Aficial Events Reviews
Reviews
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5.0 out of 5 rating
43 Reviews
100% recommend it
Awards
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Stephanie Sent on 05/17/2024
The best wedding planner!
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! -
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Sharlyn F. Sent on 05/13/2024
Karen is amazing!
Thinking of hiring Karen and her team? Just DO IT! If we could give Afical Events a 10-star rating, we would! 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. We did not even end the virtual meeting before agreeing to sign a contract with her. Although there was still roughly a year before our actual wedding day, and even though we had only requested coordination services, Karen was available for any questions or concerns that we had related to anything and everything for our wedding. Whether we asked about wedding etiquette, vendor recommendations or design suggestions, Karen was always either a text or email away. And whenever Karen provided advice, she ALWAYS ensured to keep our vision and budget in mind. This was apparent during the wedding, after a few of my cousins even said “this wedding was so ‘you guys.’” Once it came closer to our wedding date, even though my husband and I had very differing work schedules, Karen would always attempt to accommodate both of our schedules so that we would both 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 came, not only did she execute and create such a beautiful reception space with the decor that I provided her, but both my husband and I were completely 100% stress free all day. And… Our families LOVED her. She was so kind and professional with any questions or concerns that our parents had. And our guests are still commenting about how smoothly events transpired throughout the wedding ceremony and reception… We STILL continue to receive compliments about Karen and her assistant, Adrienne’s organization and professionalism! They both were working so hard from beginning to end, that my husband and I had asked once or twice about whether they were able to take a break at some point to enjoy and celebrate too!
We have no doubt that Karen will be that person that will help to create a stress-free, beautiful and memorable wedding day for you, if you choose to hire her! Making important events of an individual’s life truly memorable has become her craft - something that she has perfected. 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. -
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![Dani]()
Dani F. Sent on 12/28/2023Choosing Aficial Events was the BEST decision we made!
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! -
Marissa R. Sent on 07/04/2023
Karen makes magic happen
Karen made all of our Summer Solstice wedding dreams come true and then some. Recommended to me by a dear friend of mine, as soon as I talked to Karen the first time it just felt like the perfect fit. She’s easygoing, insanely creative and the sweetest! Karen was always easy to get ahold of and responded whenever we had new ideas or any questions. It was very easy to trust Karen so we gave her our interests and let her do her thing and our special day was truly magical — it also went off without a single disruption and we have Karen to thank for that. We were able to enjoy our day and savor the memories without worrying about any issues. -
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Rhontelle A. Sent on 08/30/2022
If you're looking for a planner and coordinator in San Diego, you NEED to book Karen!
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. If you're looking for a wedding planner and coordinator that will completely put you at ease, you NEED to book her! -
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![Melissa]()
Melissa F. Sent on 06/17/202210/10 Karen is the best :)
Karen is AMAZING! She was my friend's wedding coordinator & since she had nothing but good things to say about Karen, I booked her for 3-month + day of coordination & for design & I am so happy that I did! We booked pretty early in Feb 2021 when our wedding was planned for June 2022, but Karen was always available & very responsive for vendor recommendations/random wedding questions way before our 3 month mark. I had no idea what I wanted in regards to decor & Karen created a design board for us & everything turned out beautiful day of. Two months before the wedding, my mom was hospitalized & I barely had any time to think about the wedding. Karen took over everything & made sure we were ready day of. From signage to the smallest details of the wedding (ie last min linen rental changes, safety pins for the money dance, cake cutting utensils, etc) she had us covered! We had a multicultural wedding (Filipino & Vietnamese) & Karen was amazing at sticking to our jam-packed timeline. I thought we were going to be fine at the church, but from our rehearsal I definitely underestimated the amount of time it would take to get 10 pairs of sponsors in addition to the bridal party in line for the processional & Karen made it seem like a piece of cake. She is very budget conscious & will be transparent of what is needed/what is not & where you can save money. Literally of the sweetest people I've met, she even arranged some leftover florals to bring home for my mom at the end of the night. I would highly recommend Karen & her team (her assistant Adrienne was great as well!) for all of your coordination & signage needs! -
![Adam]()
Adam V. Sent on 05/11/2022Karen is the best!
We cannot say enough great things about Karen. We had her on board for 2-month coordination and we were so relieved as soon as she started. Karen was on top of things, super nice and accommodating, and calm throughout the whole process. She was so calm that when we met her for the last coordination meeting the week of our wedding, it helped put our worries at ease. The event went off without a hitch! We've been told to expect the unexpected and roll with the punches but because of Karen we expected everything! Highly recommend Karen; we'd give her 100 stars if we could. -
![Angelica]()
Angelica Sent on 04/13/2022Our wedding was perfect because of Karen!
It’s been exactly a month since our wedding and we miss working with Karen already! We had to change our wedding date multiple times due to the pandemic and I’m so glad we were able to keep her. Planning this wedding, I honestly had no idea what I was doing. Before actually working with Karen she already gave me some tips and guided me in the direction that I needed to start. That alone helped me out so much. Finally, two months away from the wedding and I was so nervous but once we had our first real meeting with Karen, the weight on my shoulders seemed to disappear. She is so sweet and so easy to work with. All I really had to do was give her all the vendor information and specific details of what we wanted for the wedding and she literally made everything come to life. The day of the wedding, we were able to enjoy every second of it and literally had no worries. Karen took care of everything and everyone. Our wedding was the most perfect day and it was because of her. We are forever grateful! -
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Julie A. Sent on 04/07/2022Best Wedding Coordinator Ever!
Planning a destination wedding?! Or want to have a destination wedding?! BOOK KAREN - SHE IS YOUR GIRL!!!! Trust us, you and your s/o won’t regret it! We love her so much and will refer her to anyone we know that is engaged &/or planning their upcoming wedding.
My (now) husband and I heard about Karen while she was planning my (now) brother & sister-in-law’s wedding. We were very impressed with how well she communicated with them whether it was virtually or in-person, and we saw how organized she was with her excel sheets, google docs, and PDF files that were sent to them. Immediately, my husband and I wanted to reach out to her and inquire to see if she would plan our dream destination wedding in Kaua’i!
We wanted to plan a destination wedding in my husband’s hometown in Hawai'i, on the island of Kaua'i, but to be completely honest, it was daunting at first because we had no idea on how to initiate our plans and became extremely anxious. On our first initial meeting with Karen, she asked us about our wants, our goals, and how/what we envisioned for our wedding - we wanted a very intimate, simple, and unique Hawaiian wedding - and Karen reassured us that she would be there to help make our vision come true. My husband and I opted for the Planning and Day-Of Coordination services - this was the best choice for us as we didn't want to stress about anything about our wedding, especially on our wedding day.
Karen is AMAZINGLY organized, the queen of Google Drive! She sent us a checklist of everything that was needed & to be due on within each month to help keep us and her on track with the planning process. She also sent us an excel sheet where each tab was broken down per vendor where we &/or she lists vendors that we could choose from. This was very helpful because we were able to compare vendors that would fit our wedding theme and that were within our budget. It was not easy finding vendors on the island of Kaua’i as it is a small island, plus a lot of business had to close down during Covid but Karen went above and beyond with helping find our perfect team! In the end, all the vendors that we chose executed their part very very well and we are extremely happy with the outcome!
Words cannot express how grateful we are to find Karen as our wedding planner. She completely put our minds at ease throughout the planning process. She listened to everything we were looking for and executed what we had envisioned. I can't say enough how smooth everything went. It exceeded our expectations. Because of her, our wedding was a success. And if we were to relive it again, we definitely would. We miss everything about the planning process and our wedding day, and of course we miss you, Karen! Thank you so much, Karen, for making our dream wedding event come true! We are looking forward to seeing you at our friend’s upcoming wedding in July!
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Jessica M. Sent on 10/19/2020
Above & Beyond Wedding Coordinating!!
First of all, if you are getting married....you need to get you a Karen...the good kind;). As a newly engaged bride planning a wedding in San Diego, I didn't know where to start. I was introduced to Karen through a mutual friend, and I have to tell you the best money you will spend on your wedding...truly! From the moment we booked her she was available to us, which is more than most day-of coordinators. She was there to answer any questions big or small, suggestions, and recommendations. Her responses were quick, efficient, and super helpful. She composed a seating chart, a full layout for our reception, and scheduled our day from start to finish. She was in contact with all our vendors so we didn't have to worry about anything for the day. We even had a couple of facetime meetings with her (because we live in LA) and went over everything from visions to concerns. We had one walk through where she met us at our venue and we went over last-minute details before the big day. AND THEN....Covid hit and guess what? We had to do the whole process all over again. We had to rethink our entire wedding from picking a new date to guest count, to the floor plan, to timeline, even a whole new venue. Karen pulled up her sleeves and was right there with us figuring it all out in this new world. She helped us reconstruct a plan that we were comfortable with that was Covid safe for us and our guests. She even jumped in when we needed to find an affordable rental place for flatware and silverware last minute. I provided her with all of my DIY decorations and gave her an inventory list and she put everything into place so perfectly. She even was there the day before to run our rehearsal at the venue. I can't say enough good things and my new husband and I would highly recommend Aficial Events any day. Karen was such a huge support in more ways than one. My husband and I not only walked away happy with our experience but with a new friend in San Diego. -
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![Adrianne C Andres]()
Adrianne C. Sent on 08/30/2021Communicative, reliable, knowledgeable, down-to-earth, present, supportive, and generous of her time and resources!
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 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 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 off 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.
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 it 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.
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, 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 and is very empathetic to your feelings, and just has so much to offer. My husband and I had the worst separation anxiety parting the night of the wedding because we couldn't believe we wouldn't been seeing or hearing from her on a monthly/weekly basis anymore - we had been through it all with her! 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!!) -
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Rafael R. Sent on 08/27/2021
Aficialevents was fantastic
AficialEvents was recommended to us from one of our bridesmaids from her own wedding. We booked Karen as our day of coordinator, but leading up to the day, we had regular meetings with her via zoom/phone to discuss details about the wedding day execution. Karen is amazing!!! She manages all of the details using google docs/sheets so it is easy for the couple and her team to coordinate. We planned this wedding remotely from Philadelphia but it took place in San Diego and she made it all that much more easy to feel less anxious about our day.
Her communication was super quick. Because of COVID-19, there was a lot of wedding postponements for many couples, and Karen had to nominate one of her mentors to substitute for our day-of coordination. Because we built so much trust and had such a good relationship with Karen up to this point, we were totally fine with it and her team still delivered the most memorable wedding ever.
If you are looking for a GREAT wedding coordinator, AficialEvents is who you need. We wish we could do this all over again and would have them be our day-of coordinators in a heartbeat. -
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![Ally]()
Ally Sent on 02/28/20213-months+day-of coordinator
Picking a wedding coordinator is a tough "to do" on the wedding list. You're leaving the success of the wedding flow to ONE person (and the flow of the wedding is something you want to get right). Thankfully Karen nailed the job while... pregnant! Yes, she was full on pregnant! Talk about dedication. She was very helpful and flexible during all of the changes we had to do, due to COVID. I mean, we were deciding things days before the wedding. She was personable, friendly, and great to work with! She was my 3-months+day-of coordinator. -
![Rachel]()
Rachel M. Sent on 12/08/2021Best wedding planner ever
Karen is the best decision we made about our wedding, hands down. She is organized, creative, communicative, accessible, responsive, extremely talented, and very very kind. She knows weddings inside and out, and she added so many little amazing touches to our event that we didn't even think to ask for! She knows the community really well, also, so any vendors that you need, she's got you. I trust her implicitly, which is exactly who you want running your big day. I simply cannot say enough glowing things about Karen. I cannot recommend her enough!!! -
Marie Sent on 10/27/2020
Go with Aficial Events!
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. -
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