What is the Difference?: Wedding Planner, Event Designer, Wedding Coordinator, Stylist

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Wedding planner, event designer, day-of coordinator, venue coordinator, prop stylist - all of these professionals work tirelessly to make your wedding run smoothly and look beautiful. But what is the difference? What does each person do? Can one person do it all? And do you really need to hire professionals for all these jobs?

We get it, putting together the creative team for your wedding can be confusing and overwhelming. Titles and roles get used interchangeably making it hard to know who does what. We often talk with clients who aren’t sure exactly what titles mean or have just been given bad information (like you don’t really need a wedding coordinator if the venue provides one or just have your family member do it, yikes).

When you want a job done well, you hire a professional. And the same goes for your wedding! Each of your guests deserves to be just that at your wedding, a guest. Your mom, aunt, and cousin shouldn’t be responsible for the logistics of your wedding day. When you decide to add a wedding planner, event designer, or day-of coordinator you can relax and know you are in good hands.

So who do you need on your team to make your wedding day a success? Let’s get clear on exactly what you can expect when you work with a wedding planner, event designer, wedding coordinator, venue coordinator, and prop stylist.

Wedding Planner

Logistics, logistics, logistics! A Wedding Planner is there with you from the beginning to make suggestions on vendors, handle contract negotiations, and manage vendor communication. They will be the person to keep you on schedule and on budget during the wedding planning process.

“A wedding planner is a timeline manager, and a point-of-contact to keep everything organized. They are there to help put out fires before you ever know there was one. A good planner is going to be doing much of the behind-the-scenes leg work. My favorite planners are ones that have teams to ensure there is someone there to do set up and tear down at the venue, but also have someone to assist with any hiccups that may arise with the couple.” - Megan Noll, Photographer
“For most people, planning their wedding is their first experience with planning a large-scale event. It can be extremely stressful and overwhelming. An event planner offers years of experience in event management, vendor relationships, event design, and more.” - Jamie Rogers, Marketing and Events Director at Peterloon

Event Designer

An Event Designer is going to help you create the look and feel you want for your day. They are all about aesthetics and style helping you craft a concept that is truly reflective of you as a couple. That image of your wedding day you have in mind? They bring that to life in a way that is uniquely you! An Event Designer will help you hone in on your style and develop your perfect design concept. Think mood boards, color palettes, and sourcing the perfect rentals. While some wedding planners also provide design services, not all do so it will be important to clarify this.

“An event designer is really necessary to bring a cohesive feel to the whole wedding. They are the person who is truly understanding your personalities and your vision. Your designer is the one holding your hand, keeping you focused on the guest experience, overall aesthetic, and making sure your vendors are all on board with that vision.” - Megan Noll, Photographer
“I do recommend a wedding planner to our couples because it makes the planning experience much more enjoyable for them. It helps to create the peace-of-mind needed during a stressful time.” - Jamie Rogers, Marketing and Events Director at Peterloon
“Event designers are encompassing all things required to create the experience the wedding couple has envisioned. This may be creating a visual mood board and tablescapes, along with lighting and perhaps even a food menu to incorporate all of the wishes and desires of what the couple has spoken about.” - Colleen Sutton, Richwood on the River

Wedding Coordinator

A wedding coordinator is all about day-of event management. You will start working with them 60-90 days before your wedding. We do not recommend or offer day-of or month-of coordination. This isn’t really a thing and can’t be done well. A wedding coordinator will do final vendor confirmations, create a timeline, and manage the load in and load of the wedding day. If you have hired a Wedding Planner, most will cover this with their event management services. The big difference is a Wedding Planner will have an active part in the planning process leading up to the day. A wedding coordinator isn’t involved in earlier planning or consultations. Their focus is strictly managing the final logistics for a smooth wedding day.

Venue Coordinator

The venue coordinator works for the venue you have selected and their job is to be a point person for all things related to the venue. Where can vendors park/unload/pick-up, cleaning up spills, keeping the bathrooms in good order, etc. If it is venue specific, they take the lead. While a venue coordinator is a valuable part of the vendor team, they are very different from a wedding coordinator. The Venue Coordinator won’t have knowledge of your specific vendors or other planning details. Relying on a Venue Coordinator for event management can lead to a lot of stress because it simply isn’t a part of their job.

“I always advise my couples that hiring a wedding planner is by far the best investment you can make for yourself and your family. While I always want to ensure you are happy hosting your wedding with us, I work for The Factory Events. Your wedding planner works for YOU. We have our own list of responsibilities on-site at your wedding that we are not able to do the many things your wedding planner can.” - Christina Penfield, The Factory Events
“A Venue Managers area of expertise is the VENUE. We all have what we specialize in and if we allow all of the vendors to focus on what they are hired to do, the event runs smoothly and seamlessly. Wedding Planners' area of expertise is the COUPLES and the EVENT in totality. They are able to focus on what the couple has deemed essential to their wedding day desires and work with each wedding vendor to ensure that all of these needs are met.” - Colleen Sutton, Richwood on the River
“If a couple is touring my venue and asking if they need a wedding planner I always say YES! Many clients assume that a venue manager will help with things like coordinating the ceremony, sending the bridal party down the aisle, directing the entrance into the reception, initiating the toasts, first dance, cake cutting, etc., but these fine details are the things that a wedding planner has been trained to coordinate. A wedding planner is meant to represent YOU and all of your wishes on the day of your big event. My job as the venue manager is to coordinate anything related venue operations, including many things taking place behind the scenes, all while making sure guests are happy, safe and secure at all times. These two roles work together seamlessly to help the client execute a flawless event and give them peace of mind to enjoy their special day.” - Diana Wheeler, Greenacres Event Centerr

Prop Stylist

A prop stylist works with your creative team (wedding planner, wedding coordinator, photographer, florist, etc.) to make sure that every aspect of your day is perfectly styled in a way that tells your story. They are concerned with all things visual, ensuring each element of your wedding day is captured in editorial worthy shots. They do everything from put together styled flat lays to set up the perfect room shot.

So how do I know what is right for me?

Deciding who to hire truly depends on the depth and breadth of help you want for your wedding day.

Do you want someone to help manage every aspect of the wedding day logistics from the beginning? A Wedding Planner will be the right fit for you.
Do you want someone to help you design your wedding, creating an experience that is truly unique to you? You need a Wedding Designer on your team!
Are you game to take on all the planning and design, but just want someone to manage the wedding day logistics? Go with a Wedding Coordinator or hire a Planner for event management service.
Looking for editorial style images that you can treasure for a lifetime? Sounds like you need a Prop Stylist.

Remember, some vendors may be able to offer multiple services. Your Wedding Planner may offer design services. Your Photographer may offer styling. But many won’t. You will likely need to hire multiple vendors to get everything you want. That is why interviewing and vetting your vendors is so important!

For example, do you need logistics AND design help? Ideally, you are looking for a Wedding Planner with design services. Or you could opt to hire a Wedding Planner and Wedding Designer separately.

Putting together the right vendor team is hugely important. If you are looking for help with wedding planning, design, or prop styling we would love to chat!

Got questions? Let’s hear them!