Karen is seriously the best there is! From the moment we booked her, she made everything so easy and organized. Wedding planning can feel like a lot, but Karen and her team does such an amazing job in making it feel so much easier and smoother. Our day turned out to be everything we wanted and more - thanks to her hard work behind the scenes and on the day of. We were able to just focus on enjoying our day and spending time with our loved ones. read more

Karen and her team were incredible! We had an event management package and I have to say that it was one of the best decisions we made of the planning process. We had a complicated timeline with a lot of things we wanted to fit in and Karen did an incredible job of figuring out how to make everything work. She had incredible vendor recommendations that we used and trusted her team completely. She communicated with our vendors, helped problem solve issues, and helped create our seating chart. Throughout rehearsal and the wedding itself, Karen and her team were organized, calm, and the event ran very smoothly. We cannot recommend them enough! read more

We hired Karen as our DOC for our reception in San Diego and she and her team exceeded every expectation. She was incredibly organized, prompt, professional, personable and easily accessible with any questions we had which made the entire planning process feel so much less stressful. She is well connected with vendors in San Diego and had great recommendations during the research process! Even though we never got the chance to meet in person before the big weekend, everything was executed so seamlessly and smoothly on the day of. Her team handled every detail flawlessly, allowing us to relax and enjoy our day with our loved ones. Everyone was so kind, attentive, and clearly experienced. We are extremely grateful for all of their hard work and would absolutely recommend her and her team to any future couples looking for a dependable and amazing wedding coordinator! read more

My husband and I didn't know when we first started wedding planning that we would end up needing to change venues and find a wedding coordinator last minute, after already booking all our other vendors and planning a majority of the details. Karen was an answered prayer and thankfully was available to help us out with a 2 months + Day-of Coordination package. Once she hopped on and worked with us two months out, we instantly felt relief & confidence that our special day was in good hands. Communication was great, her organization, her attention to detail and quick problem solving is unmatched. And she only works with the best - her assistant was just as amazing. Karen has a true eye for talent AND she genuinely cares! She has a special way of connecting with everyone and making you laugh and feel at ease even when the unexpected comes up. The wedding day came and everything went smoothly and beautifully! Karen was the glue between us, the guests, the vendors and our venue. We're still waiting for our photography and videography to come back but from what friends and family have shared, they did an amazing job putting together the decor and all the details! My husband and I were in complete bliss and don't think we ever had a worry during the day. It was funny because post-wedding, my husband and I were talking about how we should've hired a content creator because we chose to do the day unplugged without our phones and were feeling so impatient with waiting for our photographer and videographer edits. Then we logged onto Instagram moments later to see some beautiful stories from Karen and her assistant! AMAZING There is not enough money or reviews to thank Karen and her team enough. Karen is absolutely the best. In the words of my husband, "Karen is the GOAT". He literally told me "You can give her all our money." and honestly if we could start over, we would have hired and paid her for the Full Planning package for her expertise from beginning to end! read more

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We love Karen! My husband and I hired Karen/Aficial Events for 2 month + day of coordination for our wedding this past weekend. Right from the start of our consultation meeting, even prior to, we immediately knew we wanted to work with her. We booked her in August (9 months prior to our wedding day) but she was super responsive, worked us through the planning process, and was so helpful upon booking. She made the planning process go by so seamlessly - she's very organized, professional, personable, has timely communication, and is SO GOOD at what she does! Just hours before our ceremony began, we added in last minute performances and Karen took care of it all. With every request we had, Karen and her team made it happen for us. Our wedding day went so smoothly and we couldn't have had the best day of our lives without her. We put all of our trust in her and can't thank her enough for executing our vision but so much better than we anticipated. Aficial Events exceeded our expectations and we highly recommend booking with Karen! You won't regret it. read more

Karen was our planner and coordinator for our wedding, from start to finish she was amazing. The amount of detail and thought she put into helping us have our dream wedding did not go unnoticed. She made our vision a reality and it did not disappoint. Each meeting leading up to the wedding flowed so well, she set out tasks for us to meet before each meeting which kept us on track and organized leading up to the day of. She is so kind, fun and easy to work with. The day of went off without a hitch. She made it so that my husband and I could truly have the best day of our lives with no worries or obligations but to have fun and enjoy the moment! read more

I can't say enough amazing things about Karen! From start to finish, she was incredibly communicative, organized, and always available when I needed her. She made our wedding day run so smoothly. Everything was seamless, efficient, and stress-free thanks to her. I truly don't know what I would've done without her guidance and calm presence throughout the entire process. In addition to wedding coordination, we rented quite a few items and print signage. Everything looked perfect. She truly made our vision come to life. I'm beyond grateful for all her hard work and would recommend her to anyone looking for a wedding coordinator who truly cares about making your day perfect! I owe so much of that day to her and will always look back w/ so much gratitude. Thank you again Karen!!! read more

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We just had our wedding on 05/04/2024 and I don't think it would have been possible without Karen! We hired her as a full planner about 1 year before our wedding date. She was organized, helpful, and was really able to bring our vision to life and more! She kept us within our budget, while simultaneously meeting all of our requests! Correspondence with her was seamless. she would answer text messages and email so promptly. I would get a text back from her sometimes within minutes. She was so easy to work with and really knew what she was doing. We found some of the best vendors through her and it really made our wedding day so special and stress-free! Karen was pregnant during most of the planning, yet she still delivered both her new baby 1 month before our big day AND when it came to working on our wedding, (yes, pun intended.). She seriously can do anything and was so amazing! We are so very happy that we chose her to plan the best day of our lives and we could not have done it without her. We were so worried about things going wrong but everything turned out even better than we expected. Even our family members kept telling us how this was the most beautiful and perfect they have been to. For anything we may plan in the future, we will definitely be contacting Karen and we highly recommend her to anyone trying to plan any beautiful event. Thank you Karen for your hard work! read more

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It was an absolute pleasure to have Karen as our wedding coordinator! She's coordinated both my husband's and my siblings' weddings, so we already knew the kind of magic she works in keeping everything running seamlessly, and she still managed to exceed our expectations. From the very beginning, Karen was always two steps ahead, making sure my husband and I felt heard, understood, and confident that our vision would come to life exactly as we pictured it :) She took the time to truly listen, ask the right questions, and offer thoughtful suggestions that made our plans even better. Our wedding was extremely DIY heavy. I handled all the decor, flowers, table settings, signage, dessert displays, and some floor plan details myself, and Karen and her team executed every single element to perfection. Everything was placed exactly where I envisioned, and when something didn't quite work as planned, she made quick adjustments that somehow made it even more beautiful. She even went far above and beyond by managing our U-Haul full of decor from start to finish, coordinating the load in, setting it all up flawlessly, and loading everything back up at the end of the night. That level of care meant my husband and I could simply enjoy our evening without the stress of breaking things down or worrying about a single detail. In the weeks leading up to the big day, Karen kept all of our vendors in the loop, stayed on top of timelines, and sent us timely reminders about anything that needed our attention. She was organized, so proactive, and incredibly supportive, making sure nothing slipped through the cracks. Karen wasn't just our coordinator, she was our calm in the storm, our safety net, and the person who made it possible for us to be fully present on one of the most important days of our lives!! Thank you Karen for all of your support, for your patience with my "crazy DIY heavy" ideas, and for being such a joy to work with. You brought our vision to life with so much care and heart, and we are endlessly grateful for you! :) We love you Karen!! read more

If you want a PERFECT WEDDING, Karen is the onlyyy way to go!!! My husband and I hired Aficial Events as our wedding planner/coordinator around this time last year. How grateful we are to have had Karen as a part of our wedding planning journey. Once I started working with Karen, everything seemed to fall in place and that stress I carried almost instantly faded. Karen is extremely organized and suggests timelines, vendors, meetings, etc! Her vision, her experience, her professionalism and her passion for her work is unmatched. On the day of our wedding, I truthfully had zero worries because I had full trust in Karen and her team. She did not stress anyone out, she ensured all vendors arrived & did exactly what they were supposed to and set up our decor. When I arrived to my venue and saw our vision come to life, I was in tears, in the best way. All thanks to her! The flawless execution of the tiniest details we hadn't even thought of, Aficial Events handled it! Our wedding day was BEAUTIFUL and even more organized and my guests still cannot stop raving about all the details to this day. Karen and her team work with grace, they are calm, professional and so thoughtful. We would recommend Aficial Events again and again and again to all future brides and grooms out there! With Aficial Events we gained a dedicated partner, advocate, and creative genius who genuinely cared about making our day unforgettable. read more

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Our wedding was even more perfect than we could've imagined thanks to Karen and her team!! We hired Karen for full planning, end-to-end assistance. We managed to plan a 200+ person destination wedding in under 6 months with curated vendors (desserts, catering, bartenders), hyper-specific creative elements (drapery, floral, polaroid booth), and detailed touches throughout the venue (graphic designs, music produced by friends, a decorated el camino). We had regular calls, and Karen was with us every step of the way to communicate with vendors, manage our budget, and support us in every way we needed her. The wedding went so smooth - and if there was ever a hiccup along the way, I wouldn't know it because Karen and her amazing team handled everything for me, making the day stress free and so seamless. The best thing about Karen's services is how much she *genuinely cares*. It's easy to find a wedding planner to plan a wedding, but it's tough to find someone who makes an effort to align with your vision and make sure everything is executed to perfection - especially when your vision might veer from the traditional route (my husband and I are creatives, so we worked with Karen closely to execute on our creative vision). Without a doubt, I'd recommend Karen to future couples. Massive thank you to her and her team for making my wedding day so so special. read more

After getting many recommendations from our friends who already had Karen as their planner, we booked her for the 2-month coordination + day of service. Since we figured out pretty much all of our vendors, Karen came in and took care of all the logistics that we definitely wouldn't have been able to do on our own. From the get-go we really appreciated her super-organized Excel sheets which, acted like a checklist for us throughout the entire process. Her meetings were always efficient and her communication and responsiveness were top-tier (as we've learned that not all vendors are like this). We always felt at ease and honestly impressed with her after each meeting. She created a 'Day-of" timeline, which was useful to share with our bridal party as well (ie bridal hard-stop for makeup/hair, where to be, what time to leave certain locations, etc.) The actual wedding day went swimmingly with no hiccups whatsoever! She would pop in with us during the reception to make sure we were good and would cue us to get ready for certain things on our timeline such as the bouquet/garter toss outfit changes, cake cuttting, etc all while coordinating with the DJ as well. Even the clean-up process went so smoothly. Our families also commented on how good and nice she was after the wedding. We truly felt taken care of throughout the whole day. We would 1000% recommend her to anyone planning a wedding! (We know 5 couples who have used her services - including ourselves - and 1 more friend who has her booked for 2025!) Everyone says you need a planner or at least a day-of coordinator, but don't get anyone else... Karen is your girl. Her professionalism and how she is on top of everything PLUS her kindness and chill personality make her super easy and fun to work with...you won't regret it! read more

Karen was truly one of the BEST decisions we made for our wedding. From the beginning, she was so kind, patient, and incredibly knowledgeable about every part of the planning process. She has such a sharp eye for detail and it really showed in how seamlessly everything came together on our big day. She took every idea I had and brought it to life exactly how I envisioned it but also guiding me in what felt like endless decisions to make. I always felt supported and heard by Karen and honestly I would trust her with my life lol. It was also helpful that she was already familiar with both my ceremony and reception venue so she really knew all the ins and outs. She was an amazing middle person for all of my vendors, especially since I didn't really know how all the little details worked (like floor plans, insurance, etc.) Karen and her team went above and beyond in every way!! We actually ran out of alcohol during the reception, and her team went to the store to restock us. My husband and I were just saying how sad we are that the wedding is over because it means we won't get to talk to Karen as much. She truly felt like more than just a coordinator to us and we are so lucky to have gained a friend in our lives! We received so many compliments from our guests about how beautiful and perfect everything was and we owe so much of that to Karen. We are beyond grateful for her and couldn't recommend her more :) we love you Karen!! read more

Karen is the GOAT! Detailed, organized, friendly, and just an overall wonderful human being. We hired Karen for 2-month coordination and right off the bat, she was such a thoughtful planner and her willingness to guide us through anything and everything was amazing. I love a good spreadsheet and Karen has the best!!! Every meeting with her was so productive and we left each one with clear next steps/homework. The day of the wedding, everything went SO smoothly. Karen and her team took care of setting up all of our decor and they did so beautifully! When I arrived to the venue and saw everything, I was taken aback by how stunning everything looked -- we had a mix of florals, candles, and fruit for our decor so getting everything set up was no small feat. Karen's creative eye flawlessly brought my vision to life and I am so so grateful! Outside of decor, Karen's organization, vendor communication, and speedy cleanup at the end of night was top-notch. We were able to truly enjoy the night, knowing Karen was there. She even took fun videos of the reception on my phone, which were great to watch the morning after to help relive the night :') Literally each one of my vendors raved about how much they loved working with Karen -- if that's not enough to convince you to hire her for your next event, idk what is! SUCH a pro. Would 100% recommend Karen to any couple! read more

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Karen and Aficial Events were a pleasure to work with! Immediately after chatting with Karen, I knew we would get along. I hired Aficial Events for month of coordination but Karen did more than just month of. She responds to emails/texts all throughout the planning process with recommendations etc. The day of was amazing, didn't have to worry about a thing. Karen even left to go and get in-n-out pickup as our late night snack! Karen also helped hook it up for an after party spot for our guests, which turned out great! I would definitely recommend Aficial Events for all of your wedding planning needs!! read more

Karen was truly the MVP of our wedding day! From the moment we met her, she was organized, detail-oriented, and genuinely invested in making our day perfect. I had what felt like a million DIY decor items, and she handled each one with care and setting everything up exactly how I envisioned it (if not better!). She quickly became my right hand woman, anticipating needs before I even had to ask. When I wasn't feeling well, she literally went to the store to grab me a banana to help settle my stomach. It's the little things and she made our day go so smoothly! If you're looking for someone who will bring calm to the chaos and execute your vision flawlessly, Karen is your girl. I can't imagine our day without her! read more

I have been a private events and Wedding DJ. Emcee and Officiant for over 25 years. Karen, with Aficial Events is one of the BEST in the industry! I have worked with Karen and her team, numerous times over the years. Each time has been seamless, organized, stress-free, timely and FUN! She makes sure, to pay attention to what YOU want, for your celebration. Karen and her team really know how to plan every detail of your celebration, so you can do one thing; Enjoy your celebration! Karen's communication before, during and after the event is stellar. When she communicates, she is clear and kind. She's incredible at multi-tasking, always knowing who she needs to communicate with and what direction she needs to give them. If you're looking for someone who knows what they are doing, to orchestrate a wonderful celebration, connect with Karen. You'll be in very good hands! Take care and God Bless! Michael Cabradilla 619-917-1315 Sureflow Entertainment DJ, Emcee, Photo Booth and Wedding Officiant read more

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For our big day we knew we needed someone organized, motivated and not afraid to tell us her opinion about anything when we needed help choosing what was best for us... and that person was Karen! Karen worked so hard and made our big day as perfect as possible and kept working until the very last minute! My wife and I even had to tell her to take a break to grab some food/drinks and enjoy herself/relax during the wedding since she had been on the go since the birds started chirping that day! If you want someone dedicated to make your wedding your dream day then you found the right person to coordinate your wedding! If you want someone to completely destroy your wedding and have it in shambles... then Karen is not the person you want Amazing work Karen!!! I dont know how you do it cause my brain would be fried!‍ read more

Aficial Events - Party & Event Planning Near Me

Karen was my wedding coordinator and she was amazing! From start to finish, Karen was punctual and on top of everything for our wedding experience. Karen not only helped with design and organization, but she made our wedding day run as smoothly as we could imagine. Karen answered every question we had during the wedding process and made our wedding planning experience a great success. Karen thrives under pressure and took care of any last minute changes that came up. I could not be happier with the choice to make Karen my wedding coordinator. She is the best! 10/10 recommend anyone looking for a wedding coordinator to book her! read more

We hired Karen for Full Event Planning - we live in the Bay Area, but had our wedding in San Diego - and it was the best decision we made in wedding planning! Her detailed spreadsheets and organized Google Drive folders put this type-A bride immediately at ease, and her broken-down planning schedule kept us on-track and made booking vendors so easy, especially during this busy wedding boom season! We had regularly scheduled video calls, exchanged countless comments in Google documents and texts, and she even made the extra effort to book any in-person meetings/trials/tastings during our scheduled trips back to San Diego, so we didn't need to make additional trips back - she was so mindful of our time and we appreciated it so much! She helped us fine-tune our vision of a minimal, industrial look, and carried it through to our entire reception venue AND invitations! Yes, in addition to being an amazing planner and coordinator, she can also design your paper elements! It tied the whole wedding together, and the pictures speak for themselves She made us feel so comfortable through the wedding planning process and especially on our wedding day. We were able to be completely present during our wedding because we knew we trusted her to execute, and she NAILED it. Karen, we can't thank you enough! Photos: Eric B Photos Florist: Luna Bloom Design Furniture Rentals: Wonder Event Rentals read more

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Karen is the BEST!!! We hired Karen for day-of coordinating but she was there for us from day 1. She answered all my questions, big and small, with no delay and provided so much guidance. She officially stepped in a few months before the wedding to help tie up loose ends and finalize our plans and it couldn't have happened at a better time. She is a professional but she makes you feel completely comfortable to put your trust in her. The only regret we have is not having her full service! She's organized, super sweet, very level headed, and all the things you need in a wedding planner. Book her NOW. read more

KAREN IS AMAZING!! Hiring Karen for her 2-month + day-of coordination was the best decision that my now-husband and I could have ever made for our wedding day. From the first virtual meeting, the vibes were perfect. Karen was so professional, yet welcoming and personable. There was no hesitation when deciding to book her for our special day. From that point on, even though we were a little less than a year out, Karen always responded to any little question we had... Whether it related to wedding etiquette, design suggestions or recommendations, Karen was always either a text or email away. And before she even provided suggestions or recommendations, she ALWAYS ensured to keep our vision and budget in mind. Karen also would always attempt to accommodate my husband and my differing schedules when it came closer to the wedding day, so that both of us would be able to attend coordination meetings together with her. This really meant a lot to us because we never wanted planning to be one-sided and wanted to ensure that we all were on the same page. Once the wedding day finally came, not only were both my husband and I completely 100% stress free, but our families LOVED her. She was so kind and easy-going with any questions or concerns that our parents had... Handling their questions like a true professional! She not only created a beautiful reception space that personified our vision, but her organization really was apparent throughout our wedding day. This resulted in guests commenting their amazement at how smoothly events transpired throughout the wedding ceremony and reception... So much so that we were still receiving compliments about Karen and her assistant, Adrienne, weeks after our wedding. They both were working so hard from beginning to end that my husband and I had asked at one point in the evening if they were able to take a break at some point and enjoy the celebration with us too! If you ever are debating hiring a day-of coordinator... DO IT! And hire Karen to be that coordinator for you. She will help to create a stress-free, beautiful and memorable wedding day for you! She truly is a wonderful person that has perfected her craft of making these important events in an individual's life, truly memorable. We are so appreciative and thankful for all the work that Karen did for us and would 1,000% recommend her for anyone that needs event planning/design/coordination services. Trust us. You will be in very good hands with Karen and her team. read more

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This review is a bit over due. Karen is your go to gal for a wedding planner!! We hired Karen for a Full Event Wedding Planner. We booked her when I first got engaged back 2020. She was extremely informative on what she offered and her price (EXTREMELY AFFORDABLE). I was a bride who knew nothing about wedding and was Terrified at the thought of trying to plan a wedding. Karen told me not to worry because if I decide to book her, I would be in good hands. Oh that was such an underestimate. Karen was PHENOMENAL. SHE DID NOT DISAPPOINT. Karen had free range to plan my wedding and took charge as soon as we began our planning. She was well knowledgeable and organized in profession. She had thought of everything, from list of things we need, month by month break downs, excel sheets, monthly meeting, zoom meeting, and made sure to always be available for communication either through email or text. She never made us doubt anything. Not only was Karen available, but she also had a list of well trusted vendors on her side. It was hands down a spectacular list. Whatever you needed, she had and each vendor had nothing but great words about Karen. Karen's vibrant personality made it easy for for my husband and I to connect with her and plan the wedding. The involvement throughout the planning process and then on the wedding day was so comforting it made my husband and I felt like we had a friend coordinating our wedding. She made our special day perfect and will guarantee to have or try to have everything you want for your wedding. Thank you so much Karen for your stunning and hard work. It was an amazing two years working with you. You're the best. Our Wedding was absolutely perfect. read more

Aficial Events - Party & Event Planning Near Me

Couples, if you are looking for an organized queen who is savvy with excel sheets, Google Drive, and easy monthly/weekly virtual meetings - Karen is the one for you. Everything Karen touched/had anything to do with, we had absolutely zero stress with. (I can get stressed easily. Like tears running down my face frustrated. Yet not a single stress-tear was shed on the day of my wedding, which was my ultimate goal). She was also very responsive by text and email to answer any and all questions I had (even the way she replied to my questions was organized). This says a lot about someone who just had a baby...mamas am I right? January 2019 is when I first met Karen. As soon as I showed interest, she invited me to meet her in person at a coffee shop of my choice just to learn more about what she has to offer. I was interested in full wedding planning from start to finish because I was in nursing school, had a toddler, my (now) husband was working full time, and I was still working part-time - but still wanted the full experience of a big and traditional wedding that was cute yet affordable. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Karen was the most affordable planner, compared to the full service wedding planners that my friends had for their weddings. I'm so happy that I found her on an Instagram hashtag because not only did she walk me & my husband through the first steps of wedding planning, but she carried us through the pandemic to reach our rescheduled wedding day from July 4, 2020 to July 3, 2021. Right of the bat, she sends us a checklist of everything we need to do in the month we had to do it, and whether it was an "us thing to do", or if it was a "Karen thing to do". This was music to my ears because I am a checklist girl, and crossing those To-Do things was so satisfying...even in the extremely early months of planning. For someone who has never been part of a wedding before, nor knows what even goes on during a wedding, this was comforting to refer to! Now, I have absolutely zero direction when it comes to vision and what I want in design. But if you show me a bunch of cute things, I can pick what I like! And that is how easily Karen helped us choose a mood board that fit us like a glove. After learning more about us, she presented a few for us to pick in a multipage and detailed PDF that is visually pleasing and easily accessible in our Google Drive she shared with us. It's also how easily she rescheduled all of our wedding vendors for the next year. I'm sure it was not at all easy on her end, but she gathered all of our vendors' availability for a range of dates and color coded the entire excel sheet so we could pick a date with most of my vendors just by glancing at it with one look. Don't even get me started with her vendor recommendations because my vendor team was a DREAM. If you don't believe me, ask my wedding entourage because we started the day of my wedding on time and ENDED on time. Every. Single. Thing. Planned. on the itinerary that day was on TIME! What does that even mean in wedding-speak? I also had a goal of not spending too much in certain departments like florals and catering. Karen provided me with the most affordable, QUALITY vendors who executed our vision to a tee while being on the cheaper end of it all. She works with these vendors often so I was able to trust that they know exactly what they're doing. PS she also is a DIY shop in herself and can literally handle ALL your signage and sewing dreams like she did ours (so much more affordable this way too). Overall, Karen is caring, organized, present, knowledgeable, down-to-earth, generous and gives you her all from day 1 of planning until the very minute you walk out of the reception (yes she stays the entire time, even to give your guest a safety pin for their dress that just broke!). Karen adds her special touch to everything she does, keeps you in mind, is very empathetic to your feelings, and just has so much to offer. My husband and I had separation anxiety parting the night of the wedding because we couldn't believe we wouldn't be seeing or hearing from her on a monthly/weekly basis anymore - we had been through so much together! Anyway, we get the joy of seeing her again in Kauai, Hawaii next February 2022 for my brother-in-law's wedding she's planning!! (Yes, she travels for you too!!) read more

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I, the bride, was hesitant at hiring a wedding coordinator at first thinking I could do it myself since I'm a planner, I'm organized, we have family and friends that can help out... but boy, what was I thinking?!? Save your time and your sanity and spend it on hiring Karen instead! I'm so glad that my hairstylist handed me her business card so after finally realizing that it is best to hire a wedding coordinator, I reached out to Karen right away. We booked her for 2 month + day of coordination and it was the best decision we ever made! She was very responsive, easy-going, friendly, listens well, have great suggestions/recommendations, she was very organized and on-top of things. You definitely want her to be on your team when planning your wedding! I will highly and immediately recommend her to anyone that is engaged and/or need guidance in planning a wedding. read more

Aficial Events - Party & Event Planning Near Me

Long story short: Hire Karen, you won't regret it. Good vendor recommendations/connections. Organized, thorough, easy to work with. Will make sure the big day runs smoothly! Long story long: When I began the planning process, I was overwhelmed. We had an idea of a budget, but clueless on what's affordable, normal, overpriced, etc (ie some venues appear affordable, but charge up the wazoo with their own caterer that you're stuck using). I needed guidance. Is it possible to plan your wedding on your own? Sure. But I work full time and a lot of overtime, and I wanted to keep the stress levels low. The most important thing I needed was guidance, and Karen gave us that. Most places require you to have a day-of-coordinator, might as well add planning services as well. I gave her details on budget, guest count, main color, and request for venue recommendations, which really isn't much information. I was super impressed with Karen on our first official meeting. Our initial hurdle was venue. I was clueless, and she came to the rescue. She came prepared with a detailed spreadsheet of numerous affordable venues in San Diego, to include price, availability on our chosen date (or other dates we could consider should we decide to since our date was so popular, 10.10.2020) and notes about the venues. I was thinking I'd only get a list, but she went in and did a lot of the footwork I did not expect. That's when I knew we chose the right person to help us through this process. When we toured venues & spoke with vendors, Karen asked the questions that I didn't even consider or think to ask. Karen not only gives you what you need, she'll give you that and more. I am a notorious procrastinator, so having Karen there to make sure I met our deadlines prevented me from getting stressed or overwhelmed. By 02/2020, we had 4 vendors out of the way (3 of the 4 were great recommendations by her). Then COVID-19 came and everything was put on hold. I thought we'd be fine since our wedding was later in the year. Then came the 3 month mark, and we had to make the decision to cancel our big wedding. I didn't want to postpone and I didn't want to cancel and lose out on deposits, so I told Karen that I would like to continue with a micro-wedding. In a little over a month, she was able to find us a venue that would accommodate a ceremony and reception during COVID. With that short time, she was able to find us great and affordable vendors that were available (makeup, hair, florist, officiant, videographer, a new photographer after our original photographer pulled out, and a photobooth that I requested week of the wedding!) She renegotiated contracts with existing vendors to accommodate the new wedding. For decor, the only thing I offered were ZZ Plant cuttings from my mom, and she transformed them into beautiful centerpieces that fit perfectly with the wedding and venue. I wasn't stressed about anything the day of the wedding. As our day-of-coordinator, Karen made sure that everything ran smoothly. Karen was there to make sure all the vendors arrived and were set up on time. She coordinated the transition from ceremony to cocktail hour to reception. I didn't have to ask Karen to do anything, because it was already taken care of. She anticipated the needs of the wedding, the guests, and us. And as busy as we were, she made sure that my husband and I were able to enjoy the food, drinks, and the day. Essentially, Karen planned 2 weddings for us without complaint. She stepped up to the challenge and worked with us to give us the wedding we wanted and more! She took my lacking details and turned it into something beautiful. I am thankful that she was available and that we were able to work with her. Some people might be hesitant about a planner because of cost, but it's beneficial to have one by your side for your mind and well-being. I highly recommend hiring Karen. Karen is someone you can trust and rely on, and her prices are reasonable from what I've seen in comparison. read more

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Hire Karen! She is AMAZING! My fiancé (now husband) and I decided to have a intimate wedding ceremony and light reception with our immediate family and friends. Deciding to plan our wedding during the pandemic was stressful and a little chaotic but that didn't stop us. It was suggested by the wedding venue that we look into hiring a wedding coordinator to help with some of the day of planning. I started doing some research and Karen was consistently recommended by my friends. After our initial meeting, I knew she was the one for us. She was friendly, welcoming, and very knowledgeable! Her services aligned with what we needed and we were confident in moving forward with her. All of our interactions with Karen up until the rehearsal and wedding day was done via google video call. She helped us in so many ways and kept us organized! We were able to reach out for any questions we had and was able to rely her. Karen coordinated our wedding rehearsal with the bridal party and took that stress away from us. She provided clear directions to the group and kept us all in check. The day of the wedding she took care of everything! She made our wedding day so special and stress free. I never thought I would need a wedding coordinator but I am so thankful that I had Karen! Karen, thank you again for all your help! You made our wedding day even more special and we appreciate you so much! read more

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I was introduced to Karen through another wedding planner who was not available on our wedding date. We're so so happy that we ended up working with Karen to put together our dream wedding. She is absolutely amazing, both as a person and at the job. We decided to hire Karen as a full-on planner because at the time I was living abroad, working full time, and long-distance with my fiance while trying to plan the wedding. I was very stressed out trying to choose the venue and other things from abroad, but Karen's calm energy helped me figure out what I needed to do and move forward with confidence. She understood that we are a young couple paying for our own wedding, and therefore on a budget. At the same time, she did a great job of explaining aspects of the wedding that we might want to invest more money in. But we never felt pressured into doing anything we didn't want to do. One of the most important things for us was that our wedding was inclusive of everyone. We didn't want to feel pressured to do any typical American wedding traditions, wanted to include our (Japanese and Korean) cultures in our own ways, didn't want to perpetuate gender stereotypes or heteronormativity etc. We met a few other wedding planners who were not sensitive to our concerns on this matter, so seeing how understanding and supportive Karen was made me feel so much better through the planning process. We had a relatively small wedding (about 85 guests), so Karen's team consisted of herself and her husband, who we also hired as our officiant. Both of them are very kind and hardworking people. Our officiant personalized his speech to us and it was absolutely beautiful and made so many of our guests cry (of joy!). This is a list of all the things Karen helped us with... and there may still be some other things missing. Helped us find a venue and communicate with venue staff Found vendors: Florist, makeup artist, photographers, Officiant (We found our own DJ, hair stylist but she made the list explaining what vendors to look for) Printing (Mock invitation for photos, menu signs, seating chart, table games/QR code for speech translations) Final venue walkthrough together Rehearsal with officiant and family Planned day-of timeline, and all the logistics that came with it Communicated with venue for us when we realized we missed 1 person on the guest count Decorations (set up and clean up) Day-of coordination-- made sure everything happened on time, people were all where they needed to be Kept us calm and happy through the whole process We are so grateful to Karen and we'll miss working with her like we did over the last year :) read more

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Karen was hired for Full Event Planning. It felt like our big sister was planning our wedding. We felt comfortable telling her our wants and needs. She is affordable, organized, detail oriented, and is cool calm and collected. Not really sure how she does this every weekend, sometimes a double weekend. She was born to do this! Affordable -- So WORTH it! I wouldn't sleep on her costs/services. She also gives suggestions to vendors within your budget, which is so helpful, because there are so many out there. Organized -- VERY IMPORTANT. The way she even writes her e-mails, impresses me! Planning a wedding = tons of emails, meetings and documents. My head was all over the place, but she was always one step ahead / anticipated what needed to be done. Detail Oriented -- We had a vision of what we dreamed our big day to look like, she MAKES IT HAPPEN for her couple. We were able to focus on other things that were more important to us and she focused on the smaller details, like how much linen to order (no one talks about this!) Cool, Calm, Collected -- We had a large bridal party / large wedding guest count. It did not phase her, thank you for being so patient with our group! Thank you again to the Aficial Events Team for planning the BEST DAY EVER, you will hold a special place in our hearts forever! read more

We felt relieved that we went with the right person to help us coordinate our special day. Karen was very helpful with organizing appointments and contacting and meeting with vendors. I was really impressed with the attention to detail that went in to help us make our wedding day so special. Thank you Karen read more

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We hired Karen at our first interview with her for the partial planning package. She came highly recommended by two of my coworkers. We already had a venue booked and didn't know where to start to look for vendors or how to go about planning our wedding. She is so easy to talk to and communicate with! Everything was very organized and I felt like a huge burden was lifted with the wedding planning! She is very mindful with our budget and had a lot of recommendations for vendors that met our price range. Of course with wedding planning nothing goes exactly according to plan, and when that happened, Karen was ready to take on the challenge and find solutions that turned out to be better than what we had originally anticipated! On the day of the wedding, despite all the chaos, she still went above and beyond to make sure we were okay and fed and ready for the upcoming events of the night. At the end of our wedding day, I didn't want to stop working with her! She definitely brought our vision of a fall wedding to life in ways that I never thought possible! I am grateful for everything she's done for us! You will not be disappointed with her! read more

We live in Los Angeles, but had our wedding in San Diego. We hired Karen for 2-Month Coordination + Day of Coordination Services. This was probably the best decision we made in planning for our wedding. The minute after we hired Karen (well before the 2-month mark), she provided us with a coordination document which we were instructed to complete prior to the 2-month meeting. This was extremely helpful for our planning process. She was also there for us to help answer any questions or give guidance on anything and everything. At the 2-month mark, she began hosting multiple planning meetings with us all the way up through the week of the wedding. These planning meetings really helped us identify all of the gaps early on to make sure we weren't scrambling for things last minute. She provided us with a template reception agenda, which we built on to create our final agenda. She created and printed our guest name/meal table markers and our welcome sign, and she designed them to fit with our wedding theme. She also contacted all of our vendors and made sure that everything would go smoothly with them during the reception. Overall, she brought a calming demeanor to the whole process. Beyond all of these things, I think one of the most helpful aspects was that she brought along two other assistants for the rehearsal and the wedding day due to the large wedding party and guest list (230+ people). This was really helpful for coordinating all of the people who were involved and for moving things to/from the ceremony and reception locations. I felt like there was someone there to help us at every point during the rehearsal and wedding/reception. Adrienne was our lead coordinator for the reception, and she was simply amazing! Adrienne was quick to adapt to changes in the timeline and made sure everything went smoothly. She even stayed until the very end and helped with the clean-up, packaging up all of the valuables/gifts/memorabilia and having them delivered to our room. We didn't have to worry about a thing! My husband and I both have very demanding jobs and had little time to spend on wedding planning. But Karen and her team made it happen for us! You will not regret hiring Karen as your wedding coordinator! read more

Karen from Aficial Events was extremely helpful during the wedding planning process. She was prompt, organized and genuinely wanted to make our vision into reality. Our theme was modern and minimalist - and she delivered! She designed all the signage, decor and made our centerpieces. She handled and communicated with all our vendors and it made it easy for us just to show up and celebrate. With last minute changes or additions she was there and made it happen. Her and her team the day-of were very professional and altogether a chill, composed group. Along with our requests she added personalized touches and custom designs to make our day all the more unforgettable. We highly recommend Aficial Events for full wedding planning, coordination and design. Thank you again Karen! Wish we could do it all over again! read more

Karen is a viking. She charges headfirst into battle, sword drawn, poised and ready to slay any beast that crosses her path. She took charge of all the small, easy to forget, details that would drive any bride and groom bonkers and did so with expert care. Our big day went off without a hitch thanks in no small part to her tireless efforts. If you have a wedding coming up and you arent going with Karen then we cant be friends. read more

My wife and I highly recommend Aficial Events to help you plan, coordinate, and execute your special day. We planned a fairly large wedding with 250 guests, a dozen vendors, and separate locations for the ceremony and reception. The theme we went with was a "tropical modern" theme that included elements from our Filipino and Hawaiian heritage. This entailed quite a bit of coordination and Karen exceeded expectations in helping to ensure that our day was smooth and stress-free. My wife was reluctant to hire a coordinator because of the costs she had seen and how that would fit into our budget. However, we both also wanted to enjoy our wedding and didn't want to be burdened by all the details that came in the lead up to our wedding day, such as emailing back and forth with vendors, coordinating design details, and managing personalities. Aficial Events took care of all of that. From a budget and stress standpoint, hiring Karen was the best decision we made. We went with the "Coordination Package," which secured Karen's help for the 3 months in the lead-up to our wedding. This best fit our needs, as my wife and I are planners that organize everything into spreadsheets and keep track of every detail. While we had a very specific vision for what we wanted, we've never planned a wedding before., This package allowed us to consult with Karen on details we weren't familiar with (reception programming, transitions throughout the day, room layout). She gave us the space to define and articulate what we wanted while still adding a tremendous amount of value with her experience and expertise. We had our vision and Karen executed that vision in a pragmatic way. Also, as you may well know, weddings are expensive. My wife and I tried to cut corners where we could without adding additional stress by DIYing simple details that required investments of time that we didn't have. Karen helped us to identify how to cut corners with the things we wanted. For example, we wanted an interactive photo booth without paying the exorbitant costs that came with booking vendors. Instead of contracting with a photo booth company, we contracted with Karen and her team to build a tropical backdrop for our guests to take Instax pictures with, that then were placed into our guestbook. They built the backdrop, set up the guestbook table, filled up the Instax cameras, and directed our guests to take their pictures. This made our guestbook fun, interactive, and full of character. This wouldn't have happened without Aficial Events. From our perspective, there were no hiccups, no last-minute changes, and most importantly, no stress. Karen and her team were able to run our logistics and reception program to the minute and kept everything on time. Together, we planned for a program that was meaningful, interactive, and fun for all of our guests. She seamlessly moved the program along and checked-in with us to make sure we had everything we needed throughout the day. We highly recommend Aficial Events for your wedding coordination (or planning) needs. She was easy to work with, was extremely organized, and executed every detail. My wife and I already had high expectations for our wedding, and Karen helped to elevate that experience to another level. Go with Aficial Events if you truly want to make your day a special one. read more

Aficial Events - Photo of Karen's backdrop. Picture by Dez & Tam photography. - Party & Event Planning Near Me

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If you are looking for the best wedding coordinator out there, look no further, you found her! Karen Aficial, of Aficial Events, is one of the most professional, smart, organized, detail oriented, kind, fun, genuine, & personable human beings you will ever meet. She was THE BEST DECISION we made during our entire wedding planning process. We asked for her to help with Day of Coordination, but her services went way beyond that, she was such a big help since our first meeting. It was very easy to communicate back and forth with Karen, either through text or email, she always responded in a timely manner. To me, communication is everything in any relationship, so to have such strong communication throughout this whole process made me feel so comfortable to trust her with every aspect of the wedding. Karen was very open to every suggestion we had for the vision for our wedding. She was also very helpful with her experience in the past in what worked well in other weddings. She also has a long list of amazing vendors, photobooth, slomobooth, flowers, DJ's, catering, desserts, rentals, everything, the list can go on! She made absolute sure we were ahead of our deadlines and when we met up with her to game plan, our stress, anxieties, and worries simply vanished because of her confidence, strong demeanor, and words made us believe we could do this, and together we did! Our wedding was at the BRICK in San Diego on 9/9/18, and when we showed up to the venue that day, it was more than we could ever imagined. Our vision, with the help of Karen and her team, became reality. Everything was beautifully done and the whole wedding ran smoothly. It was seriously the BEST DAY OF OUR LIVES! We had so much fun!!! Wedding planning comes natural to her, you can tell in her eyes that she has a passion to help many couples live out their dream weddings. She executes and over delivers. She is beyond incredible and orchestrated this entire process with a smile on her face. If you're planning a wedding, Aficial Events is what you're looking for! read more

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Karen was an amazing wedding coordinator who my husband and I were very grateful in hiring for our wedding this past September! She was extremely organized, professional, and friendly which greatly helped our planning process. Her attention to detail in her timelines and spreadsheets that she shares with you allows everything to run smoothly. I definitely recommend hiring her for your special events! read more

Booking Aficial Events for our wedding was one of the best decisions we made! As a couple on a budget, we were a little hesitant to spend what initially felt like excess money on a coordinator but looking back I can absolutely say it was well worth it! Karen truly goes above & beyond in every aspect. Even though we had only secured her day-of coordination package she started communications early on with us during the planning stage, joined some of touchpoint meetings with the venue (both virtual & onsite), provided some great vendor recommendations, and even helped initiate some inquiries for us. I remember being so overwhelmed with our "wedding to-do list" going into each coordination call we had with Karen & leaving it feeling beyond relieved. She took everything off our plate & onto hers without hesitation (or additional charge). Once the day finally arrived, we both were so relaxed & confident knowing Karen had it all locked down. Karen & her team allowed us to both be truly present & enjoy every moment of our day without any worries. Outside of Karen's amazing planning skills she is also just a great human being to work with. She's so kind, caring, and is one of those people whose positive energy is contagious to be around. We cannot recommend Aficial Events enough! read more

As a couple who planned and booked everything ourselves for our wedding, we knew we needed someone who not only could execute our vision, but also handle our two crazy families and wild friends. I am happy to say that Karen and her team absolutely exceeded our expectations as our day-of coordinator! Even leading up to the big day, Karen's day-of coordination package started TWO MONTHS before our wedding. Yes, you read that right-- a whole two months to help us get organized, keep us on track, communicate with our vendors, iron out the timeline and tie up any loose ends we may have missed during such a stressful time. And even BEFORE those two months, we were able to ask for her guidance and referrals for vendors. Her vibe was very chill yet organized. She was super professional and responsive to all our emails. We appreciated how detail-oriented she was and how she kept us on track without ever making us feel bad for missing a deadline every once in a while. She worked seamlessly with all our vendors and kept up great communication with all of them leading up to the big day. She was a superstar during our rehearsal, which was not easy with a big wedding party consisting of different ages (and maturity levels). And finally during our big day, Karen and her team went above and beyond. They decorated our venue with all the decorations we provided, figured out how to work through some technical issues, and made sure we (the couple) were taken care of. She worked so well with our vendors and kept the timeline of events going while still keeping us updated on what was going on. They even made sure to save us some of the late night snacks which were gone so fast. We can honestly say that our stress levels were minimal throughout the night all because of her and the team. All this to say, if you're looking for a wedding planner/coordinator, look no further. Aficial Events are INCREDIBLE at what they do and it was such a joy working with them! read more

Karen is simply amazing! A family member referred her to us after I had no leads about wedding planning. Silly me thought my husband and I could save money on planning and executing a wedding ourselves, who were we kidding?! I am so happy we took the initiative to meet Karen and hire her as our day of coordinator. Besides the coordination she also helped us with many other wedding planning aspects. As a young couple transitioning into the married life we really didn't understand or know the whole marriage process. This is where Karen came in, she helped answer any questions we had and directed us towards saving as much money as we could. We felt very relieved knowing we could count on her. I really appreciated how fast Karen would answer our responses, questions, would do weekly meetings, check-ups and how organized she was overall. The day of the wedding we had no worries as she would find solutions to many of the problems that might arise and she handled everything perfectly. Thank you so much for helping our wedding happen and making our vision come to life. Major props to Karen for planning our wedding in a month and a half! read more

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