By Barbara Wallace
People have asked me over my years of wedding planning how a wedding designer (also called a décor designer, which is a term I prefer) and a florist differ and if a wedding planner is still required if a design company (or a caterer or a DJ) offers wedding planning services. There is actually no cut and dried answer to that question. But I’ll give you my experience and impressions and you can make some conclusions for yourself. Please note that every vendor works a bit differently so the following are generalities.
All clients want the most beautiful wedding they can have while staying within their budget. The most important thing for a vendor to do is to catch the client’s vision and then provide it in a way that will make them happy on both counts – beauty and budget. Respect for a client’s budget is one of the most valuable things a vendor can give the client and it should be made clear up front what the maximum amount is. Please note that I am not saying that a vendor needs to reduce their price to meet the client’s dreams- after all, vendors are in business to feed their families, too, so it must be a win-win in that both parties must feel good about the result. The vendor should present a proposal based upon the client’s vision, then they must work together to hone it to that win-win position. I can’t recall any wedding of any size where the bride and groom got everything they wished for – everyone has to adjust somewhere.
When clients come to me with a moderate budget I generally suggest that we look at what I will refer to here as a “traditional” florist. That is, a vendor who focuses on flowers for the ceremony and wedding party as well as centerpieces for the reception tables including maybe votive candles and a limited amount of props such as a ceremony arch, or perhaps centerpiece stands, etc.
Many florists are very creative and do gorgeous florals but are not equipped to provide extensive décor or prop rentals as they simply don’t have the staff, the storage space or even the inclination to be that involved. While they may set up the ceremony and stay after it to move certain of the flowers to the reception area and remove ceremony props such as arches, they may not wish to return to the reception venue in the wee hours of the morning to break down an event and collect props used for the reception. Thus, some provide drop-off delivery only and include glass vases or other containers into the price of their finished products so that following the reception the guests can take them home along with the flowers. Others, of course, do return at the end of the evening for their rented vases and floral props.
I find that generally this “traditional” florist does a wonderful job for the couple by suggesting creative ways to get the most bang for their buck such as using seasonal flowers or re-purposing certain elements from the ceremony in the reception area. When interviewing florists (actually any vendor, for that matter), I think it’s important for the client to choose the one who they believe can best offer the vision and the respect for the budget that they have in mind.
Please note that some florists offer full service design but I would then classify them as a wedding or décor designer rather than the “traditional” florist I have described above.
This group illustrates using a traditional florist and a wedding planner:
Photos By – Lauren Hillary Photographic Artist
Flowers by the Marcia L Johnson Floral Artistry
Location – The Wine Room at the St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort and Spa, Dana Point , CA)
Planner- Barbara Wallace
As a full service wedding planner I have worked many times with a “traditional” florist while helping the bride and groom find and order their upgraded rental items such as linens, charger plates, chairs, decorative lighting, lounge furniture and more. In fact, this has been the most popular of my service packages as management of these vendors is included in my flat fee and the continuity of that is very important especially on the wedding day.
For the client at the other end of the budget spectrum who wants to “do it up right” with very extensive or extravagant décor, I often suggest that we bring in a décor designer. These are companies who focus on partnering with the client and the wedding planner for all elements of the wedding design including such things as flowers, props, linens, furniture and other design related rentals. Typically, I use such a designer for a higher budget wedding.
Using information gleaned from extensive interviews with the couple and the planner they design the event and work very closely with the bride, groom and planner from the inception of the planning process. They provide a very detailed proposal from which the couple can make á la carte choices. Think of the first proposal as the Wish List which will then be pared down to the realistic end result. Then the client can expect design and color boards and even renderings but generally that is after the contract is signed.
This group illustrates using a florist with the planner obtaining all other décor elements:
Photography By Miki and Sonja Photography
Flowers by Enchanted Florist
Location – The St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort and Spa, Dana Point, CA
Planner- Barbara Wallace
After the design has been settled upon and signed off by the clients, this company will be responsible for ordering everything and getting it to the ceremony and reception venue(s) while keeping in close touch with the planner. The planner is the majordomo of the wedding day and as such prepares and is in charge of the master timeline into which the designers’ wedding day schedule is folded. The decor designer is the design point person on the day of the wedding and as such oversees the set up and break down (called the “strike” in event planning parlance) of the event. A wedding planning company that does not have a large enough staff with the experience to handle the myriad details of extensive design (especially if it involves building and installing props or doing very tight changeovers between phases of the event) can benefit greatly from having this vendor as an important member of the team.
Most décor designers are happy to be referred by a planner who knows and trusts their style and methods of working (read: willing to be part of a team) and will be involved as much as the planner and couple want them to be. For example, the designer might suggest a certain type of linens but the planner might take the responsibility for ordering them and having them installed and picked up. Or the planner might have a particular vendor for a certain design element with whom they have a long term relationship and wish to use for the event. Each situation is unique so, of course that must be considered. The designer’s fee will be based up the amount of work they do and some charge an additional flat design fee which compensates them for their time and considerable creativity.
Some décor designers refer to themselves as wedding designers. I think these are different names for virtually the same service so will not actually draw a distinction between them. I have no issues with calling oneself whatever one wishes as long as it’s an accurate description.
There are some décor designers and even caterers and DJs who also offer wedding planning services (some is even complimentary) but it is generally not their principal business –décor, food or music is, so that is the main thrust of the service they offer. What I have noticed is that, in many cases, they intend to prepare a timeline of the wedding day and make sure that things run according to it. Of course, this is hugely important- the timeline can make or break an event.
However, is essential for a very detailed wedding with as many as several dozen vendors to wrangle, to have what is commonly referred to as a “full-service” wedding planner who is dedicated to that wedding. Such service will include the myriad pre-wedding details such as helping the couple select all their vendors including invitation providers, musicians and song selection for the ceremony and reception, booking limousines, arranging accommodations for out of town guests, arranging other social events connected with the wedding, educating the couple on etiquette, perhaps picking up the wedding gown and accessories, arranging and running the rehearsal, bustling the gown on the wedding day, bringing an emergency kit, having an ample number of assistants and on and on. This obviously involves hours of pre-wedding time in addition to the hours spent on the wedding day and will be charged for accordingly.
Unless the designer, caterer or DJ offers this much service I would not characterize them as a full-service planner and would be sure that the bridal couple considering it is aware of exactly what they will get in the way of a planner- especially if it is complimentary. The planner must have one goal in mind of the wedding day- to make things run smoothly and on-time. If the “planner” has to install decor, set up equipment and spin music or get food out of the kitchen they are not generally in a position to locate the limo that turned the wrong way on the way to the church or find a pair of black socks for the groomsman who misplaced his.
The more details that need attention – especially on the wedding day and even more importantly for a large wedding – the more full service (and dedicated only to that job) a planner needs to be. To think that a bride should be expected to handle even the slightest emergency issues that always arise during the wedding set up while she is trying to get ready and be relaxed and beautiful on her wedding day is a recipe for a stressful wedding day and an unhappy bride. To paraphrase an old saw – “if the bride ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.”
I strongly believe that vendors should stick with the service they do best and develop a team that complements their expertise because it enables them to be really good at what they do instead of trying to be all things to all people.
These two illustrate the use of a décor designer along with the wedding planner:
Photographs By James Johnson Photography
Décor designed and executed by John Creager Weddings
Location – Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, Dana Point, CA
Planner- Barbara Wallace
About the Author:
Barbara Wallace- Wedding Planner
Barbara Wallace is an award winning wedding planner located in California and is a Master Bridal Consultant ™. She has twice won the coveted Gala Award for Best Wedding and has been a winner or nominee of four other Galas. Her work has been featured in numerous publications and on the TV shows “Platinum Weddings” (WE) and “Extreme Weddings” (TLC). She was the real wedding planner on the Bravo TV show “The Real Housewives of Orange County” (Season 3.) Barbara is also the author of the “Wedding Vendor Handbook: Get to the Top and Stay There.”
Barbara is also the co-author of “Beautiful Bride From Every Angle: Look Great in Every Photo…and in Life”.
22. Mar, 2012 
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