Wedding Planner vs. Wedding Designer vs. Wedding Stylist – What’s the Difference?

Planning a wedding involves countless moving parts—and when you’re investing in a once-in-a-lifetime celebration, understanding who does what can help you choose the right support for your day. You may have come across the terms wedding planner, wedding designer, and wedding stylist, but what do they each really mean?

Here’s a breakdown of their roles and how they work together to bring your dream celebration to life.

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Wedding Planner: The Organisational Expert

A wedding planner is the logistical backbone of your celebration. They manage the timeline, budget, vendors, and contracts—essentially overseeing the who, what, when, where, and how of your event. From coordinating your ceremony run sheet to ensuring suppliers arrive on time, their job is to keep everything running seamlessly behind the scenes.

Wedding planner responsibilities typically include:

• Creating and managing the overall wedding timeline
• Liaising with suppliers and managing contracts
• Coordinating the ceremony and reception on the day
• Managing RSVPs and seating charts
• Providing solutions for last-minute changes

If you’re planning a large-scale event or juggling multiple suppliers, a wedding planner ensures every detail is accounted for—stress-free and streamlined.

Wedding Designer: The Visionary Creator

A wedding designer focuses on the big-picture creative direction of your event. They’re responsible for conceptualising the overall aesthetic—from colour palettes and layouts to custom installations and décor themes. Think of them as your creative director; they don’t handle logistics, but they’ll work closely with florists, hire companies, and stylists to bring your vision to life cohesively.

Wedding designer responsibilities typically include:

• Developing your event’s creative concept or theme
• Space planning and floorplans
• Mood boards, concept styling, and colour palettes
• Design briefs for florists, stylists, and hire companies
• Overseeing the visual design execution

If you have a strong vision (or need help defining one), a wedding designer will translate your ideas into a cohesive, high-impact celebration.

Wedding Stylist: The Detail-Oriented Curator

A wedding stylist works on the finer visual details of your event. They’re responsible for the physical setup on the day—arranging florals, placing table settings, styling the ceremony space, and ensuring every detail looks picture-perfect. While a designer sets the concept, a stylist brings it to life with a meticulous eye for beauty, balance, and atmosphere.

Wedding stylist responsibilities typically include:

• Styling ceremony and reception spaces
• Placing décor items, signage, and hire furniture
• Styling florals, centrepieces, and tablescapes
• Collaborating with florists and hire teams on setup
• Ensuring visual consistency across all elements

If you want your space to feel curated, elevated, and visually refined, a wedding stylist is key to making it happen.

Do You Need All Three?

Not every wedding requires a planner, designer, and stylist individually. At The Hourglass House, we offer full-service wedding planning, design, and styling under one umbrella—tailored to your unique event. Whether you need complete planning support or styling only, we customise our services to suit your vision, venue, and guest experience.

Let’s talk about how we can bring your dream day to life—book a complimentary call to get started.