TORONTO WEDDING PLANNER – ArthurK – Modern, Contemporary Event Planning
Today’s Blog is by Certified Toronto Wedding Planner, Erica Reavell, WPICC:
At the age of 32 ArthurK already has 17yrs in the wedding and events industry as a toronto wedding planner. His career started at the age of 15 as a professional saxophonist working in professional bands where the average age was 3 times his own. At the age of 17 ArthurK founded the Juno nominated band “God Made Me Funky” which quickly became one of Toronto’s most in demand band for weddings, events, and parties. As a result of being in, and managing “God Made Me Funky”, ArthurK rubbed shoulders with many of Toronto’s Top Wedding Venues, Vendors, and Toronto Wedding and Event Planners. With a reputation for being extremely professional and having a keen eye for talent and details many of these vendors would contact ArthurK when they were in need of bands, musicians, and customized entertainment ideas.
In 2007 ArthurK founded Fusion Events, an entertainment agency specializing in music, musicians, dj’s, and bands for private events. Fusion Events has grown in popularity with an average 50% growth rate every year and now does over 200 events a year. In 2010 ArthurK became a certified wedding planner/consultant through the Wedding Planners Institute of Canada and has since been focusing on planning events in addition to booking talent.
I had the opportunity to sit down with ArthurK and ask him a few questions:
Q. What made you take the leap into wedding planning?
A. Originally I had decided that I wanted the certification to give my existing clients an added level of security knowing that I was not just a musician or agent but that I see the whole big picture when it comes to weddings. I also wanted to educate myself on other aspects of weddings such as, etiquette, decor, and legalities etc. After taking the course however, I realized that I had been helping my clients do many of the things “Wedding Planners” do and I have been doing them for years. One of the first questions we ask our clients when they hire a band or DJ from us is “Do you have a wedding planner?”. If the answer is no I would always step in and use my years of experience to help them create an itinerary, recommend vendors, and generally make them think of things they for sure wouldn’t have considered otherwise.
Q. Why should people consider having a wedding planner?
A. I’ll answer that with another question. Why would anyone not hire a wedding planner? Planning a wedding is a big job. There is an entire profession called “Wedding Planning” for a reason. When I need a plumber I hire a professional because I have no idea what I am doing when it comes to plumbing and I for sure will screw it up and end up paying more money to fix my shotty plumbing job then to hire a pro the first time! A good wedding planner has spent years developing relationships and contacts in the industry. They spend tonnes of money and time attending conferences, open houses, networking, and generally educating themselves. A Wedding Planner has experience and knows what will and won’t work. A wedding planner will save you time (on average couples spend 250hours planning their wedding without the assistance of a wedding planner) and not to mention money! A wedding planner will help you stay on a timeline, keep you on track by providing reminders of things that need to get done, budget monitoring and allocation, help you with challenging family situations/etiquette, and of course be there on the day of to make sure everything runs smoothly so you can enjoy the day.
Q. Do you have a niche when it comes to wedding planning?
A. Yes and no. My favourite types of clients are those that are young, tech savvy, fashion forward, and modern. Budgets are usually $50K+ minimum. I also am a big fan of my city, Toronto! There are so many cool, funky, venues and vendors to work with that I consider myself an urban wedding planner. I will consider the Woodbridge banquet hall wedding but it has to be for the right couple.I don’t want to pigeon hole myself as only doing modern weddings as I also love rustic, vintage, and other types of weddings as well. I think that my sensibilities and style appeals to the new generation of couples getting married who are looking for unique, fun and entertaining events that are a reflection of their personalities.
Q. What are some of the hottest trends in weddings right now?
A. Photobooths are quite the rage right now. There is a new service which is taking Photobooths to the next level where you can take pics of the event on your smart phone using a special app and they get shared with everyone via big screens around the venue. Similar to that are same day video editing. Of course live music is seeing a major comeback these days as well. Conceptual and personalized sweet tables, elaborate themes, and wedding hashtags trending on twitter are some of my favourite trends.
Q. What sets you apart from other wedding planners in the industry.
A. Well that’s easy! I’m a man…and I’m straight! In all seriousness though, my background in entertainment and music gives me an edge as a wedding planner. From technical production elements, to creative ideas, to having managed a workforce of over 60 contractors even before I was planning weddings. These are all skills that are fairly unique for a wedding planner. I love pushing the envelope and using technology in unique and innovative ways for events! I have also had several of my wedding planning clients use my musical abilities to actually play their first dances on the Sax or march them in for their grand entrances…you won’t see many wedding planners doing that!
