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Feathered Arrow FAQ

I'm Kari!

Wedding planner, designer, photographer and creative entrepreneur who helps curate epic events and sparks joy for clients through curated photography art. Let's hang and chat!

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The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) From Our Clients

Hello, friends! I know right now, more than ever, questions and concerns may arise while planning your big day. It’s okay to not know exactly where to start – that’s where I come in! Below is a list of some of the FAQ I get from clients on a regular basis.

I’m newly engaged! Where do I start with the planning process?

First off, congrats!! Hiring a wedding planner is my #1 piece of advice for newly engaged couples. Why you ask? We guide you from A to Z by answering your questions, supporting you and making the process far less stressful. We know the industry and have a lot of connections, so why not ask and work with an expert? Aside from that, check out this guide here and blog post about the first steps to take!

How long have you been doing this for?

We’ve been in business for over 5 years and have done almost 100 weddings! We know the ins and outs of weddings like the back of our hand. Consider us your experts in the field!

What makes you different from other wedding planners?

We’re some of the best in the business! Our ultimate goal is to serve our clients so they have an easy, stress free and fun wedding planning experience. We want our clients to arrive on their wedding day worried about one thing: to have fun celebrating! I have heard so many clients and vendors say that I am the chillest wedding planner they have ever met. We’re genuine, supportive, caring and we’re highly detailed and organized. We’ll handle everything and I mean EVERYTHING and we may be your new friends in the end!

My venue already has a coordinator; what do you do differently?

That’s amazing that your venue has a coordinator included. However, most often, that coordinator is focused more on the venue logistics and less on you as a couple. The difference is we guide you, give you vendor recommendations, advice on your budget, offer design help, and plan your individual wedding to fit your vision. Because venues have a lot of clients throughout the year, they might not have personalized service and time just for you. Plus, venue coordinators typically aren’t there all day of the wedding or manage all the logistics and behind the scenes that our team handles. You want to hire someone that knows you and your fiancé and all the details of your wedding!

What kind of weddings do you do? 

Regardless of your religion, race, or sexual preference, here at Feathered Arrow we work with everyone and anyone who is in love and ready to throw a great celebration! We love our clients and are ready to serve them and make their wedding day the best party ever! Though we work with all types of clients, our style is typically somewhat non-traditional couples who are ready to throw a killer celebration and have a lot of fun along the way. We bring YOUR vision to life, whatever that may look like!

My associate planner, Jess, and I at the Bachelor mansion for a mixer!

How do you + your associate/team work on weddings?

If I am already booked on your wedding date, my Associate Planner, Jess, will run your big day. In addition, I have a team with me on the day of every wedding. One assistant is always included with your package, but based on your guest count and setup details, we may need more. Additional assistants do cost an extra $250 each to be added onto the package fee. The reason we charge for additional assistants is because those are additional costs outside what we normally charge for our work included in your package. This way we can pay our assistants a fair wage during the day and make sure they’re taken care of too.

What are the main differences between the planning packages you offer?

For weddings and events we customize our packages for our clients to best fit their needs. Each client’s wedding needs are so different so our fees can vary. However, we typically offer a Basic Wedding Management package, a Semi-Basic Management package, Partial and a Full Planning package. There are a lot of details to each one but we can explain those more on our consultation call.

What’s included in each planning package?

Each package is customized to your wedding + needs! However, I always give each client a wedding checklist, a preferred vendor list, a tipping guide and many more guides to help you with the planning process. We have a system that we use with our clients to keep everyone organized and we use online platforms such as Google Drive, AllSeated to create layouts and a program called Aisle Planner for our partial and full planning clients. In addition, we also create floor plans, timelines and we’ll guide you the whole way to answer your questions and make sure you’re taken care of, my friend!

I’m really just looking for a “Day-of Coordinator”, do you offer that?

We don’t offer “Day-of Coordination” because it doesn’t exist. I repeat, it does not exist! There’s no possible way that we could show up to your wedding day without prior information and time put in to have the day run smoothly. From our expert opinion, we have to be involved at least 2 months+ from your wedding date to make sure all loose ends are tied up and and you don’t have to worry about a thing. With our Basic Management Package, we jump into the process right away so that it makes everything easier for everyone involved. It’s not as simple as setting out the cake or getting people down the aisle. Everything that goes well or goes wrong, lands on us, the wedding planners. 

How many meetings are included in your planning packages?

Depending on your package, the number of meetings will vary. It varies depending on your needs, if you’re local or you’re planning your wedding from a far. At minimum, we’ll have 2 meetings, but the higher the package, the more meetings.

How can I get in touch with you?

We prefer email communication for all client communication. As we get closer to your wedding day, you can text us. However, we respond the fastest via email and that way it allows us to keep everything in one place. You can contact me via email at kari@featheredarrowevents.com.

What’s your payment structure?

Depending on your package, we will break your payments up into multiple payments over the course of planning. That can depend on the package and timeframe of planning. The retainer/initial fee is always non-refundable. We do have a cancellation policy as well that we outline in our contract too.

Do you have a contract in case of an emergency or change of plans?

Absolutely! For both your safety and mine, having a contract in place will ensure the smoothest process in case the unexpected pops up. If I can’t be there for some reason, someone from our team will be there on the day of your wedding or another qualified wedding planner in our industry that I know and trust. We won’t ever leave you hanging!

Can you help with vendor contracts? 

Yes! In fact, once you book me as your planner, I ask that you send over all vendor contracts you have received thus far so I can thoroughly review them. If you’re still booking vendors, you can always email us to review before signing with them to make sure that nothing stands out to us that needs to be changed or any red flags that you might need to be aware of.

How are you handling the COVID-19 crisis with clients?

Currently, we are still booking with new clients. If COVID-19 were to affect your wedding date, we would work with you and your vendors to transition to a new date and make sure all contracts and information get transferred. We currently do not charge an additional fee to move your wedding date if it’s affected by COVID-19. If you decide to move the wedding on your own and it’s not related to COVID-19, we do charge a re-booking fee. For more info on how to move forward if your wedding is affected by COVID-19, check out our blog post here.

I’ve done mostly everything already and don’t have much left in the budget, can you charge less since I’ve done all the work already?

Listen friends, we charge a reasonable amount because we work a minimum 40 – 60 hours helping plan, manage, and execute your wedding. Even if you do a lot of the planning, we still fine tune everything and pick up any missed pieces. We’re a small business and we also have bills to pay. Health insurance, employees to pay, taxes, and other business fees. Hiring a wedding planner for $500 wouldn’t even cover our hours for the day and paying someone else. If that’s all you have, hire your best friend’s sister. Sorry.

Can you give us a discount? We’re on a tight budget and saving for a house!

That’s so amazing you’re saving for a house but unfortunately, we can’t. Truthfully, please don’t ask for a discount when working with small businesses, it’s somewhat disrespectful. When you ask for a discount, it’s the equivalent of your boss saying, “Hey! Your paycheck is going to be smaller this week because we can’t afford to pay you the full amount. Is that cool with you?”. Our prices are for a reason and we’re not trying to up-charge you. We’re just trying to run our business, pay our employees, make a living ourself, pay our bills and support our families too. We’ve spent years honing our expertise in our field and learning how to best serve our clients. And that’s what we offer you: an amazing and quality service!   

If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me and ask! And if you’re ready to get this party started, contact me on my homepage here, and inquire about your wedding date!

Feathered Arrow Signature Kari Dirksen

LATTE OBSESSED, CHRONIC OVERACHIEVER, OUTDOOR GIRL, SUCKER FOR LIVE MUSIC, DONUT FANATIC, LIFE LONG GREY'S ANATOMY FAN + DOG MOM. 

Expert Party Planner, Photographer, and Creative Entrepreneur.

I'm a creative entrepreneur at heart and have been running my business for over 10 years and have planned and executed over 150 weddings. I'm an expert in this industry and care deeply about my clients and making sure they have the best experience. I've also been a photographer for 15 years and have curated some amazing art pieces to spark joy in your life and in your spaces. 

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Planning epic celebrations + curating art prints since 2014.  Los Angeles  based but open to travel!

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