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Freqently Asked Questions

What is Heart of the Island Intimate Events?

Heart of the Island Intimate Events is you "Go To" for all your destination or local wedding and elopement needs. We specialize in planning and custom catering for intimate events of 2-100 people. We are a husband and wife team, who each had their own separate business and decided to team up together under a new name to offer couples a more rounded wedding planning expereince. Paula Kuse is a Certified International Wedding & Event Planner since 2012, and her husband Chef Andrew Kuse has been cooking for almost 20 years and has been through several years of apprenticeship and culinary school in BC. Planning Options: We offer 4 Virtual Planning Packages, 2 In-Person Planning Packages, and an option to build your own planning package according to your customized needs. We also offer a set up/tear down wedding decorating service, and a floral design service for brides, who purchased their flowers from Costco and need them arranged into bouquets and centerpieces. Catering Options: Chef Andrew Kuse does have a standard menu on our website to choose from. However, where his true passion lies is in being creative and working with the clients to create a fully customized menu from the ground up. He can also customize for specific food allergies, dietary needs and general food likes and dislikes. His goal is to work with local farmers and fisherman to bring you and your guests a fresh farm/sea to table experience.



Where is Heart of the Island Intimate Events Available?

We are located in Charlottetown, PE, Canada and our current focus is serving Prince Edward Island. However, planner, Paula is certified internationally and, if requested, serves the US and Canada wide, with virtual planning.



How are Heart of the Island Intimate Events planning services different from a traditional wedding planner?

We do offer traditional in-person services, however, what makes us unique is our Virtual Planning services. With Virtual Planning, everything is all done virtually and there are no in-person services. Everything is done online or over the phone, via email, chat, social media, text, calls and video calls through the Viber app. Because there are no in-person services included, the virtual planning is a fraction of the cost or traditional wedding planning. We offer 4 Virtual Planning Packages to choose from, Ceremony Only, Reception Only, Virtual Full Service, Virtual Month-of Management. Virtual Planning services are an excellent option for destination wedding planning as well as a local couple who is on a tight budget, but might need a bit of assistance at a lower cost, without sacrificing services.



Why should I use Heart of the Island Intimate Events?

I am not going to list a bunch of reasons why you should hire Heart of the Island Intimate Events over another planner on the Island, because the truth is we are all talented and we all have the same passion for weddings. What I will say is that, you should hire the planner that you feel a connection with, because along the wedding planning journey you will be working closely with the planner. Now, I don't know about you, but I prefer to build a friendship with my clients along the way, a friendship that lasts beyond the reception. We are dedicated to our clients and treat each wedding/event as if it were our own. We pour so much of ourselves into the events we plan through our own blood, sweat and tears and if it's not perfect, well, then it's just not good enough. Our mission is to simplify the entire wedding planning process so couples are Blessed not Stressed, and they can get back to enjoying their engagement in this exciting time in their lives.



Who are your clients? What budgets do you work with?

Everyone starts wedding planning with a different vision (often no vision at all) and budget and we can make anything work. We set realistic expectations and help couples think through tradeoffs that are inevitable on any size budget. Many of our couples have budgets from $10K to $100K; we can help make a great wedding on any size budget.



How do I get started?

Get started by simply visiting our Book Online page and choosing the option that is right for you. The first step is to schedule your consultation. You will find the planning consultation options at the top of the page and the catering consultation at the bottom of the page.



When should I contact you to get started?

We can help you at any stage of the wedding planning process, but the sooner the better, so we can offer you more assistance.



What if I have questions?

Contact us, we will be happy to chat.



How will Heart of the Island Intimate Events help ensure my wedding day runs smoothly?

For our Virtual Planning Packages, we will provide you with all the comprehensive wedding day information before the big day with every detail the wedding party, venue and vendors could possibly need. We can also provide that same information directly to the venue and vendors. We have a final review call to discuss details. With the virtual services we are not there in person, but we do offer in-person day-of management as an A la Carte option, should you decide you need that service. For In-Person Planning Packages, we are there in-person for you through the whole process as well as the wedding day. For Catering Services, Chef Andrew Kuse will be on site for the duration of the event as well as his catering team.



Are you a Day-of Coordinator?

Yes, we absolutely can be! Day-of management services are not included in any of the Virtual Packages, but it can easily be added as an A la Carte option.



How much support will I have, while I plan my wedding?

You can call/email/chat/text us anytime, during our normal business hours, with any question. We are dedicated to our clients and their event, treating each wedding as if it were our own. We love sharing our expertise, offering advice and being the tiebreaker in Mother/FMIL vs. Daughter stand-offs (we get quite a few of those, you'd be surprised, or maybe not).



Who will I work with?

For Planning, all of your check in calls, texts, chats, and emails will be with me, personally, unless otherwise stated. I do also have a planning assistant that you may talk to from time to time, or she may sit in on calls or be CCed in emails and such so she is kept in the loop. For Catering, Paula handles all of the event management behind the scenes and may sit in and contribute to consultations and layout and design of the event. However, Chef Andrew Kuse will be the one you will be communicating with regarding the menu and any food or cooking related questions. He also works with a catering team who assist him in food prep and serving, but you would most likely not be speaking with them directly.



Is there a limit to how often I can contact Heart of the Island Intimate Events?

Absolutely not! Call/email/chat/text anytime with any question during the regular business hours and I will respond right away. If by chance a call or text is missed, I will get back to you ASAP. Paula takes all client calls and texts via the Viber app. Contact her for her number, or it can be found on the contact page by clicking on the underlined word "Viber". **Note: If you try to use that number to call regularly(not using the Viber app), you will not reach her. Instead, you will reach a family friend living in New York, who is not related whatsoever to the wedding business. Chef Andrew Kuse can be reached via call or text at 1-778-931-0952. If by chance he does not answer, he is most likely at his steady job. Please leave a message and he will get back to you ASAP. Business Hours: Monday-Friday 10:00AM - 7:00PM (AST) Saturday 11:00AM - 6:00PM (AST) Sunday 2:00PM - 6:00PM (AST)



How does the planning process work?

Share. You may have a complete picture of your ideal wedding, you may not. Either way, I know all the right questions to ask to find out what is most important to you. Develop. I get to work and send you customized planning tools based on your style and priorities. No fluff, just clarity about what needs to get done and how to make it happen. Plan. With a clear step by step guide and personalized recommendations, the time spent planning your wedding will be used efficiently and effectively. Check-in. We schedule check-in calls to review any and every detail. Have other questions along the way? Just ask. Review and Execute. We will review every detail with you before the big day and confirm with your venue and all your vendors. There are always minor hiccups along the way, but we handle them as they arise, and we check and double check every detail to ensure everything runs smoothly.



How does Heart of the Island Intimate Events know my style and priorities?

I get to know you through the consultation questionnaire or the in-person or over the phone consultation. I learn about your style and priorities by asking questions like, what do you do on a normal weekend and what is your dream date night. We don’t expect you to have all the answers to what you want for your wedding so we learn about your real life and make recommendations from there.



How does pricing work?

We use flat rate fees for our planning and decor services, no gimmicks, no confusion. There is too little transparency in the wedding industry and I am striving to change that. The In-Person Full Service Planning has a flat rate base price, however, we do keep track of wedding expenses and once it reaches a certain dollar amount the planning price would then be 15%, instead of the intial flat rate base price. All planning and decor services are subject to 15% HST. There is a non-refundable booking deposit of 25% and the balance is split into monthly payments. Catering bills are customized per event, and the amount is figured by the cost of the food, 15% HST, Chef & Catering Staff wages, Gratuity, and travels fees (where applicable). There is a non-refundable booking deposit of 50%, with the remaining 50% due 30 days prior to the event. Monthly payments can be made for the remaining 50%, if you prefer. **Note: If booking both planning and catering services together, you will recieve a small discount on planning services. All Planning and Catering Payments are made via Interac e-transfer or Paypal.



What do I get for the price?

Customized assistance with planning and design, as well as tools to help you along the way, and ongoing support to plan a beautiful wedding without making it your fulltime job. We work with our clients every step of the way and they have unlimited contact during our regular business hours. We have a great team of people who are dedicated to making your event special and unique to you. We treat all of our clients like they are our only client and each wedding as if it were our own.



Are there any other fees?

No. Never. There are no additional fees. We do not add additional charges for credit card processing or other nonsense like that. Everything is included in the flat rate pricing, which is located at the top of the package pages and individual prices are stated on all A La Carte items.



What types of payment does Heart of the Island Intimate Events accept?

We accept all major credit cards via PayPal, or Bank transfers via Interac e-transfer or Zelle. Heart of the Island Intimate Events does not keep record of ANY credit card number information on file! We take our client's privacy very seriously and do everything possible to ensure your personal details and payment information is kept secure.



How do I know you're giving me the best recommendations?

We are very dedicated to our clients and treat each one as if they were our only client. We also treat every wedding as if it were my own. We account for even the smallest details; and recommend vendors that I would use myself. We only succeed if every couple is blown away by their own wedding; that is the standard we set every time.



What if I'm not satisfied?

Please let me know as soon as possible! If you are not satisfied by the venues, vendors, or other details I've recommended. Please let me know right away and I will continue looking for something else more suitable. Although we strive for perfection in all that we do and treat each wedding as if it were our own, some clients just cannot be satisfied. In cases like this, if the client is extremely disatisfied with our services and would like to to hire another caterer, wedding planner or finish the planning process on their own, we will discontinue services immediately and require payment only for the amount of the services provided, as well as, of course, the non-refundable booking deposit. If a refund is necessary, it will be processed 8 weeks after services have been discontinued.