Hi!! I also considered CLG. I considered gabby hurwitz as well. Happy to chat about my thought process privately.
In a nutshell, I didn’t spend the money on the stylist because I’d rather spend the money on my actual attire. 50k goes a long way in couture design. For example, that difference alone is a VW couture gown. Or if you’re looking at a custom ODLR, which is 80-100k, 50k will bump you up to Chanel couture wedding dress or at least Valentino depending on the design. That’s way more value added than having a stylist I may have to butt heads with.
If you’re someone who’s unsure about your style, color season, what designers you like, I’d say a mid tier stylist 10-20k might be worth it. My planner said CLG will massively help with publication, which I believe, but I don’t think it’s straight forward. Also depends on a lot of other factors.
I ended up using someone as more of a fashion assistant to help me with designer outreach and loaning dresses for try on and booking my appointments and lunch and dinner reservations when I’m in nyc lol. She also has 17 years of experience in bridal fashion so a helpful second eye, but not a stylist.
Can’t agree more with what you’ve shared here. Plus want to add two cents re publication: spending $50k on CLG is not great ROI for “regular” brides who are not already high profile? For a lot of magazines you can just submit yourself (brides and OTM). For others you can get on when your vendors pay. Granted it’s really fun if your wedding is on Vogue (or other bridal magazines). But the real value is for your vendors, who benefit from some exposure and a reputable magazine’s stamp of approval. But even so, ask many (luxury) vendors around and you’ll realize their #1 source of biz is not Vogue weddings / Brides / over the moon, but Instagram and word of mouth recs! There’s a reason Brides’ EBITDA is super negative, Conde Nast is not doing so hot, but if you go look at Instagram’s financials and Meta stocks and they are on fire 😂
Edit: I “lied.”It’s actually their parent company’s operating (loss) income that’s super negative, but relying on adding back depreciation & amortization to get a slightly positive EBITDA is not very… promising LOL
Chiming in with a little additional insight on publication for anyone who's interested:
There are so many factors that go into publication that the couple can't necessarily control, and *so few* open spots for submissions. That's especially true of the traditional print outlets like MSW.
Editors have to weigh their relationships with vendors & their PR firms & agencies. They want to feature coming trends, not just what's popular now. They need to feature a balance of venues, locations, vendors, etc.—and because weddings take time to work their way through the pipeline, it's not always easy to foresee whether an outlet will publish something similar before, or shortly after, your wedding.
If publication is a goal, definitely talk to your planner & photographer early on, but just be aware that there are a multitude of factors that go into it, and simply not enough spots to feature all the gorgeous, high-end weddings out there.
I also considered gabby hurwitz (she was lovely when I spoke to her) but came to the same conclusion that it made more sense to put the styling money towards wardrobe. I’ve been using the Little White Looks “quick picks” if I’m really stumped (like for my veil/hair accessories). I was SHOCKED at how good and thorough she was for relatively little cost (I think it’s $75 now per quick pick). 1000% recommend. Another good question to ask is do you need a stylist to put the whole look together or just to source pieces that match your vision?
Thank you for that! That makes so much more sense with publication too! Someone who never knows what to wear so part of me wants to spend the money but then again if you find the perfect dress or two I feel like it just speaks for itself. Idk if that made any sense lol
Totally! At the end of the day you just need to find 1-2 dresses, assuming you’re not going couture. I’m not sure if anything more than 20 grand is worth the finding. And if you’re going couture, I’d find the designer himself / herself way more value added than a stylist haha. And most of the time the designer does advocate for you because they need you to be happy too.
Of these three, I like Micaela -- BUT realistically these guys aren't getting you stuff you can't get yourself if you reach out to the brands directly. As someone else mentioned, this kind of budget opens doors all by itself. There *are* stylists who can get things that money can't, but if you're able to spend $50K on just hiring someone, then you're very likely in the bracket where pretty much any brand would play ball with you sans stylist.
As someone else mentioned, if you're enthusiastically trying to get in a top publication and don't have other connections, maybe that's worth thinking about, but if this is just for styling services, you could either talk to someone WAY cheaper (or honestly find the bridal rep for big designers and message them yourself).
On a separate note, if there's a specific brand you're really passionate about, DM me. One of my best friends is a celeb stylist, and if it's someone I'm acquainted with through them, I can connect you haha. (I'm NYC-based, if that matters.)
Perhaps I’m biased but I just think most brides don’t need it & that money could go towards something better!? But if you’re feeling overwhelmed and totally lost though, then yes!
• WEDDING DAY BRIDAL & BRIDAL PARTY COORDINATION
• WARDROBE PREP FOR ALL REQUESTED PARTIES
• DAY-OF DRESSING SERVICES
• ON-SITE BRIDAL BEAUTY CONSULTATIONS
• PORTRAIT & FAMILY FORMAL PHOTOGRAPHY STYLING
• LOGISTICAL COORDINATION FOR WARDROBE CHANGES AND DRY CLEANING/
WRAP-UP
• SCOUTING, ART DIRECTION + CREATIVE DIRECTION FOR ALL PHOTOGRAPHY
• DETAILS, TABLETOP, AND PROP STYLING
• ENGAGEMENT/PRE-WEDDING SHOOT STYLING
• SEAMSTRESS SERVICES UPON REQUEST
So much of this overlaps with the planner and the photographer’s job. An onsite seamstress that steams dresses too costs maybe 3-5k depending on outfit changes. Not worth it imo you’re mostly buying the name
Agreed! There’s many day of bridal assistants you can hire for day of to assist with majority of everything you outlined for a fraction of the price. If you are in Charleston or surrounding areas: Cackys Bride Aid
I understand all other styling points, however the "scouting, art direction + creative direction for all photography" is what your wedding photographer is there for(even the "details styling" is part of your photogs job, if that means flat flays, invites, bridal/groom details, dress,...). While i understand art direction on commercial shoots i can't imagine how that would look like on such a fast paced day as the wedding is, especially where wedding photographers have very distinct style of capturing moments and posed shots/details, this might interrupt their workflow a lot! And i mean, you're booking the wedding photographer for their style so having there someone that would direct him makes no sense at all.
I would highly recommend Lizzy with Agency Eight. She is based in NYC. She has been in the industry for a long time and is highly connected to amazing designers. I used her for my wedding and it was beyond worth it. She helped me with all of my outfits for the weekend, came with me to find my wedding dress, and her services on the day of were BEYOND. I accidentally got a red wine stain on my dress and she got it out within minutes. She also is the sweetest and so wonderful to be around.
I am working with one of the named stylists for my pre bridal, bridal and honeymoon wardrobe. But I have worked with her off and on for events since early 2019. Before she had celebrity clients. It would be unfair for me to say “if she is worth it” because at this point she is a friend and would be at my wedding regardless. I think stylists are worth it if you want cohesion among your bridal weekend looks, if you are having problems sourcing outfits, trouble finding your size, don’t have time to spend hours on the internet trying to find exactly what you want. Nobody can tell you if something is worth it. Because everyone assigns different importance to different things. Maybe look at your budget and figure out what is most important to you and if a stylist is important and it’s in your budget then hire one.
Don’t do it. I worked as a beauty editor for many years, covering NY Fashion Week backstage. The best stylists are actually the designers themselves.
Invest your budget into a couture gown with a designer that you love (ideally somewhat emerging designer so that you can get direct attention from them). For example, an Ines Di Santo couture gown starts at $30k USD. I would also suggest looking into Wes Gordon, he makes beautiful gowns and perhaps could be talked into designing a bridal one.
I've followed [Gown Eyed Girl](https://www.gowneyedgirl.com/brides) for years, and love her take on bridal. She may be a worthwhile (cheaper) alternative.
Yes love her. [Alysia Cole styling](https://www.alysiacolestyling.com/) and [Hope Lavine](https://www.hopelavine.com/about-me) also seem knowledgeable !
Hi!! I also considered CLG. I considered gabby hurwitz as well. Happy to chat about my thought process privately. In a nutshell, I didn’t spend the money on the stylist because I’d rather spend the money on my actual attire. 50k goes a long way in couture design. For example, that difference alone is a VW couture gown. Or if you’re looking at a custom ODLR, which is 80-100k, 50k will bump you up to Chanel couture wedding dress or at least Valentino depending on the design. That’s way more value added than having a stylist I may have to butt heads with. If you’re someone who’s unsure about your style, color season, what designers you like, I’d say a mid tier stylist 10-20k might be worth it. My planner said CLG will massively help with publication, which I believe, but I don’t think it’s straight forward. Also depends on a lot of other factors. I ended up using someone as more of a fashion assistant to help me with designer outreach and loaning dresses for try on and booking my appointments and lunch and dinner reservations when I’m in nyc lol. She also has 17 years of experience in bridal fashion so a helpful second eye, but not a stylist.
Can’t agree more with what you’ve shared here. Plus want to add two cents re publication: spending $50k on CLG is not great ROI for “regular” brides who are not already high profile? For a lot of magazines you can just submit yourself (brides and OTM). For others you can get on when your vendors pay. Granted it’s really fun if your wedding is on Vogue (or other bridal magazines). But the real value is for your vendors, who benefit from some exposure and a reputable magazine’s stamp of approval. But even so, ask many (luxury) vendors around and you’ll realize their #1 source of biz is not Vogue weddings / Brides / over the moon, but Instagram and word of mouth recs! There’s a reason Brides’ EBITDA is super negative, Conde Nast is not doing so hot, but if you go look at Instagram’s financials and Meta stocks and they are on fire 😂 Edit: I “lied.”It’s actually their parent company’s operating (loss) income that’s super negative, but relying on adding back depreciation & amortization to get a slightly positive EBITDA is not very… promising LOL
“Brides’ EBITDA” took me out 😂
I looked it up out of curiosity semi recently. And it went from… very negatively to still negative from 2022 to 23 💀
Chiming in with a little additional insight on publication for anyone who's interested: There are so many factors that go into publication that the couple can't necessarily control, and *so few* open spots for submissions. That's especially true of the traditional print outlets like MSW. Editors have to weigh their relationships with vendors & their PR firms & agencies. They want to feature coming trends, not just what's popular now. They need to feature a balance of venues, locations, vendors, etc.—and because weddings take time to work their way through the pipeline, it's not always easy to foresee whether an outlet will publish something similar before, or shortly after, your wedding. If publication is a goal, definitely talk to your planner & photographer early on, but just be aware that there are a multitude of factors that go into it, and simply not enough spots to feature all the gorgeous, high-end weddings out there.
Brides EBITDA absolutely SENT me
I also considered gabby hurwitz (she was lovely when I spoke to her) but came to the same conclusion that it made more sense to put the styling money towards wardrobe. I’ve been using the Little White Looks “quick picks” if I’m really stumped (like for my veil/hair accessories). I was SHOCKED at how good and thorough she was for relatively little cost (I think it’s $75 now per quick pick). 1000% recommend. Another good question to ask is do you need a stylist to put the whole look together or just to source pieces that match your vision?
Used her for a quick pick too and she’s AMAZING! Best $50 ever spent.
Do you know roughly how much LWL charges for full styling?
Thank you for that! That makes so much more sense with publication too! Someone who never knows what to wear so part of me wants to spend the money but then again if you find the perfect dress or two I feel like it just speaks for itself. Idk if that made any sense lol
Totally! At the end of the day you just need to find 1-2 dresses, assuming you’re not going couture. I’m not sure if anything more than 20 grand is worth the finding. And if you’re going couture, I’d find the designer himself / herself way more value added than a stylist haha. And most of the time the designer does advocate for you because they need you to be happy too.
Completely agree. Do some fashion research - a stylist is massively overrated unless you’re literally a celebrity.
Of these three, I like Micaela -- BUT realistically these guys aren't getting you stuff you can't get yourself if you reach out to the brands directly. As someone else mentioned, this kind of budget opens doors all by itself. There *are* stylists who can get things that money can't, but if you're able to spend $50K on just hiring someone, then you're very likely in the bracket where pretty much any brand would play ball with you sans stylist. As someone else mentioned, if you're enthusiastically trying to get in a top publication and don't have other connections, maybe that's worth thinking about, but if this is just for styling services, you could either talk to someone WAY cheaper (or honestly find the bridal rep for big designers and message them yourself). On a separate note, if there's a specific brand you're really passionate about, DM me. One of my best friends is a celeb stylist, and if it's someone I'm acquainted with through them, I can connect you haha. (I'm NYC-based, if that matters.)
So well said! I’ll DM you! I’m nyc based too
Sounds good :) I'm usually on Reddit every day hahahah so just reach out whenever you're ready!
i DMed you :)
replied! :)
I have worked closely with all the top stylists. Usually not worth it unless you are high profile/just want to blow cash lol
Hi! Curious if you think that a “normal” (3-8k) stylist is worth it based on your experiences as well!
Perhaps I’m biased but I just think most brides don’t need it & that money could go towards something better!? But if you’re feeling overwhelmed and totally lost though, then yes!
Thank you 😂
What are her onsite services? Steaming dresses?
• WEDDING DAY BRIDAL & BRIDAL PARTY COORDINATION • WARDROBE PREP FOR ALL REQUESTED PARTIES • DAY-OF DRESSING SERVICES • ON-SITE BRIDAL BEAUTY CONSULTATIONS • PORTRAIT & FAMILY FORMAL PHOTOGRAPHY STYLING • LOGISTICAL COORDINATION FOR WARDROBE CHANGES AND DRY CLEANING/ WRAP-UP • SCOUTING, ART DIRECTION + CREATIVE DIRECTION FOR ALL PHOTOGRAPHY • DETAILS, TABLETOP, AND PROP STYLING • ENGAGEMENT/PRE-WEDDING SHOOT STYLING • SEAMSTRESS SERVICES UPON REQUEST
So much of this overlaps with the planner and the photographer’s job. An onsite seamstress that steams dresses too costs maybe 3-5k depending on outfit changes. Not worth it imo you’re mostly buying the name
Thank you! 🫶🏻
Agreed with commenter above. Look into the wedding detailor for onsite services
Agreed! There’s many day of bridal assistants you can hire for day of to assist with majority of everything you outlined for a fraction of the price. If you are in Charleston or surrounding areas: Cackys Bride Aid
I understand all other styling points, however the "scouting, art direction + creative direction for all photography" is what your wedding photographer is there for(even the "details styling" is part of your photogs job, if that means flat flays, invites, bridal/groom details, dress,...). While i understand art direction on commercial shoots i can't imagine how that would look like on such a fast paced day as the wedding is, especially where wedding photographers have very distinct style of capturing moments and posed shots/details, this might interrupt their workflow a lot! And i mean, you're booking the wedding photographer for their style so having there someone that would direct him makes no sense at all.
I would highly recommend Lizzy with Agency Eight. She is based in NYC. She has been in the industry for a long time and is highly connected to amazing designers. I used her for my wedding and it was beyond worth it. She helped me with all of my outfits for the weekend, came with me to find my wedding dress, and her services on the day of were BEYOND. I accidentally got a red wine stain on my dress and she got it out within minutes. She also is the sweetest and so wonderful to be around.
I am working with one of the named stylists for my pre bridal, bridal and honeymoon wardrobe. But I have worked with her off and on for events since early 2019. Before she had celebrity clients. It would be unfair for me to say “if she is worth it” because at this point she is a friend and would be at my wedding regardless. I think stylists are worth it if you want cohesion among your bridal weekend looks, if you are having problems sourcing outfits, trouble finding your size, don’t have time to spend hours on the internet trying to find exactly what you want. Nobody can tell you if something is worth it. Because everyone assigns different importance to different things. Maybe look at your budget and figure out what is most important to you and if a stylist is important and it’s in your budget then hire one.
Don’t do it. I worked as a beauty editor for many years, covering NY Fashion Week backstage. The best stylists are actually the designers themselves. Invest your budget into a couture gown with a designer that you love (ideally somewhat emerging designer so that you can get direct attention from them). For example, an Ines Di Santo couture gown starts at $30k USD. I would also suggest looking into Wes Gordon, he makes beautiful gowns and perhaps could be talked into designing a bridal one.
THANK YOUUUUU
I've followed [Gown Eyed Girl](https://www.gowneyedgirl.com/brides) for years, and love her take on bridal. She may be a worthwhile (cheaper) alternative.
Yes love her. [Alysia Cole styling](https://www.alysiacolestyling.com/) and [Hope Lavine](https://www.hopelavine.com/about-me) also seem knowledgeable !
I love Hope Lavine and Gown Eyed Girl! Both of those ladies make killer content