding planning can at times be a pressured environment. Wedding stylists can have as much involvement as you want, which takes the pressure off of you and (willingly, gladly!) puts it on them instead.
21. Liaise with your other suppliers
If the logistical side of things fries your brain a bit and you feel like you’re going back and forth more times than a ping pong ball, wedding stylists can liaise with your other suppliers to confirm bits that you don’t need to worry about.
Photograph – David Moss
22. Allow you to focus on getting married rather than setting up tables and shifting stuff
One of the simplest parts of the answer to ‘what is wedding styling’ is: it’s our job to do the dirty work and heavy lifting, so that you don’t have to lift a finger on your wedding day. Simple!
23. Make things really pop
Our keen eye means that we can make things really pop, making sure everyone’s attention is drawn to whatever it is you want it to be drawn to.
Photograph – David Moss
24. Advise, hold your hand, and get the wedding obsession without judgement
Look, you don’t have to tell us twice: weddings are a big deal! So part of our job as wedding stylists is getting excited with you, wanting to hear about the plans, and offering you a space for advice without judgement. (That’s a Gloam promise – like Guides, but better…)
25. Offer you a big van and a dedicated team who know their s***
We’ve got a big van, and we’re not afraid to use it. Whatever you want creating, producing, installing or transporting, we can do it – plus, we have a dedicated, super talented, super trustworthy team who are ready and raring to go with whatever. We’ve got this, and most importantly – we’ve got you!
Photograph – Claire Fleck
So, if you’ve got a better idea of the answer to what is wedding styling, and you think you might want a wedding stylist for your wedding – please do get in touch, as we’d LOVE to chat to you about it. Stylists/cheerleaders at your service…
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Photograph – Claire Fleck