What is a Bridal Stylist - The Bride's Secret Weapon
What Does a Bridal Stylist Do?
With the rise of social media and endless wedding styles comes more pressure on brides to have a picture-perfect wedding– in addition to their bridal shower, engagement party, and bachelorette party!
So what are the bridal stylist responsibilities?
Bridal Stylists are professionals whose job it is to alleviate some of these pressures, especially the fashion pressures!
Photo by Sarah Beau Photography
One of the most important things bridal stylists do is help the bride with her overall fashion concept and style for the wedding. The bridal stylist will also help the bride shop for her wedding dress (bridal gowns), pick her bridesmaid dresses and help the whole bridal party with other outfits for events like the rehearsal dinner and the bridal shower.
Depending on the needs of the bride and groom, they can also assist with a variety of different wedding tasks like decor and colour palette. Typically a bridal stylist is not a wedding planner but often these types of people work together to help a bride and groom get the look and feel of their dreams.
Take a look at the following list of responsibilities that a professional stylist can do for you for your special day.
Wedding Dress Shopping
Shopping for wedding dresses or wedding gowns is often said to be one of the most stressful and overwhelming parts of the wedding planning process.
There are so many kinds of dresses and bridal gowns to choose from, from silhouette to fabric. And on top of that, there are often many people trying to get involved and share their opinion on which wedding dress is best. This is why it can be a great idea to enlist a bridal stylist to assist with wedding dress shopping.
One of the bridal stylist responsibilities is to help the bride narrow the field of wedding gowns or bridal gowns down to a small few. Consider them your personal wedding dress consultant.
Bridal stylists are professionals who will have a broad knowledge of options, as well as what shapes and colours will look best on an individual. A Bridal Consultant or stylists will use their fashion background and fashion knowledge to help you find your dream wedding dress.
Plus, a bridal stylist will have connections at many different boutiques, rather than a bridal consultant at a bridal boutique whose options are limited to that location.
Selecting Bridal Accessories
Bridal accessories are another part of the wedding look that can be tough to choose. For instance, you may wonder what length veil you should pair with your dress, or if you should even wear a veil at all.
Jewelry and other bridal accessories like headbands or embellished belts are other accessories that you may consider in a bridal shop. Shoes are another accessory are important, and you will want to find a pair that is cute but still comfortable enough to dance in at the reception.
Your bridal stylist will be able to assist you in choosing bridal accessories that work with the gown that you have selected so that you can pull together the perfect look.
After all, just like dresses, there are so many different options out there that it can become overwhelming!
Your bridal stylist is there to keep the wedding shopping experience fun for you, as well as to ensure that you’re looking your best on your big day.
Photo by Up & Away Studios
Coordinating the Bridal Party
As a bride, you probably have plenty of ideas of what you want the bridal party to look like, from the colours they should wear to their hairstyles or accessories.
If you are thinking of hiring a bridal stylist, you should know that coordinating the entire bridal party is another thing that they can do!
A bridal stylist can help to find reasonably priced options for both bridesmaids and groomsmen and can help to coordinate things like fittings or alterations– which can be especially tricky to plan when your bridal party do not all live in the same area.
A bridal stylist can also help find dresses that would work for all body types and body shapes as not every dress is one size fits all.
Another part of coordinating the bridal party is working as a liaison to advocate for the bride and groom during any potential stressful conversations with family or friends.
A bridal stylist can also work to make sure the parents of both the bride and groom are matched well in terms of how formal their wardrobe is for the wedding day. They are fantastic people to have in your corner because they have a myriad of different skills and want to make you feel beautiful on your special day!
Photo by Kensie Webster
Coordinating the Groom and Groomsmen
We know the wedding is all about the bride, but often men find it difficult to look their best. There is a lot that goes into picking an outfit for a man, and for some men this will be the first time they have worn a suit, or a tux, and had to match colours, styles and themes.
We LOVE helping men look their best, and putting a smile on their brides face while they do it. Here are a few simple tips that can go a long way to helping you out.
Get it Tailored - the fist and most important thing is to make sure that whatever you are wearing make sure it fits properly. Having your outfit tailored or adjusted so it fits will not only look better it will feel better and you will enjoy it more.
Get Help With Colours - Women see more colours than men, for some women it's 99 million more. If your bride has chosen a colour for the wedding get some help from another woman in your life picking the accent colour for your outfit, and the groomsmen.
Make the Groom Stand Out - Usually the groom and the groomsmen match, but it is important for the groom to have something a little extra so he stands out. It can be a different colour accent piece or a jacket or even different shoes.
Remember that Black and White are not the only Colours - Yes there are other options, but as mentioned above when you are drifting into other colour lanes make sure you are getting some help so you don't clash. Black is awesome for a tux, but a little colour goes a long way to making a unique look for your wedding.
Neckwear - It is a big decision what to wear on your neck. Is it a tie, a bowtie, an ascot or even nothing at all. This is an area of the outfit where you can really experiment, add colour and texture and give your look some pop.
No matter what you pick for your wedding outfit it is important to have fun with it and feel like you look your best. You're going to be in the outfit for a full day so you need to love it, feel good in it and be able to move in it. Enjoy the process.
Styling the Wedding Weekend
Depending upon your plans, you may be hosting a whole wedding weekend, which means that you need a whole weekend's worth of bridal outfits. A bridal stylist will be able to assist in finding the perfect outfits so you can stand out at each event and on each day of the weekend celebrations.
They can also help you to determine what sort of styles would be the most practical and fashionable for the activities you have planned. For instance, are you hosting a pre-wedding brunch? Then you can probably wear a dress– but if you are planning more physical activities with your guests, like golf, a dress might not be as wise.
Essentially, your bridal stylist will help you to build a capsule wardrobe for your wedding weekend, so that you have everything that you could possibly need.
This is what stylists excel at, so you are in safe hands for wedding weekend shopping! It also applies to the wedding night itself.
If you want to change out of your gown after the ceremony, your bridal stylist can help you shop for a second gown, a flirty cocktail dress, or a bridal jumpsuit, too.
Photo by Kensie Webster
Styling the Honeymoon Wardrobe
Just like a bridal stylist can help you to build a capsule wardrobe for your wedding weekend, they can do the same thing for your honeymoon afterwards, too!
Once you give your stylist details such as the length of your trip and the location you’re headed to, they can pull together a roster of picture-perfect outfits that you will feel beautiful in to take along with you.
This can be especially helpful while you are in the thick of things planning out all of the details of your wedding because they are able to take one more thing off of your plate!
Depending upon the location of your honeymoon, it may also be tricky to find seasonally appropriate clothes, which your stylist will be able to assist with. For example, if you are getting married in the winter but then jetting off to a tropical locale, it might be hard to find bikinis to choose from at that time of year!
How Does Hiring a Bridal Stylist Work?
Typically, a bride will want to choose a bridal stylist soon after they get engaged so that they can get the stylist involved in the planning process sooner rather than later. After all, you’ll want to be sure you have enough time to shop for your own bridal looks, as well as the outfits for your bridal party.
When choosing a bridal stylist, you should find someone whose personality meshes well with yours, and don’t be afraid to ask them questions that will help you get to know their approach to their work!
After you choose a stylist, you will typically set up a phone call to chat through all of your ideas and needs– as well as any details you may have, like the wedding date and location. Then from there, it’s time to get started!
Photo by Up & Away Studios
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a bridal stylist do?
So What is a bridal stylist?
A bridal stylist is a professional stylist and their job description is someone who works in the fashion sphere and can help you choose clothing based on your personal style– they can also help define and uncover your personal style, too.
A bridal stylist is similar to a professional stylist, in that they do the same job but specialize in the wedding industry.
Your wedding day is such an important and exciting part of your life, so it can be helpful to have a stylist in your corner who can help you choose pieces that encompass your style and personality on your wedding day.
A bridal stylist responsibilities include
being a bridal consultant
working with the bride to be on overall fashion style and theme for the wedding
recommending wedding gowns
suggesting and coordinating the bridal party
bridal styling
suggesting and coordinating accessories and also providing advice to the bride.
Helping pick bridal gowns and wedding styles
Is it worth getting a bridal stylist?
Whether it is worth getting a wedding style does, in part, depend on you. It can be a great idea because the stylist will help take away a lot of the stress involved in wedding planning, and leave you more time to enjoy your engagement with your partner.
They are also professionals who are familiar with the wedding and fashion industries, which can help them give you knowledgeable guidance, feedback, and information.
What does bridal styling include?
A wedding stylists or Wedding styling, or bridal styling as it is also referred to, mainly focuses on helping a bride choose her wedding dress. Some of the bridal stylist responsibilities might include helping to choose dress style preferences, taking the bride’s measurements, and choosing gowns to try on that the bride might like.
If a bride is having a more extravagant wedding or wants to have outfit changes, then a bridal stylist may also help with choosing additional outfits or dresses that fir the bride’s needs, personality, and style.
Sometimes, they could even assist a bride in choosing the wardrobe she will wear on her honeymoon trip as well! Coordinating the bridal party is another task that could fall to your bridal stylist.
Should I hire a bridal stylist for dress shopping?
One of the greatest parts of having a bridal stylist when you go shopping for bridal gowns is that they have additional knowledge and contacts that even a bridal consultant at the boutique might not have.
This is because a consultant is limited to the boutique they work for, while a bridal stylist can go with you and help you at multiple different boutiques! They can also handle requests like custom measurements, rush orders, or other favours, depending upon their relationship with a bridal boutique.
Photo by Up & Away Studios
